Denise and Mike have been together for a few years but so far have never had any "good pictures" of themselves, Denise told me when she first contacted me about the shoot. The two of them met at school as well but it took a few more years for them to rekindle and fall in love. So they might not be pre-school-sweethearts, but they're love for each other shines through when they interact. Nevertheless, they also wanted to get a few shots at the school they first met at and in front of some windows they painted back in the day. We first did a session in the fields in the village they grew up in and the two of them were absolute naturals! I remember Denise telling me that Mike had told her "I have no idea what to do - I hope she'll tell me?".
My goal is not to tell people what to do, but to have them act naturally. There will be a lot of moving, lots of walking, and - hopefully - lots of laughing. I will lead you a little bit or suggest poses and moves, but it's up to you to act how you would naturally act. I had never met Mike before and oftentimes that means the first few minutes are for warming up and getting to know each other. But with them, it was like we had known each other for ages (which, technically, we had... read on) and everything was totally relaxed. I absolutely enjoyed this photoshoot and I must say: It proves that there doesn't have to be a special occasion for a photoshoot. No, they are not engaged (yet?). They just wanted to have beautiful pictures of themselves as a keepsake and to remember their history together by. What a wonderful idea, isn't it?
And if you were wondering why we knew each other:
The story of how Denise and I met is actually a pretty funny one. I don't think either of us remembers meeting each other for the first time. I grew up in a tiny Swiss village where my parents rented an apartment. One day, they decided to buy an apartment instead and so we moved. I was 6 at the time. It was tough for me back then, leaving all my friends behind and I remember clinging to the doorframe on moving day. I did not want to leave.
One of those friends was Denise's sister. We went to the same class even though she was actually one grade above me. But that's how small our town was: first and second-graders went to school together - there was 14 of us in the class. I did hang out a few times with her sister so that's probably when we saw each other first. But as I said, we moved, and contact was lost.
Until my best friend whom I met when I was 15, invited me to her birthday party. She had grown up just a few villages from where I grew up and Denise's sister ended up being one of her best friends! At that party, we saw each other again after so many years without contact and through that common friend we continued seeing each other over the years. Through her sister, I also got in touch with Denise, who by now was successful as a beautician (go check her out: La Beautique). Being a photographer, I was always looking for other creatives to work with from around me. Queue Denise. She has such a great personality and all the work I've seen her do is amazing so I always love to recommend her to my brides when they're looking for someone to pamper them or to make them shine on their big day.
