Portes des Iris in Vullierens near Morges is an awesome place. The farmhouse dated back to the 16th century belongs to the Estate of Château de Vullierens and is located on a little hill between flower and corn fields. It’s one of my very favorite wedding venues in Switzerland. It can only get better if the bride and groom is telling you that they will arrive for the ceremony not by car, but riding on white horses. As Sarah & Patrice did :)
On the wedding day it’s often more interesting not to follow the bride and groom, but to observe what’s going on on other “stages” of the event. As a second shooter you’re in a great position to do just that as usually the principal photographer will cover the bride and groom and get the required wedding pictures. As the second shooter you’ve got a lot more freedom to play around.
When I helped last weekend my good friend Colette to photograph a wedding at Portes des Iris in Vullierens – one of my favorite wedding venues in the french part of Switzerland – I was hanging around where the ceremony would take place later. It was just 10 minutes before the ceremony and they final preparations were done. As the violinist was not sure about the timing of the song with the entrance of the bridesmaids, she asked them to do a quick rehearsal. So they did, everyone with her virtual groomsman and the pure excitement in their faces. Knowing that in just a couple of minutes this very same room would be filled with a happy couple and their families and closest friends.
That’s the moments I love.
The windshield wipers were working hard in heavy rain when my car passed Montreux at the Lake of Geneva in Switzerland. That was not exactly how I interpreted this morning the forecast for the wedding of Vérène and Jean-Pierre in Sion and Granges, in the french part of Switzerland. But I was still confident that in the Valais it would look better as it usually has more sun and less rain than the rest of Switzerland. There must be a reason why the Valais is well known for it’s wine.
And indeed, as soon as I turned around the corner into the valley, there were only a few drops of rain left and the day evolved into another perfect summer day. With a gourgeous couple, a blue sky, humming bees and the scent of a flowery meadow.
It was a busy day two weeks ago when I got a phone call and didn’t have time to pick up the phone immediately. Later checking my voice mail I heard a familiar voice. It was Franziska.
Franziska is the mother of Lea, the baby I photographed in early 2009. And as I guessed now, she wanted to ask me if I would like to photograph the newest family member, Aline. Of course I was very happy and curious to meet Aline! It’s always a wonderful thing if you don’t meet a family only once, but have the chance to accompany them for a longer time. No matter if it’s for a wedding or for family pictures.
Aline has now about the same age than Lea had when I photographed her. Though she’s a lot calmer than her sister. But that’s OK for the photographer as it makes focusing a bit easier ;-) Aline did great and had a lot of power before she finally got tired. We spent a wonderful morning together.
It is a very special moment if a wedding photographer is invited to the wedding of a friend. Especially if your friend is a very talented wedding photographer herself and you are invited as a friend and not as a photographer. Of course I did take a camera to the wedding yesterday in Begnins and Luins in the Nyon area anyway :-) But as I was not the official photographer I was in “freestyle mode” with just one lens (Canon 50mm/1.2L), no flash and was shooting my Mark II all day long at ISO 2500 and f/1.4. A bit risky, but if you nail the focus, you get stunning images. Here’s my favorite image of the day, a fleeting moment on the dance floor.
Congratulations Colette & Curt! You’re a wonderful couple, it was awesome to spend the day with your families and friends! Your wedding was hands down my favorite wedding ever! If I leave the wedding party at the very end and arrive back home at 5am, you know that I liked it ;-)
Check out Colette’s website here: COLETTE Photography
