Q&A with Cheryl McEwan

I’m continuing our series of Q&A today with an interview with the photographer of yesterday’s lovely wedding, Cheryl McEwan. I know from experience that Cheryl’s an absolute sweetheart as well as a fantastic photographer (she took all the pics at the hen party I organised last year) and I’m so excited that she’s joined the other amazing photographers lighting up the industry in Cape Town. I’m also SUPER excited to announce that she’ll soon be starting her own series of guest blogs here on Cap Classique, as our newest real life bride! So look out for that in the next few months. In the meantime, here’s a chance to get to know Cheryl just a little better.

Hi Cheryl – thanks for answering my questions today! How did you get started as a photographer?
Hi Gaby, I’m so excited to be interviewed on Cap Classique! Thank you :) My love of photography started whilst I was living in the UK, and was lucky enough to travel extensively around Europe. Along with my passion for travel I wanted to be able to capture the essence of these amazing places as well as the cultures of the people that I was seeing and meeting. Ultimately I turned my focus to weddings and was lucky enough to second shoot on a number of UK weddings, which led to me going solo and shooting my first wedding in London.

How would you define your style?
I have a reportage type of style – I aim to ‘capture the moment’ as the day unfolds and most importantly I aim to tell a story through my photos.

Which part of a wedding do you like shooting the most?
My favorite part of the wedding has to be the couple shoot, where it’s me and my camera capturing the special love between the newlyweds, and generally just having loads of fun with the two of them – capturing their reactions amongst lots of laughing! I like to form a good relationship with my clients, getting them to relax and enjoy the shoot.

Do you have any favourite photographers or major influences?
South Africa has an abundance of fabulous photographers, however there are a few whose work I really admire and whose work constantly inspires me, namely a few of these photographers would be Nastassja Harvey, Nikki Meyer, Wesley Vorster & Lizelle Lotter. These guys have been so supportive and fantastic I can’t thank them enough!

You recently moved back to Cape Town – how does shooting in SA differ to shooting in London?
Wow I must say I am being a bit biased, but coming from the Cape Winelands, shooting back in SA is amazing. London is great too but has a different type of beauty, a more urban feel to a shoot. I am a country girl at heart though so I adore being in nature and shooting the beautiful surroundings that we have in the Cape. Of course we also get that magic ‘golden hour’ in SA which one doesn’t see too often in the UK! Generally speaking I also find that there is a lot more attention to detail in SA weddings which of course makes for fabulous photographs!

You’re also starting out on your own wedding planning journey – how is it being on the other side of things?
Yes, I am going to be a bride next year! It’s actually so much fun being on the other side of things and being able to plan our big day! I am loving the whole planning process, and I love attention to detail so I have lots of ideas for my own wedding :)

What wedding trends are inspiring you most right now?

Loving the whole vintage trend right now as well as the country farm feel weddings. I also think the whole DIY creative side to weddings is just great too! There are so many things that one can do oneself and involve your whole bridal party in making your day special.

Do you have any favourite Cape wedding venues?
There are some amazing venues! I love Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch, Kleinvalleij in Wellington is also just stunning! Franschoek too has so many beautiful venues with views to die for! I recently second shot a wedding at Dieu Donne restaurant in Franschoek which was gorgeous.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings right now?
Enjoy every bit of the planning process, book your venue in advance and of course get yourselves a great photographer (those memories are for a lifetime!)