I met up with Maria & Swain in the Western Cape, close to Cape Town in South Africa. We chatted about life at their insanely cool cave-house, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. As misty waves were rolling over the shoreline, kombucha in hand, they already started inspiring me. He, craftsman/carpenter/surfer. She, educator/passionate conservationist/owner of a bohemian clothing label. Both: professional life enjoyers and truly mad about each other. They spend months a year venturing through the entire continent of Africa. Discovering new places, but mostly helping small communities with achieving big things. I didn’t even think about the photos anymore – meeting these two was already so special to me. But oh did we shoot! During this ‘road trip couple shoot South Africa’, these two people looked like they’d just walked straight out of a Levi’s campaign.

Road trip couple shoot South Africa

As the photoshoot was happening, Maria and I stood on the roadside, watching how Swain was turning the 1973 Ford truck around. She looked at me and said; ‘You know Lots, before I met him I was fine on my own. I was enjoying my life by myself, I didn’t think I needed anybody. I even told my mom not to worry about me, I was dead-happy and not looking at changing a thing in my life. Even when people introduced me to the ‘idea of Swain’ online, I wasn’t fazed. But then I met him, one day in Noordhoek.’

Couple shoot in Scarborough Cape Town

When the two met, Swain was about to head off on a long trip around the world. The connection was instant. ‘We only had two weeks together, before he left. Those were the most amazing and intense two weeks I can remember ever having.’ Swain felt the same, after a few weeks he cut his trip short to return to South Africa, to be with his Maria. From that day, they haven’t been apart.
Now they travel together, enjoying life to the full and are changing people’s lives for the better in the process. A year later, Maria gave me call – saying that their elopement plan had slightly changed but that their intimate wedding was going to be very special. On, and in the water.

Nowadays Maria and Swain still focus on healthy and holistic living. They are also big believers of taking ice baths, which they also introduce other to with various workshops.

Forever thank you legends, I can’t even explain what this day meant to me.

This love, will be one I will never forget and always will try and achieve. Everybody should.