MY STORY

I started photography in Grade 10 as my art practical subject. My first photo, of a staircase in an abandoned house in Durban, still hangs on my wall today. This is where my love for photography started. After winning the art prize at the end of matric, I studied photography at Cape Tech, finishing top of my BTech class.

Throughout my studies, I assisted an amazing wedding photographer, Carrie Woolley, and soon realised I’d found my niche. Weddings are a mixture of so many different types of photography that I love: from people and documentary to beauty and fashion, from decor and details to architecture and landscape. There is so much joy and purpose to capturing a couple’s most special day. It is such a privilege, something I was reminded of when I married Kevin and experienced first-hand what my brides feel.

After graduating, I lectured a two-year photography course while freelancing and building my photography business. I’ve now been a full-time photographer for over a decade. I’ve shot more than 400 weddings across South Africa, as well as in England and Italy.

Full confession: while I love photographing, I hate being photographed. I like to think my insecurities have a least made me a better photographer. My graduation thesis was on the beauty myth and the lack of real women in the media, so I find meaning in capturing the beauty of all shapes and sizes. I particularly enjoy boudoir photography. Unfortunately, I’m not able to showcase many of these shoots on my blog as they’re for partner’s eyes’ only, but they’ve become the largest part of my business.

I gave birth to my daughter Charlotte in July 2014 and my son Max in October 2018. Having kids has renewed my passion for family photography. The pictures I have of Charlie and Max are priceless; each time we look at them, they bring back such clear memories and we marvel at how quickly she’s changing.

My career has allowed me to explore Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and to experience so many of its vibrant cultures and communities. While I occasionally miss lazy weekends with family and friends, there is no better job than doing what you love every day.

AWARDS

MY STYLE

My style is natural and unobtrusive, capturing beautiful moments and all the details which tell the story of the day. I love romantic and beautifully designed images. I love showing all the different aspects of the day starting with the decor, the groom getting ready, the beautiful bride, the ceremony, the quiet moments and love between the couple, family groups and then finally the party. Each part of the wedding is special and tells such a beautiful story, creating a wonderful memory library of that day.

I am a calming presence and try to protect my couples from stress on the day. I am super organised with timings, locations and family group lists. They are planned way in advance so that my couples can just relax and know that everything is sorted on the day.

AS SEEN ON

TESTIMONIAL

Choosing a photographer for your most special day is a challenging endeavour. Even more so when you are planning a wedding in Stellenbosch, while living in The Netherlands and having to rely on website pictures and varying recommendations alone.

Then dawns the realisation that, due to time constraints, you have no option but to book a photographer before ever having met them and hope and pray that you at least get along with them and they can translate the ideas you had regarding your wedding pictures to reality.

That, however, did not happen for us. Instead, we got the jackpot and booked Lauren Kriedemann.

We did not just get along with Lauren, we adored her and she did not just translate our (vague) ideas into reality, but produced something that was far beyond what we had dared to hope for.

I never would have expected that our photographer would end up playing a major role in ensuring that our wedding day was as special as we could have hoped for, but that is exactly what happened.

From the first meeting, a week before the wedding, Lauren’s open, cheery and caring demeanour gave a feeling of peace and reassurance while everything else seemed to be going a wee bit pear-shaped.

Now, my new bride and I are not what you would classify as quick decision makers, and admittedly we are at times a bit uncertain of what we want, but Lauren took control and walked us through a set of questions that really helped clarify our wishes and put us at ease.

The proof is however in the pudding and Lauren came up trumps on the day.

She was on early in the morning to photograph my gorgeous bride getting ready and was present when disaster struck, in the shape of a big lipstick stain on the front of a white wedding gown. Now I was not present for this (thank all that is holy) but I believe the result was the expected outbreak of sheer panic, pandemonium and all out bedlam amongst the bridesmaids. Lauren however swooped in and ever so calmly managed to dispatch the dreaded stain as if it were nothing and in doing so averted the mass nervous breakdown from taking place.

This basically set the trend for the day. Lauren and her equally lovely assistant were there every step of the way to ensure that everything was going to plan. They instructed catering, herded guests to the right locations, coordinated babysitters and seemed to be everywhere at once while also doing what they do best – taking pictures.

After the ceremony, we started doing the group pictures, which needed a lot of coordination and clear instructions. Although Lauren is extremely friendly, approachable and soft spoken, she was able to get our guests (including my ill-disciplined and rebellious groomsmen) to do exactly what was needed, while keeping it fun and light-hearted. Everyone loved her!

But what we hired Lauren for was not her coordinating skills, or her own desire to ensure that the actual execution of the wedding went according to plan. No, we hired her to capture this momentous occasion on film and having now seen the end result, only one conclusion can be drawn. The woman is a genius!

The overwhelming mood of the day was happiness and love and Lauren managed to capture this in each and every photograph. We literally could not be happier.

We have received so many comments on our photos and two friends of mine, who work as professional photographers in Holland, have both commented that ours is the best wedding album they have ever seen (one even joked that he needs to go take lessons from Lauren).

Every picture is so natural and spontaneous and every time I look through the album, the feelings and emotions experienced that day come rushing back, and for the rest of my life I will be able to relive that most amazing day when I married my best friend and (for the lack of a better term) soul mate.

I do not only recommend Lauren, I urge anyone who is looking to get married to make sure you get this lady to do your photography. You will not regret it!

Thank you, Lauren. You really made our day that much more special and went far above and beyond to make sure this happened.

Although I loved the venue and all the other aspects of our wedding, I would easily say that you were the best decision we made.

Much love, Dion and Katharina