Meet the De Kock Family - Vergenoegd Wine Estate, Western Cape, South Africa

Hi everyone!

Let me stop for a second to tell you that I am seriously the luckiest photographer in the world. My clients are always so amazing to work with. That's true of my session with the De Kock family, too!

I met up with them in April this year at the beautiful Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch and the weather was absolutely perfect for photo-taking. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful sunny, typical Autumn day in the Western Cape. While the weather was fine, it was the De Kock family that made this shoot such a blast.

The De Kock family consists of parents Jacques & Karolien, and kids Micaela, Xander and Kade (Micaela's boyfriend).

Karolien is the Mom. "Jack of all trades & master of none," she says laughing. "I stay behind to make sure the kids, house, dogs, cats, car, finances and whatever runs on even keel while dad is gone. Teacher until recently, now self employed with Mom’s Directory SA. Loves to read and learn new things."

Jacques is the Dad. "Very rarely home due to the nature of his work as Commercial Longline skipper, currently working in Mauritius. Awesome husband and dad. Cooks like a dream and together we can make amazing stuff out of wood or anything else. Book addict."

"Micaela is quiet until she knows you better. Dreamy artistic soul. Loves to horse-ride first and foremost. Paints and writes poems like an old soul."

"Xander is Mom’s go to guy. Very social, loves having friends around or sometimes hanging with mom. Gaming is a passion and reading at times. He’s got a huge general knowledge and he is very popular because of always being helpful and empathetic. Loves baking and cooking."

What's your favourite family activity together? "Sjoe, difficult to choose one specific activity," Karolien said. "We are all creative in our own ways and you’ll often find us doing woodwork or some form of art or recycling something into something new. We love going to the movies or just settling on the couch for a series binge on a weekend. WE LOVE cooking and GOOD food!! We can also all sit and read quietly. Picnicking on Chapman’s peek drive also features highly in our list."

How did you and Jacques meet? "We met when I was 14 and Jacques was 18. His mom was my Sunday school teacher and all the girls used to have a crush on her son. We used to walk past their house hoping to catch a glimpse on weekends as he was in boarding school in Worcester and almost never home - a fact that we possibly did not take into account."

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"Jacques only really noticed me when I was 17 (almost grown up! But we only started dating two years later after I returned from 6 months abroad working as an Au pair. We’ve been together ever since. Inseparable when he is home and lost when he is gone. Soulmates for ever."

Tell me about your favorite parts of your family photo session, or why you enjoyed the photo session. " Definitely giggling at Kade being silly and generally just happy to be blessed with time together as a family as both kids are nearing that age at which they might be leaving home soon which is a hard fact to accept."

What are some words of wisdom you have for other families preparing for a family session? "Just be in the moment and enjoy it. I particularly don’t like photos taken of myself, I am always the one behind the camera and or selfie stick (my family dislikes all my photo taking lol) but this time around I was determined to just BE. BE in the moment, enjoy the time with my hubby and kids - time is precious and moments like these i.e. the photo shoot, is special and not something one does every day."

As you can see from the comments and the photos, this family is not only photogenic, but also a close-knit group who clearly love spending time together. Jacques, Karolien, Micaela and Xander are lucky to have each other.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

If you would like to see more about what Karolien does, please visit her website www.momsdirectorysa.co.za as well as her facebook page www.facebook.com/momsdirectorysa

E-mail us at justframemephotography@gmail.com to BOOK your very own Family Photo Session TODAY! We look forward to hearing from you! xx

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