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.