Laura Cooke Media Photography, writing & editinghello@lauracooke.com
Thoughts
Hayley and Nic
I’ve known Hayley and Nic for many years and I was both excited and honoured that they asked me to shoot their wedding.
On Motivation
It’s what we’ve known all along: a carrot only works on donkeys. Why it’s important not to treat employees like idiots
Thailand: Bangkok
A recent two-week holiday took me to Krabi Province, Thailand. Here are a few shots from Bangkok. More pictures of the remainder of the trip will be coming soon.
A Wonderful Workshop
There was good food, great company & tasty wine at the very first Veggie Buntch workshop that was held last week in Cape Town.
Autumn in the Mountains
I recently went on a trip to Driekhoek in the Cederberg mountain range in the Western Cape. The cool autumn weather was perfect for a relaxing and quiet break.
Driving
I stumbled upon these old pictures today. If you’ve ever driven across South Africa you’re bound to have seen fields like this before.
Veggie Wonder Workshop
Get ready for a 3-hour hands-on course that will introduce you to the benefits of being vegetarian; provide you with scrumptious recipes and show you how to use the eco-friendly Wonderbag.
Cape Point Nature Reserve
A month or two ago, a few friends and I went on the Cape Point nature reserve overnight hike. I haven’t managed to get through all the pictures yet, but this is one of the first.
Full Moon Solstice Over Cape Town
What better time to capture the full moon rising over the Cape Town than on the longest day of the year – the summer solstice.
Table Mountain on Fire for World Aids Day
In recognition of World Aids Day, Table Mountain was lit up with red spotlights on 1st December. These are two of the shots that I took of the mountain.
Rainbow over Cape Town
The weather took a very quick change from sunny to cloudy – as often happens in Cape Town – and a beautiful rainbow appeared over the city bowl.
Veggie Buntch
I recently started a community driven vegetarian blog called Veggie Buntch. The idea to start something like this has been brewing for some time, and after many long discussions with my partner, Alex, who is the person behind the development of the site, we finally managed to get off our lazy bums and get something up and running.
Photos: Landscape selection
This is a selection of images that I have taken over the last year. What I often find is that I take images that I really like, but they end up lying hidden on an external harddrive and never see the light of day. So, I am going to start going through old (and new) [...]
Photos: portraits
This is a selection of some impromptu portraits of friends. I made use of an external flash and played around with some interesting post processing options after the fact. I quite enjoyed the quality of colour and light that I ended up with.
Photos: family
My brother and my nephew came to visit last weekend. At this age, he is simply too cute and I couldn’t help taking a few pics. These were my favourites.
Photos: Indian Portraits
These are a few of the portrait shots from my journey in India. The first two shots are taken in a slum in Delhi, home to a large artist’s colony. Theirs is a tough story, which I plan on sharing soon. The third shot is taken in Mumbai at a small construction stall in a [...]
Photos: Juhu Beach, Mumbai India
I am in the process of finally sorting through all my images from my trip to India earlier this year. This is going to take quite some time, as there are a lot to sift through. Nonetheless, I have made a start with the very beginning of my journey in Mumbai. Staying near Juhu beach, [...]
Heading up Paarl Rock
Having lived in Paarl in the Western Cape for almost a year (now based in Cape Town), it was finally time to head up Paarl Rock. Some call it the Ayer’s Rock of South Africa, which is perhaps a bit too grandiose of a title, but it is nonetheless an otherwordly experience to hike up [...]
I am afraid of South African trains.
I admit it. I have always been frightened of taking the train in South Africa. Judge me if you like. Call me ignorant, call me a typical negative privileged South African, but up until recently, the thought of commuting to and from work by train would have been unthinkable. From as early as I can [...]
Pushkar: A Holy City Filled with Hippies
According to legend, Pushkar, which is located in the desert of Rajasthan, came into being when Lord Brahma, the Creator, dropped a lotus flower from the heavens in order to kill a demon. Magically, where the petals landed, three lakes appeared and Lord Brahma is said to have organised a gathering of 900,000 celestial beings [...]
Ajmer to Pushkar
After 20 hours on the train, we finally arrived at Ajmer station. To get to Pushkar, you have to take either a taxi or a local bus. On leaving the station, we were immediately hounded by taxi drivers trying to get us to drive direct with them and rickshaw drivers asking for exorbitant amounts of [...]
Rolling on the Sleeper Train
After spending a few days in Mumbai sorting out travel arrangements and what we wanted to do, we decided to venture to Pushkar in Rajasthan before heading to Delhi and further north to the mountains. Visiting Rajasthan during April is not usually recommended as it’s hot and dusty. For the most part, tourists will only [...]
More on Mumbai
In Mumbai, you find all sorts of contrasts. The very poor, dressed in thin gaudy saris walk next to the wealthy Mumbai elite who emulate western culture with tight jeans and dinner dates at American styled coffee shops. Opulent malls sit side by side with corner cafes and apartment blocks that look ready to fall [...]
In the Thick of Things
Before I arrived in Mumbai I had been given lecture upon lecture about the danger of scammers and dodgy dealers who will accost me as soon as I leave the airport. But, not only are there giant signs all over the airport telling you that you must not go with any taxi other than the [...]