A visit from our Friend Jacques Marais

A few weeks ago we hired Jacques Marais to take some promotional images of Strawberry Hill Farm. Jacques is a long-standing friend of the Grootvadersbosch Valley and we knew that he was the right person to really capture the adventure and wonder of our little piece of the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy. As someone who travels widely in South Africa, it is always so encouraging to hear how much Jacques enjoys being in our little valley. What is also amazing is how many incredible images he managed to take in such a short space of time and the professional and relaxed way in which he captured them.

We initially arranged a date and communicated about the weather and how it would fit into his hectic schedule. Finding a mild weather day when he was passing by, was a challenge but we trusted the weather to smile on us, and it did.

We met on Sunday afternoon and he outlined the range of shots required, we gave him a quick tour of the accommodation options and then he outlined what he thought would work and we hopped on the bikes to scope the shots.
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With absolute grace and tolerance to my over enthusiastic staffie puppy, we shot some epic images in the indigenous forest. Then we launched the drone to get a few snaking single-track shots. At the same time, he managed to get some incredible aerial shots of Strawberry Hill Lodge.

​Just as the sun was dipping, Jacques knew we had a few moments to harness the light. He could sense something special. We rushed off to some old pine forests and managed to get the perfect light shots through the pines. A special end to some great shooting.

​We then passed a few very pleasant hours beside the braai with some wine, while Jacques captured a few more special night shots.

​The next morning, we had planned a very early shoot but the thick mist, thankfully, delayed our start and allowed a bit more time to sleep off the red wine. Then the sun finally broke through the mist and we headed off for some running images on the mountain side of the farm.

The results were impressive and a testament to a great photographer, who happened to be given an awesome natural canvas to work with. Here are a few snippets that will soon be shared on our new website and rolled out on social media. Thanks to a master of light. We look forward to having you back soon.