It had been over seven years since I saw Chiedza. It was so good to reconnect and there was no better way of doing it than over a photoshoot. Y'all know my love for flashing! We set a date and time for an early morning shoot and boy, i couldn't wait to snap away.   

Guys, meet Chiedza! isn't she lovely? She's an old friend and our familiarity with each other made our session laughter-filled. We shared stories and reminisced on the good ol' days and updated each other on what life had offered us. I must say that I am so proud of her. She stands as an entrepreneur and marketer working in the logistics industry. Thats not it guys, she is an avid story teller. I mean, how cool is that to have an author as a friend! She has a book launched called Bongile - Journey To Redemption, which I highly recommend. ​I got a copy of the book and it is my first read of the year! I am so proud of her! I applaud Chiedza for all that she has accomplished and also as a friend and fellow mom - welcome her into motherhood!

Chiedza radiated so much beauty through each frame. Pregnancy is an amazing journey that every woman needs to document and I love my role as the visual story teller helping commemorate this special time for my clients. 

After a quick outfit change, we continued with our session. This park was just the best place for us to do this. We discovered several spots that helped us capture the best of Chiedza's angles and beauty.

Chiedza wanted to pay homage to her African roots with an African themed shoot. The vibrancy of the colors and her gorgeous features made this one of my favorite maternity shoots. Chiedza made pregnancy look like a walk in the park! She was flawless.

And this is how we wound up the session. I enjoyed working with Chiedza. She was so easy and injected a lot of creativity into her maternity shoot. I enjoyed the magic we made. I also can't wait to meet the little one. Children are in deed a blessing. 

Thank you for the opportunity to document your journey Chiedza and I look forward to many more.
​
Makeup: Poda by Chipo 
Bongile Book: Get Yours Here!
A Tout a leur!
​Erene.

A couple of months ago, I was honored to photograph my friend Heather's surprise baby shower. You may remember that I took her maternity pics here. ​So a couple of her girlfriends and I decided to celebrate her and this transition into motherhood with a surprise baby shower! If you know Heather, you know that this girl is fabulous and we wanted to make sure that her shower was just as fabulous as she is! 

The entire venue was personalized with your typical baby shower items - stuffed teddys and blue balloons but The Design Practice team also incorporated some more personalized items that represented Heather. I must say that I truly enjoy capturing the little details. Trust The Design Practice Harare to always pull through with an outstanding job when decorating special events. Their attention to detail always gets me excited to shoot! I must say that they are a talented team. You can take a read at our collaboration with DP here and here.

Friends arrived at the baby shower with goodies, advice and so much love to give! Having meaningful friendships with a circle of inspirational men and women is key I must say. Everyone was ready for the surprise and nobody divulged anything to Heather so we were primed for a good surprise and we all couldn't wait to see the expression on her face!

I must say Heather did a good job at staying composed during the big reveal. I would have been a ball of tears with all the emotions running a-mock. She handled it like a real champ! She was #mommygoals! Seeing her smile and laugh up as she saw friends who made it to her shower was worth it. She definitely was surprised and began to enjoy the shower once reality sunk in.

She got so much love from everyone. Next, it was time to cool off from the scorching heat with refreshments and snacks as the real talk began! 

The shower was filled with lots of laughter. Friends shared their experiences in motherhood and gave Heather the insider's guide to the #mommylife. I enjoyed immersing myself in the conversations, laughter and got to savor my own experiences in this awesome journey that is motherhood. As a friend and photographer, I actually enjoyed this dual role as I not only got to shoot the event but I also got to put my camera down and enjoy these precious moment with my friend. 

Rarely do I get to wear both hats but when I do, it's nothing but bliss ... Congratulations Heather!

A tout a leur!
​Erene

Children are a precious gift, and especially taking a look at how a baby grows from conception to birth, is nothing short of miraculous. I was delighted to photograph Heather. Heather is not only my client but she is also a very dear friend, which made this shoot an especially fun one! Heather's husband was away for work and we missed him during the shoot.  But I must say she did her thing and looked amazing! Always the fashionista, Heather carried herself so well and I must say she is one strong mama! 

Doesn't she look amazing? She didn't need much direction! In another life, Heather has worked with models and she is a fashion designer. As you can see, her skills were on display and she killed this shoot! She just had so much fun in front of the camera and what a natural!

As a photographer, I highly recommend maternity shoots for expecting mothers. These images surely go far as they remind you of this incredible life-giving journey. It's always such an honor for me to be a part of this special time with my clients. Thank you Heather for the amazing time we had capturing these images. I wish you the very best in this new season.

A tout à leur!
​Erene.