My Name is Adele van Zyl and I’m a Wedding and Portrait photographer based in the Garden Route, Mossel Bay and George, South Africa.
In 2014 I was presented with an opportunity to assist one of my favorite photographers in the Garden Route, Michelle van Staden. This is how I started living my dream with my photography business and I haven’t looked back since.
photo credit: Emily Lauren Photography
Making memories, capturing moments, having fun, creating smiles and telling your story, are all a passion of mine and being able to capture them on photos is an amazing privilege!
I absolutely love what I do. Being a wedding and portrait photographer really opened my eyes to life’s most beautiful moments and endless possibilities. I want to capture all those special moments. I want to tell your special story with photos.
Family and loved ones are the most important thing in the world, and I know you want portraits you can treasure and hold close to your heart. I strive to create portraits you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
I always have a good laugh when I chat to clients for months in English and then at the session we realize we are all Afrikaans, so yes I am Afrikaans speaking but I love talking to you in English too 😉
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
- Go to my Contact page on my website
- Fill in the details or you can send me an email (info@adelevanzyl.co.za)
- I will reply to you as soon as I can with my packages.
- When you have decided on a package and a date, just check with me if the date is still available.
- A 50% non-refundable booking fee is required to secure your date.
- A signed contract is also required before we start with the shoot.
- Booking done 🙂
- Choose the type of photobook that you want – I will then send you an invoice.
- Pay the 50% non-refundable deposit fee. I only start working on the book once I received payment.
- I will send you a form to fill in your favorite images of the shoot including the photo you want to appear on the front and back cover of the book.
- I will design and have your book printed.
- Please note that I need to send your book to printers and it all depends on how busy they are. It can take anything between 2 to 6 weeks for me to get back the book. Once I have received it from the printers, you will be notified and pick up or courier can be arranged.
It usually depends on the season and how busy I am. Normally I ask my clients to allow anything between 8 to 10 weeks. On the day of your shoot I will be able to tell you more or less how long it will take. These times are just a guess and if your photos are finished earlier you will receive them earlier.
You will be notified via email or phone when your photos are finished and ready for collection or courier.
It depends on the package that you book.
But generally you can count on a average of 100 photos for my family, maternity, engagements and portrait photo sessions.
Weddings photos will depend on the package you choose.
Cake Smashes and Newborn are mostly depended on how many your little one allow us to take in the package time 😉
Traveling includes 50km to and from Mossel Bay, there after R4/km will be charged.
If the venue is more than 150km from Mossel Bay, and the client expect me to be at the location very early or stay very late, overnight accommodation at a reasonable price could be requested on photographers’ request.
Courier/Postage fees are not included. Usually I use Postnet’s counter to counter service or Aramax couriers if needed. This will be billed when your parcel is sent. If you want to use your own courier, you are more than welcome to do so.
Since every wedding and every couples’ needs are different, not everyone’s timeline will look like this, but it will give you the general idea of who your day could look like
Venue & Décor photos: 30 minutes
Groom preparation photos: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Bride preparation photos: 1 hour – 1 ½ hour
Ceremony: 1 hour (this can be less but depends mostly on the minister)
The signing of the register, Confetti & Greeting of your guests: 15 minutes
Family Photos: 15 – 30 minutes
Bridal Party: 30 minutes
Couple shoot: 1 hour
Reception: The reception depends on the hours according to the package you chose.
It is the Client’s own responsibility to backup the images that they received. I will not be held responsible for lost images. I will not be responsible for loss or damage to the digital files due to circumstances beyond the my control.
I don’t however believe in deleting any photos, so unless anything happens to my hard drives your photos will be safely in my backup archives. But sadly I can not guarantee this 100%, since even backups can fail…
If you lose your USB/CD with your photos you are more than welcome to contact me and request another one. It will however have a small cost to it which will be discussed at the request.
No one can predict what life will throw your way and I understand that unexpected things might happen. If something unavoidable happens, please try to notify me Twenty four to Forty eight hours (24-48) before the shoot. I’m sure we will be able to find a time in the very near future that works for both parties.
If you want to cancel a shoot, you will unfortunately lose your 50% non-refundable booking fee.
Because I am a natural light photographer I need to choose my time when the sun is not so sharp. The sharper the sun the more harsh the light on your photos will be.
Therefore I prefer to shoot during the Golden hour as most will know it. It is usually with sunrise or an hour and half before sunset.
Not only does the light soften the photos and creates softer features for your photos, it also gives us that golden, romantic photos.
If the weather goes more to the cloudy side then we can be more creative with our time.
If you are running late, it would be much appreciated that you let me know as soon as possible by calling me.
You have to please be aware that time available for your photo shoot may be shorter due to the delay, especially if we are shooting at sunset and only have so much time until the sun is fully set.
If you want to book for the extra time lost, you are more than welcome to do so at the rate which I charge per hour extra.
- I live in Mossel Bay, South Africa and I have a office in George, South Africa during normal officer hours. I work from both these two destinations. I love to travel and don’t have any limit as to how far I will travel. Please feel free to contact me for more details about this topic.
I am a natural light photographer, which means I work with natural light mostly. I have a studio light and flash, but usually don’t work with it unless it is at night and absolutely necessary, like during a wedding reception or Cake Smashes for example.
The location of the photo session is up to you, but I can assist you with a few suggestions if you need them. When we make your booking we can discuss what kind of photo shoot you are looking for and that might help guide us in finding that perfect location.
I have a little space for specific Cake Smashes and Newborn shoots but it is not suitable for family and other types of photo shoots.
Usually I post a sneak peak of your session on my website and/or Facebook and a few on Instagram. This are all done for my promotional purposes. This is where other people usually go to look at my work and probably the exact way you have seen my work as well.
I do however understand that there can be circumstances where a client really don’t want this to be done. Please notify me in ADVANCE if this is the case, or make sure its written in the contract as well.
I anyone else post my photos on any social media I do request that you use the photos with my watermark on it. I specially add an extra resized folder with these watermarked photos for these purposes. Otherwise photo credit must be given.
I’m sorry but I don’t give any unedited or RAW files. The editing is part of my style and my art. You will receive all the edited high resolution photos on a USB/CD disc, which you can print and use as you see fit.
I only book a date once I received the 50% non-refundable booking fee.
There are times that I will make an exception and pencil your name to a date, but this is not set for sure and if another client wants the date and are willing/able to pay the 50% non-refundable booking fee you may lose the date.
I will however let you know first and give you first option to pay your 50% non-refundable booking fee, before I take another client to that date.