Swiss mountains engagement shooting - Esther & Simon

Esther and Simon contacted me to shoot their wedding in July and we did their engagement photos before the end of winter. We met in a Zurich café in order get to know each other a bit first. I find that always makes a big difference when the big day comes – having talked at least once. Usually, the small talk is already out of the way and we can go straight into just being ourselves. We can sit in silence during the train or cable car ride without that low-key awkwardness rushing us into talking about the weather. And when we start taking photos, which is already a weird enough moment for most of the people who are not used to being in front of a lens, we are all relaxed enough to let the moment unfold, sink into it and create something beautiful together.

That’s exactly what happened with Esther and Simon and what I witness in most of my shoots. The first few moments of taking pictures are a bit stiff and clumsy, a bit “where do I put my hands” and “what am I even supposed to do”. And gradually, it shifts towards "who cares, we’re here together and it’s actually quite fun”. And even further into “Isabel is constantly shouting that this is amazing and that we look great, so it must be true”. It’s crazy the difference in expressions, postures and gestures if you compare the first photos and last photos in a shoot. And yes, I do say a lot that my subjects look amazing when I shoot, because I really think it’ true. My lens just allows me to see people in a whole new way, even more fascinating than when I first met them, and more beautiful than they’d believe to be true.