Angie Lázaro Photography

Something I wrote on a trip to Namibia shooting two hotels in 2008, it made me smile when I read it again….

Usually on trips for Top Billing Magazine, I would be accompanied by a the TV crew or magazine colleagues but not this time. Paul, the Top Billing driver, dropped me at the airport and I was on my own pushing a trolley pilled with oddly shaped black bags which resulted in some sideways stares and intrigued whispers. I swiftly moved to the check-in counter – the madame too one look at my trolley and said: ‘you are taking, “all that”.’ I smiled sweetly and said well most of it is hand luggage. She was at a loss as to what to say. My itinerary made no sense either: whichever planes I was to be on and when, would have to be explained to me. Back to madame, I think she felt sorry for me and said that I should go to my gate early as it was at the other end of the airport. Off I went, but er, a huge sign said NO TROLLEYS IN LIFT. I asked the cleaner if it mattered and she dared me to break the rules. Ok I had an ally so off I went just as I stepped into the lift over the intercom in perfect pronunciation and pitch of my not so South African name I was summonsed to the ticket and sales counter. For a second there I thought I had been caught out with trolley and bags; blushing slightly I reversed out of the lift and backtracked to the counter. Just a minor adjustment in my ticket issuing procedure, ah whatever! Through customs, though duty free… all very tempting but even the most enthusiastic shopper would have trouble with a 40kg backpack, pro tripod, laptop and of course the girls handbag with everything in it. So blinkers on, and off to gate B2 I went. The waiting game, where no one says anything but judgment is passed silently, yet not so discretely. Of course in the queue someone had to say something to the obvious fact that this is a photographer… look people this is not a machine gun but close, it can shoot. So in true spirit some dude assumed I would be photographing the dunes or some such thing. Getting on the plane was fine up to the part when I couldn’t get the back-pack to squeeze in the overhead compartment. Ready to give in on the impatient passengers mounting irritation; as if they the plane was going anywhere without them. The air-hostess was way more determined than I was, and she forced the backpack in with a tug-and-a-twist, ‘voila’. Sit.
I was stunned at the beauty or rather the unexpected landscape that awaited me. There was just desert all around. At the Walvis Bay airport, through customs, the unbearable silences and piercing looks trying to pry out illegalness.
And there, I almost missed it, in front of me was the smallest luggage carousel with almost a 90 degree twist, pretending to go someplace. Well I guess it is better than Oudshoorn where you and your luggage are deposited on the tarmac (but that is another story).
In a fabulously air conditioned hotel bus, I, the only passenger, was taken to the Swakopmund hotel, and old railway station – very colonial looking built in 1901 I was told several times. Cool time to meet the GM and then off to one suite, and another; shooting the hotel inside out.
The next day we squeezed in some quad biking. Yay. It was breathtaking, firstly to be actually riding on the dunes, their overwhelming beauty and then the roar of the dune. My crazy guide took it upon himself to be my personal guide and to make sure I had the most fun and the best experience in the shortest time possible. I even went dune/sand boarding… and he took the pictures! Great to be in the action for a change. Eventually we abandoned my bike (kinda slow) and went on his – both of us. Wow, this little machine had power, we picked up speed up and over and beyond the dunes. He even did a wheelie with me on the bike, yeah, it did feel as if I was going to fall off. Have you ever ridden on the crest of a dune? One edge is a sheer drop and the other a smooth tumble. Time was running out and we collected my quad bike but there was one more thing to do. Ontop of a steep dune we turned off the bikes and let them slide down the sheer drop. Using only our brakes to prolong the experience. There is was this roar, or was it the sound of a jet – it was the dune. Apparently the weight of the bikes compresses the air between the grains of sand but the sound that emerges seems inexplicable, my brain could not compute the strange deep sound. An incredible experience. I barely made it on time, with sand still in my nose and ears, onto the 20 seater plane to Windhoek to shoot one more hotel.

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It’s Spring – my favourite time of year.  The flowers are out in abundance with the delicate petals peering all around. However, on the day of the shoot there was still a touch of the winter chill in the air. Wrapped in scarves, jackets and jerseys we headed for Elgin’s Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park which is nestled in nature and orchards. The trailers are individually designed but we chose not to feature them (perhaps for another shoot) … I wanted to highlight the naturalness of being, to express the enchantment with oneself in nature.

Maryke our female model, is such a beautiful creature with a great softness about her, yet with enough feistiness to get into the role of cheeky-garden-nymph-ess. And then there was Luc, the male model, I am sure he doesn’t often get to just play and relax on shoot, although looking natural can be hard work. For the opening DPS I shot Luc and Maryke walking down a dusty path, walking wasn’t quite right, more like a skip, jiggle and dance was required. Maryke says to Luc, “Play a tune in your head… la, la, la, la, trala, la, laaaa….. and then you just get into it!” Better direction than that I couldn’t have offered. I wanted the models to be part of the environment, so I chose to shoot through flowers, branches and foliage, but not too much: “We must still be able to see the fashion,” says Alexis – Fashion Editor.

I had Luc running through an apple orchard in another shot, I, of course, was nestled in the long sheaths of grass, peering this way and that. By the end, my Levi’s had developed their own personality.

Carl was on set too, as you know he is one of my favourite make-up artists. He made Maryke’s hair light and bouncy, with romantic curls and natural smoky make-up with an accent on the 60s eyelashes. I love lashes.

In the front garden there was lavender growing tall and the sun was just behind, I placed Maryke in front creating a wispy, ethereal mood. I was kneeling deep in soft fertile soil, I could feel the denim fibres soak up the moisture, whilst trying hard not to care. The lavender rose-up to meet Maryke’s flowing kimono, as she swirled and danced. This is what dreams are made of.

I went scouting for a romantic spot for the next shot. The light had changed so the initial plan needed adjusting. I discovered a gorgeous tree filled with soft pink blooms, “that’s it,” I grinned. The tree was heavy with flowers which hung in every direction, the models leant against the tree framed by the pink blooms. I had the grass waving in the foreground as the sun softened behind clouds, creating the perfect mood. These partly this-and-that-days, usually produce the best light.

The last spot was in the orchard that had just started to shoot its first leaves and spring blooms. I put Maryke between the branches, when Alexis suggested we add the blue scarf… for flowing effect – I must say I do love a genius on set. Carl, of course, tried to create a breeze for more flow and blew, and blew – at first I had no idea what the bellowing ‘pfffffft’ sound was all about – oh dear Carl, you can’t pay for that kind of contribution. Maryke’s wrist technique got a good flow and voila another beautiful shot.

With a satiated heart, and in need of a shower we headed back home.

On set: Angie Lázaro (Photographer); Alexis Chaffe (Fashion Editor);  Carl Issacs for Yardley (Hair & make-up); Yolandi Morkel (Fashion Assistant).

Location: Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park, oldmacdaddy.co.za

Models: Maryke from Max Models; Luc from Boss Models

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Azania Mosaka and Simba Mhere Cover

We were awestruck by the breathtaking beauty of the Bot River Lagoon (near Hermanus) and on its edge stands a contemporary showstopper home, this was our location for the cover as well as for the Top Billing magazine décor pages.

The day we arrived was pure perfection, from the pool to the sky we were presented with every shade of blue. I set up photographing this open plan house with expansive windows as the charming resident Dalmatian, Scarlet, supervised.

The following day we returned to shoot the magazine cover. Suddenly the house was filled with people, hair and make-up, fashion stylist, presenters, TV crew and the magazine crew. The buzz inside was nothing like the chaos outdoors, the wind had picked-up and with relentless force continued throughout the day. The only people who ventured outside were the TV crew, the very brave, cameraman, Greg Nelson. While half the pool was being blown out, Greg stood his ground with sound man, David Minnaar against the 40 km winds. We couldn’t stop looking at them through the windows and even at the extreme angle of the suspended outdoor swinging chair was enough to keep us from stepping outdoors.

We identified our cover angle in the lounge with the slick white staircase in the background. The fashion trend Alexis adopted for this fresh November cover was the white on white look. We placed Azania in a generous white high back chair with Simba standing beside her. Hayden brought in some greenery which added to the magazine’s ‘eco living’ theme. The image has a beautiful tranquil effect but the day outside was far from that. Next up, we wanted Azania and Simba together outdoors, we weren’t sure they would agree – well they never laughed so much at the ridiculousness of the situation as they stood in the wind trying to look glamorous as the cameras captured the scene. Simba gripped Azania’s hand as she was being blown about. He became her rock against the gusts. We got some fun shots, too.

Back inside I put Azania in the bubble chair but as the chair kept swivelling and turning, I kept on shooting. She looked so serene in the white dress with lavender and gold painted effects, the softness and touch of colour added warmth to the shot. This turned out to be my favourite image of the day.

On set: Angie Lázaro (Photographer); Alexis Chaffe (Fashion Editor); Hayden Fortman & Julia Fell (Art Direction and Production); Jo Ann Clayton (Hair); Storme Webster (make-up).

TV Crew – Lars Schwinges (Insert director); Greg Nelson (Camera), David Minnaar (Sound).

Location: Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate.

Featured on the Top Billing Cover: Azania Mosaka dressed by Michelle Ludek and Simba Mhere in Carducci.

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This shoot was not just knees on the gound but toes, tummy, elbows and almost chin – it’s a perspective thing. We added a large prop, for the opening shot, a Bentley Continental GT Mulliner in Diamond Black! I wanted the car to hold the image but to get that I had to lie flat on the pavement, outside Edgars Melrose Arch
with my feet precariously in the road. Our model’s Anja and JC were the simply accessories to the uber polished Bentley. The rest of the shoot took place inside the Edgars store.  Of course, there isn’t a shoot without its challenges and today there were just too many rails, a hugely open space with stuff in it and shoppers – it is a store after all. We got some clean shots without too much background clutter. One shot at the sunglass bar and the other at the make-up section. The most challenging was shooting the denim in the denim section. We ruffled up some of the neatly folded denim’s around JC – I used one light from the left side. I wanted the background to recede but not into pure blackness but I also wanted to create a mood, a bit of drama. A shopper also wanted to be in the shot – we do oblige. The next shot was with Anja, at the women’s denim section. We replaced the mannequin with our model because from that vantage point we could include the chandelier, it did add sparkle to the shot. The final image was in the changing room with the slated room divider as our background. I found myself flattened against the wall, for just the right angle.

On set: Magazine – Angie Lázaro (Photographer); Alexis Chaffe (Fashion); Gunther Grater (Photographic assistant/ behind-the-scenes photographer); Kate Russell (Fashion Assistant); Richard Egenreider (On-Set Manager) Model: JC from Heads: Anja van Zyl from Ice Model Management Location: Melrose Arch, Johannesburg

Follow me on Twitter: @angielazaro

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Cover Shoot Video
It’s all about crowd control when you have Jeannie D and Jen Su on a cover shoot in a mall! To top it all it was Woman’s Day, rather fitting, but it meant that the public were out and about taking advantage of the end of season sales. We provided the extra entertainment, of course. Once the final touches on the hair and make-up were done, the cover women arrived in what looked like a golf cart, Jeannie giggled with delight when she saw us.

Pleased to get going with the shoot, I put them to work immediately. We gave them shopping bags and got them to do the ‘walk’. It was all about coordinating a great smile, the walk, and the bags. It was Jen’s first Top Billing cover shoot, but she just got into it with aplomb. We scrutinised the cover shots on the laptop, once I had the shot we moved to the Fire and Ice hotel for the ‘tea’ shot, we had tea, milkshake, cellphones as props, a variety of options lead to endless silliness.

However, an additional highlight for the day was Noa, the French Bullmastiff. The dog’s owner, Deborah, spoke to Noa in French. They happened to be at the mall when we spotted the handsome canine and immediately wanted him in the shoot. With Jeannie in teeny denim shorts and in true Jeannie-spirit, she took charge, or so she thought until Noa just sat with his droopy look, utterly immoveable. He certainly melted a few hearts.

The ‘celebrity shopping’ theme wouldn’t have been complete without featuring some gorgeous heels. I was inside a shoe store rearranging the shoes so that they would frame the foreground, it didn’t take much to get the look of pure admiration from the two celebs, the store was lined with spectacular shoes, too much to take in, if you love shoes! A perfect way to end a long day.

On set: Magazine: Angie Lạzaro – Photographer; Alexis Chaffe – Fashion; Gunther Grater - Photographic assistant/ behind-the-scenes photographer; Richard Egenreider – On-Set Manager; Julia Fell and Hayden Fortmann – Art Direction; TV Crew: Buddy- Insert director; Mfundo Sifiso – Camera, Lucky Msibi – Sound

Location: Melrose Arch

Follow me on Twitter: @angielazaro

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