Capturing Old World Charm in Durban, South Africa, by Brett Florens [RF Wedding of the Week]

April 15, 2016

By Laura Brauer

When South African-based photographer Brett Florens sent me this wedding of couple Jess and Adam to peruse, I was instantly drawn in by the elegance and timelessness of the images. Wedding photography over the years has gone through many evolutions and trend changes, but an accomplished image-maker such as Florens stays successful and current by telling a couple’s story in his own unique way.

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ALL PHOTOS © BRETT FLORENS

 

I really loved photographing Jess’s dress,” says Florens, a Nikon Ambassador, when asked to describe some favorite moments from the day. “It fit her perfectly and her silhouette was a pleasure to photograph.  She has the most engaging eyes, making her incredible to work with.” He also really enjoyed the wedding location, The Oysterbox Hotel in Durban. “It’s one of my favorite places in South Africa—it has an old world charm and elegance, and is right on the beach, enabling me to capture the best of both.”

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“Jess and Adam booked me off my site,” Florens, continues. “They live in Johannesburg , which is an hour’s flight from Durban. “We met in JHB when I was presenting at the Photo and Film Trade show. We clicked immediately, and I had a particular connection with Adam as he is a big sport lover and we chatted about the current state of soccer and tennis.  I really enjoyed the energy between them.”

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Florens says the day’s coverage went quite well and that what could have been a challenge for someone else was surmountable for him. “The groom was born with one arm half the length of the other and although he is very comfortable with that, he asked that I concentrate on creating images that showed his stronger arm. So the posing for this wedding was a little different for me. I really enjoyed the challenge and feel that I managed to pull it of respectfully and sensitively.”

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 GEAR USED: ‘The Nikon D4s and my go-to lens, the 70-200mm. For lighting, I used the Elinchrom Quadra ELB.”

Check out more Weddings of the Week, and email Libby Peterson or Jacqueline Tobin with submissions.