WELCOME TO MY NEW HOME

Hello dear Friend,

find my new online home right here:

http://lariciphotography.com

And the new living room:

http://lariciphotography.com/blog/

See you over there ;)

New Logo Hello!

If you had the impression that during the last weeks my tiny Blog fell asleep, you might have been right.

We are working on something beautiful on our end.

I can´t wait to share more from all the gorgeous. But as for now I leave you with my new logo.

YAY.

Crafted & created together with my friend Sarina. 
Thank you dear, for all the advise & help!

Have a wonderful bright weekend!

5 Reasons to Watch Movies as a Photographer

While I was still studying economics and management in Italia I had started somehting new. Every semester I would take one class which was wildly out of my field of studies. I love having an open mind and educating myself in various fields. Attending a different course was a good opportunity to grow beyond the world of economics. Sooo one semester, long before the photography spark was hitting me full on, I had taken a class on Architecture and Industrial Photography (by the way the only course I have ever taken in any field of photography in university). 

One of my favourite assignments our professor had ever given us was to watch one film a day. 

Why, you might wonder, would a photography professor give you a homework about film? Movies and photography are very much related to each other and there are many things one can learn from observing both forms of art.  

Here are my favourite reasons to watch movies & learn from them while doing so.

Train your eye. 
When you watch a movie you will subconsciously train your eye to see angles & compositions. You will learn to see how they portray people & how they crop away aspects. All of this observing will come in very handy as soon as you pick up your camera again. I love this hidden educating aspect & it took me quite some time to recognise it.

As we watched Frozen & Elsa is for the first time locked away in her room all I could think about was how did they get the camera up there & which lens in the world did they use...?! It took me some moments to register that I was watching an animated film, haha. Welcome to my world.

Words I Never Thought I Would Hear - Monday Post

SO last week I returned very reluctantly and only after having shed a certain amount of tears home to Germany. As in, why don´t I stay here at the beach for... about, hum? ...-ever.

I can´t believe that seven days ago I sneaked out of our beach home, walked to the ocean´s shore with three other lovelies & watched the sunrise over the far-off silhouette of Lisbon. The only other beings awake were the fishermen in their little boats & birds singing their morning glory.

But now for the words I never thought I would hear:

Among the top ones is of course this sentence: Don´t forget your chandelier.

It was our Sunday off and we spent it exploring Belem, when we discovered a flea market. As I found this little tiny chandelier I decided there and then to make space in my suitcase and go for it. Of course only after a good bargain. 

There will  be chandelier images coming your way.

Life At The Studio

After returning home from the picturesque coast from Portugal, I was at the studio three days this week. We had a couple of fun deliveries of new albums, frames and gorgeous things. Additionally we interviewed three candidates for an internship and possibly an assistant for me.

This was a fun first for me. Honestly, I have never done a proper interview just anywhere and now I am at the opposite side of the sofa. Yes, we have two sofas´and one armchair to make it extra cozy for our client area.

Suddenly I need to ask the questions & estimate from an one hour chat whether I can imagine taking someone to a wedding with me. I think I am improving my people reading skills right here. ;)

When all packages were opened & all albums photographed I returned to this months' largest to do on the list: My new homepage & blog, which is under wild construction. 

Furthermore Jan´s three year old son found our how to tie knots & is currently tying different items to chairs (such as Jan´s foot).

Roman Birthday - Monday Post

As soon as she mentioned this idea it made perfect sense. Of course. She had never been to Roma & I had never had a birthday there and Italia is simply put always a good idea.

We jumped on the plane Friday afternoon & found our way through the little bit of Italian crazy public transportation till we finally emerged in Piazza del Popolo. One of my all time favourite places of the city. Two days filled to the brim with southern light, a stroll around the entire eternal city and of course many, many images. 

We talked to strangers, stood on street corners, did excessive people watching, had far to few cappuccini, accidentally met a wedding photographer from Venice, ate till we could no more and saw the pope. 

So, this mini-birthday-Roma-escape just happened. 

Friday Introductions

This one is for all the newbies to the La Rici Blog.

Here are 11 random things and rambling thoughts about me.

* Doris Troy is currently providing the most beautiful soundtrack to my working & editing days at the studio.

* it only took me seven months to finally paint the office wall, since I started full time photography.

* if you give me expensive chocolate, chances are that I will save it for a better / special day and it might go bad. I know, crazy... ( I sound like a post war child)

* my friend Anna had a dream where she and her friends needed chocolate & she just told everybody that under no circumstances are they allowed to snack the good ones in the fridge. 

* since we are on saving things. I kept one Jane Austen novel unread so I could enjoy the first time reading the last novel of her for a couple of years. 

*the last first last novel I read by her was Northanger Abbey. A sense of listlessness overcame me upon finishing it. What will I ever read again?!?! (just kidding)

* I will be an auntie very soon. I cannot wait for this little Mister to show his face to the world and the wild name guessing will be finally resolved.

A Monday Letter

This morning I had the feeling to call a friend. Since she is currently working on a ship with OM and you never precisely know whether she is in safe waters or some remote phone-desolated region. I decided to record her a voice memo on WhatsApp. This way she could listen to it, whenever the connection would allow.

Those little things are a blessing in disguise, don´t you think?

I had entirely forgotten about the rough day coming her way and spoke a prayer over her, while I was in my snug kitchen warming my hands with the first cup of café, looking at the gray sky above. Speaking a little uncoordinated I felt goose pumps and hoped she would soon be able to hear my little spoken letter.

Improvising - For Just One Night - Monday Post

The whole wedding party was just headed outside again for one more game which required space & open air. I was finding my way around the guests looking for angles and such as I felt that the flash, which usually comes on after sunset, was loose. 
Another glance confirmed what I had only recognised on the run. The flash was about to fall off! 
*insert mute, inward gasp while smiling perfectly my everything is under control smile...

Calmly I placed the camera on the floor. Checked the second one, switched lenses & hurried back to the scene of the crime. 
Actually I am trying to carry less two and more just one camera with me, but in this instance I was glad I had the second one strapped right to me. For the time to run back inside & change at the bag would have eaten a lot of the game highlights.

Fest Versprochen - Monday Post

This weekend I was lucky enough to have a weekend in Stuttgart & a wedding trade show right around the corner from my house. 
So many times my couples have asked me about recommendations for wedding vendors in the Stuttgart area. So many times I had few tips to offer and now was the perfect weekend to change that.

I love helping my couples plan their day & alway offer tips for planning and organisation with excitement. What I love even more is recommending services I myself like (a lot). So I set out with my wonderful couples in mind. Searching for what they need and for what I would like.
  

Valencia - My Winter Travel - Part II

Valencia, one year ago I escaped for some days. Filled with ocean breeze, day time strolls, night time walks, gazing at beauty, meeting with friends, meeting strangers, NewYears with more than six nationalities, songs sung, books read, sunsets and fireplaces.
Thats about it. 

Come along.
:)

Monday Post

 Winter decided to come at last to Germany.
And a glorious one at that! Past Saturday I kicked off my new wedding season 2016 with a wonderful fortress-on-a-hill affair. As we drove up the curly lanes the road was free of ice and the hill perfectly sprinkled in a soft coat of snow. Well, this is what I call a perfect winter day to get married! 
Of course I had to run around the hill prior to the wedding ceremony and play in the snow. 

Other personal highlights included the craziest of my brothers school friends during the party at night,  a Scotsman who danced with all the ladies and meeting with a longtime school friend all in one day.

With all of Winterwonderland displayed around us... it is needless to say I had to have some portraits of my own. 

A friend of the groom asked me how I manage to take my own portraits so well? The simple answer is, I don´t. As I discovered I have frightfully few images of myself to accompany the little stories on the Blog or Instagram I decided to ask for help more often. 

This one was taken by my sister. ;)

And the fortress´view.

More to come soon. 

Have the most wonderful, snowy of winter weeks!!

Highs and Lows of Client Meetings - Monday Post

Oh January, you are here full force.

If 2015 was the sunniest year I can remember in Germany... this week is probably the greyest...

I shot my first short wedding of the year today and it happened fifty percent of the time in pouring rain. Yes...

This being said, back to client meetings. ;)

One of the most beautiful client meetings I had this winter was from a couple who was full of interest and asked tons of wonderful questions. Jan and I both got asked how we started with photography while studying something completely different and they wanted to know the stories behind the images. I loved that, a genuine interest in our personalities. It was beyond precious. Not half a day later they called me very excited, asking if I would like to be their photographer. Of course I said yes, their incredible kindness made them already a dream couple of mine.

Happy New Year

My favourite pug bounced towards me with dog kisses and I heard them talking across the hallway.

I took my coat off and prepared myself to enter into a room of I don´t know how many of my dearest peeps from three to five years ago. I entered and the table was full of my favourite souls. Each one special and dear in a wonderful way. I greeted one by one and held them close. Almost moved to tears by how much goodness and joy a room can hold. Surprisingly everybody was already assembled. It was not that I arrived late, instead we all came a day early. As if on cue to make the most of the time.

Valencia - My Winter Travel - Part I

Valencia - My Winter Travel - Part I

Last Christmas I ... (uhm this sentence will end different than you expect) ... traveled to the south of Spain. As some of you well know, I love the south and have not been in Spain since the introduction of the euro. This seemed like a good enough reason to have a small escape. 
We found a cute apartment right next to the famous market of Valencia (Mercat Central de Valencia) and with that in the very heart of this wonderful city.

Come along for a couple of my favourite glimpses of Valencia.

Christmas Wishes from La Rici

Dear Friends,

I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas time.

I am very excited to celebrate the birthday of Jesus these days and have some slow time. It is wonderfull to know that this season has a higher meaning and a really good reason to it.

My brother is right now backing christmas cookies, while Viola & I listen to kitschy 80s music and have occasional outbursts of laughter.

Also, it´s seventeen degrees in Germany. This is almost as warm as last year in the south of Spain. I think God smiled at me and said, Oh well you can´t travel this Christmas, I give you some warm days anyway. Haha.

Have a  good one!



PS,
If you feel like watching something pretty I highly recommend Lindsay Stirling's video of Hallelujah. Find it here.

My lil´Christmas Joy - DIY alla Rici

I hope you don´t mind, but this week it will get very christmasy on the Blog.

Jan and his family are already of to visit their family. I have the studio all to myself. I get to do some slow walking, loud singing and sharing a bit of my behind the scenes from my snug apartment.

I don´t quite know why but this winter season is about the quietest I have ever had in the longest while. It could be that I did not yet arrive here and do not have multiple circle of friends to meet and checklists to fill. Or it is the fact that this year we decided to do just one gift for each one of our cozy circle. Each one will get one secret santa present. And then we will simply delight in the company of each other and more importantly in His presence. I am very much looking forward to a small circle of family & friends. A tradition I totally and completely adore about my family is the fact that it is never (ever) to crowded in our home to welcome a guest. This year we will have an exchange student from a small island with us. And ya´ll know how much I love international students. Hihi.

Our Thanksgiving

This post comes a tad later than planned since I spent all of last week in bed. No screens, no books, no nothing. Rarely had I ever so much rest & sleep than last week.

So here comes our cozy Thanksgiving. We gathered with a bunch of friends. And here is what happened.

 And yes this involves rosemary. 

Golden Fall - Monday Post

Last weekend  on Saturday I got up really early an drove for one hour south... nothing unusual from my wedding routine, but geuss what? It was not a wedding saturday... and with all this incredible golden, mild goodness of this years fall I can get pretty grumpy when I am not able to take pictures around the best hours of the day... you know it being a satuday and a gourgeous one and all...

Therefore I decided to take my little baby (my camera, to avoid confusions) to the Christ crusade meeting from all of southwest Germany. Well... here is what happened. I asked Martin if he would like to sneak out for a mini break and shoot in the little wilderness behind the house. 

Let me just say... there was a lot of gold, in the leaves, in the air and in the hair.

Come along and see it for yourself.

Workshop - Grundlagen der Fotografie

Liebe Freunde,

endlich ist es so weit. Die letzte Hochzeit des Herbstes ist bearbeitet. Zur Feier der 25 Hochzeiten die ich fotografieren durfte und der 30 die ich bearbeitet hab (für zwei weitere Fotografen) gab es zunächst eine extra Portion Tandooro Chicken mit Nan...

Nach der kleinen Stärkung geht es weiter mit einem Highlight im November. Unseren Studio Workshop. 

Kennt ihr das auch? 
Wenn man auf Reisen unterwegs ist, und man möchte das Erlebnis einfangen, weiß aber grad nicht mehr wie die Modi der neuen Kamera funktionieren?

Ja, das kennen wir.
Und wir möchten euch gerne helfen besser mit eurer Kamera die Bilder zu machen die ihr einfangen möchtet!

Um was wird es gehen?