It's Wine Laid Bare 2010!
words: Maryna StrachAn

I’ve always considered myself to be an adventurous, outgoing and fun-loving person who gets wildly excited at the thought of a challenge or doing something slightly ‘out of the ordinary’. So, when I was asked to cover the Wine Laid Bare photo competition’s promotional shoot for their 2010 campaign, I was all-in. This fun concept in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness proved a major hit in 2009 and raised thousands of rand for www.cansa.org.za

The shoot took place at the awesome Overture restaurant at the Hidden Valley winery off the R44 just outside Stellenbosch. The breathtaking views and secluded environment provided the perfect setting for what would turn out to be a very interesting evening.

All along, I’d been pretty blazé about the whole thing, telling friends and family about the evening ahead as if it was something people do all the time. However, when the day finally arrived and I was making my way to Overture, I suddenly started to get butterflies in my stomach. Now, you need to realise that I NEVER get butterflies and, I thought, dining naked with around 40 people would be a cinch… ahem… maybe not.

I arrived there to be met by the organiser and main honcho, John, with a glass of wine to ‘calm the nerves’. A screen divided the entrance from the main restaurant and only those getting nekkid were allowed to pass through.

"Even Wine Consultants from Frogitt & Vonkel are joining in"
Image: Christo Muller   With Thanks to The Winery of Good Hope.

Among the people were three breast cancer survivors, two of which have had mastectomies and several others have friends or family members who had or still have this disease which affects one in fifteen women. I myself have two friends who were diagnosed with it in 2009.

Then came the moment of truth – it was time to ‘drop it’. By now I was well wined and as I took my seat at the table, quietly counted to three and just decided that it was now or never.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad! I suppose the fact that we were all in the same position, made things that much easier. The two photographers, Mark Freeborough and Metoikos Cadmus did a superb job of making everyone feel at ease and, well, just got on with it, enjoying the challenge of shooting this amount of people in a tasteful way.

The experience certainly showed me that we’re all the same, even though we come in different shapes and sizes. Ultimately I salute everyone who did their bit on the night. Not only did they bare all for a good cause as we so often see celebs do in glossy magazines, but many of them overcame their own personal issues to do so, although, I must personally admit, the free wine did help…

• Our special thanks to the owners and staff at Overture

click here for a selection of 2009's entries

For details on entering the competition click here

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