Aleksi headshots

One thing I absolutely adore about being a student is that it is so easy to meet all kinds of new people. And internationals come with that. I do not know what I will do when this splendid time of my live comes to an end & I will have to socialise in a new manner.

This is how I came to meet Aleksi. The funny thing is that our studies are more distant than any studies could ever be. So here I am happy to introduce a Finnish space master on the Blog. It was my joy to take your application pictures. 

Monday post

work it gorgeous.

During the last days I have spent more time at my desk again. When I write desk I really mean the wooden floor of my apartment. I am such a comfy sort always enjoying to sit on the floor. haha. I spent time reading, researching & writing. Not for my photography actually... but for my degree. Yes I am still in university. ,)

And sometimes when I am gloriously distracting myself from being diligent I think about the past year. I had the honour of photographing incredible couples. Of sharing a full day of splendid with them. Of being part. 

So here is to a new week of gratefulness. 

Of being full. 

Of grace. 

Of thanks. 

PS, also music-for-studying recommendations are always welcomed with listening ears.

Daniel headshots

In my time in Würzburg I have found a family among most loving friends. When I write that people make the place I mean exactly that. Throughout the last three years our Campus group has established a new kind of project. We started going out in clubs to create student services at a place familiar to fellow students. What has begun almost three years in a small underground music club has now grown to be know beyond the outskirts of our city... We are hosting the student service in one of the largest concert buildings downtown, with each celebration we welcome new friends from all of central and south Germany. 

During this wild and new journey as the project took off Daniel was one of our faithful visionaries and managers. 

Preview of a new favourite day

Oh today was glorious gorgeousness all around. Early in the morning I got up, still full with turkey & took the highway to Stuttgart to meet with these two lovebirds. There will be more to come of all the beauty & fall-love! Brace yourselves! This wonderful lady? Yeah, she is my new roomy. Am I lucky or what? 

Have a wonderful weekend!!

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Married Marta & Binh

As Marta contacted me I was so very glad my calendar held on open spot on this specific Saturday. You see, it was four days to their wedding, with their original photographer being taken ill I was able to have my first “fill-in” wedding.  The nervousness of not having met them in person was wiped away the very second we met and I was welcomed with warmth into their special day. Their ceremony was held in the midst of many friends and relations from all over Europe & Asia.

The Eternal City - a short trip

It went something like, Vale can I come next week? A couple of minutes later I had the airplane ticket & started to pack. The ability to go along with crazy spontaneity is one thing I adore in Italians. As the days grew colder and the rain just would not stop to visit my weddings I had the wonderful idea to take a break. My one free weekend in September I was able to spent with dear friends in and around Roma. 

The warm days involved a lot of happy strolling through the streets, a visit to the oldest Gelateria (ice cream place) in Roma, home made pizza and baby kittens...

but see for yourself.

Life in this moment - Monday post

tidy room 
 tidy mind

...is what they say. I wonder if rearranging all my pinterest walls counts as well...

Anyhow, the first thing I did before I started the serious research for my bachelor thesis is reorganise my Pinterest pinboards. Some things just should be well tidied before you can tackle the big stuff...

Soooo what about life in this moment? Big things have happened...

my boss & inspiration to reach higher has often asked me about when I will move to the town where we both work.

Stuttgart is almost two hours away from where I currently reside & makes working in a studio a bit harder. For the wedding season we found wonderful solutions to the travel, work  & accommodation challenges but in the long run... well I would have to make a move.

Much to my shock, this move came quicker than anticipated... an apartment showed up and told me it wanted to be taken. In a big city, close to the center, with three rooms and most importantly a dishwasher (FINALLY) on top of everything this place was in a city where you never find an apartment, not even when you hunt for weeks and months... ask my boss. Within four days I decided to take this offer which came running to me, to find a roomy & sign the contract.

I still have to finish my BA in Würzburg, but will slowly move on to the new place. It is kinda nice to have a smooth transition. I can finish off here and already know the new place is waiting for me. 

Two weeks ago I had the first client meeting for an album design and oh boy, I was thrilled to learn this new process to be tackled!

After Jan & I had designed the album together (he is so kind!) he asked me if, quite spontaneously, I would like to come & shoot his family for a small fall / pregnancy session.

Speaking of shooting your employer and being all cool about it. Not.

So grateful we all made jokes the entire hour.

Thank your for asking me Jan! ;)



So here is Jan, his wife Ingrid & their son.

A favorite

let sparkle fly

There were enquiries of where I´ve been. Thank you so very much for caring, dear reader!

Here is one of my favourites from the season past. Many days sparkle flew & I will be able to share them in the coming weeks.

Till then,

Saluti.

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Mint wedding decoration - For those who plan

Here is a post for those who plan.

Occasionally I get asked about good ways to incorporate personal style in a wedding day. There are so many splendid ways to do that! My tip is to focus on one or two things that are important to you, that is part of your journey as a couple. Limit your color scheme to three colours which brings more calmness into the decoration. Let the schemes and elements reappear in different places.

To show you one wedding which I fell in love with this May I selected my favourite details shoots from Sarina&Tim´s wedding. 

Sarina is a designer & takes great delight in arranging details.

Their most prominent color was mint. Oh yeses! I loved it like nuts! She had many great & also inexpensive ideas and I don´t want to hold them back any longer ;)

ENjoy!

4 Things I should have learned by now - Monday post

You would think that after shooting my fourteenth solo wedding this summer, there would be some kind of routine. But really there isn´t. Or at least not in many respects. After almost all my weddings I sit down and do a small evaluation of the day. I jot down things I learned that day and things I want to improve. Here are some things I should have learned by now...

1. Never, ever rely on the weather. As in EVER. Summer in Germany was friggin cold and I constantly wore the wrong dress and wrong shoes. Now it is mid September and I thought to myself. I will not let this happen again. Not this time. I checked the weather app in advance (yay) and picked out a warm long sleeved dress for last Saturday. Like I said. Never trust it. Even when checking the weather. It turned out all so much better and warmer. I, of course... melted and took the most happy sunset images on a dusty vineyard road which beautifully resembled to a tuscan country road. Gladly there where sandals among the shoes in the back of my car. 

2. Every wedding morning starts a bit the same. I worked on my routine and prepare all the packing the night before. Still I almost exclusively leave the house in a panic. Jumping over the bags, while munching down the muslie with one and doing my make up with the other hand... you get the picture. I am glad to say... I surprised my sister Viola by not having the panic mode on this week. We are getting there. ^^

3. A goal of mine is to get some grip on the amount of sleep before a wedding. This is such a hard one to tackle. No matter how much camomile tea I down, I never wind down early enough and it has gotten normal for me to wake up like one hour before the alarm goes off... and then I usually wait till it goes off  waiting for the day to begin. Because I am so excited for it to be a new day of my dreams. 

4. I way to often forget to take selfies. Why is that so? I want to take more wedding selfies. Not that I intend to run around with my own face in front of my lens while I am working.   I just mean one or two won´t hurt. This way I have some images to go along with the Monday posts. ;)

Here are some instagrams to go along with the story. Maybe next week I will have the wedding-selfie down ;)

This moment when I was finding my way to the location... 
my heart skipped a beat. 
I mean seriously! 
This was such a gorgeous moment of knowing, 
today I will be up there!

Have a wonderful new September week! 

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When you are stuck - Monday Post

I checked the parking lot sign again. Not sure it could be trusted. I was just approaching the hilltop farm where the wedding would take place later that Saturday. The sign was pointed at a pasture of green. Of wet, soaked in days-of-rain green. I hesitated but then opted to follow that piece of wood still having in mind all the other times I had not followed signs... So I thought to myself this once I will do the German thing and followed directions. As it turns out it was the worst parking lot decision made in... uhm, forever.

After a bit of trying back and forth I felt the wheels turning without moving an inch and jup... I was stuck. Like literally. In the mud. 

Horror scenarios of the unfolding wedding day where forming in my head. You see, this location was not the only one I had to go to. We would start in the village & then go up to the hills. I was just checking everything out up front. My phone had no reception... naturally...

My head started pacing as I slowly started climbing out of my car. I felt my hands shaking as I walked up the hill. Not a good sign. 

The first guy I came across must have read the desperation in my eyes because he offered to take over immediately. As in subito. I handed him the key to my precious car and he said he would give it a try (bless him!!!) if this would not do it, he would get the tractor. 

This was only the first shocker moment of the day! The wedding was planned as an outdoor wedding and as the ones of you currently in Germany might have guessed, this time Plan B kicked in. As in cozy barn wedding plan B. We - bride, groom, me - in my car. Back up on that hill after the first shooting, now heading to the wedding ceremony. As I entered the ceremony barn only moments before the couple was to follow and found it was not just a little cozy dark it was pitch black in there... I literally wanted to scream a loud and audible **** (fill in whatever you want). Oh hello desperation again. 

I went down the isle with all eyes on me, dropped my bags next to a bale of straw and started bringing out the flashes. Nervously I adjusted the settings and held my breath for what was to come. I mean I use flash and I have exercised a good deal... but only for the party part of the wedding day. Using them spontaneously still makes me a good deal nervous. 

Fast forward to the second portrait session of the day. We were in yet another barn filled with straw and hay. The groom had found a rope and was literally swinging across the barn from one bed of straw to the next. I mean in suit and all!

Oh what a day we had. The bride & I laughed our hineys off as Tarzan leaped for Jane.

This was most certainly a new Saturday adventure of mine. At the end of the day, the ceremony images turned out a lot better than visioned in the adrenaline over kill brain of mine and the car was restored to former glory by the friendly stranger on that hilltop farm.

Do I need to add that the group picture was snapped from a dangerously high stack of straw bale?

Oh and there were cake pops!

This picture was taken near Roma, where I had travelled the week before. 

You know, to escape the rain. 

More from that will come to the Blog.

Have a lovely new week, friends!

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Best Way to End a Wedding Day - Christina & Jacob Part II

For me, as the photographer, an excellent wedding day ends with a sunset session. And when there is a sunset like this one, unexpected, after heavy rain and just splendid... well, I´m in heaven.

As I mentioned in Part I of Christina & Jacob´s wedding, this day was full of surprises.

The time which this wonderful couple made for me, just as the light was right, was one of them.

An equally outstanding but totally different surprise waited for all the guests as we returned to the tent. 

Married: Christina & Jacob Part I

It all started in high school as Jacob asked if Christina would be willing to go out with him. This was ten years ago.

Where to begin? A wedding I have been part of as a friend and as a photographer. A wedding which is still fixed in my memory like hardly any other. A day full of surprises. All of them gorgeous and most happy turns of a day unfolding into the unknown. Like asking out a girl in the high school public unsure what her answer will be. 

We started out at Christina´s place, filled with friends from all over Europe. Both had studied abroad several times and have relatives from four different countries. Just imagine the lovely hum of languages mingling <3!

Christina had her dress designed and crafted by our dear friend Marta, which carefully followed instructions to wave a bit of red into all the details.

 Just like the rest of the day. Tipped of by bright red. 

With great love.

For the portraits we continued to one of the most romantic rococo gardens I know so far, right by their house. Oh my, the whimsy in every corner!! Needless to say I went a little crazy on the hyperventilating... 

And then the weather took a turn for the dramatic and started to pour. Like it was middle of October. I remember Christina describing the plan of the day to me... and as I asked for the Plan B, you know... every German outdoor wedding neeeeeeds this Plan B... she said, we don´t think of Plan B. 

Time to go south

This summer I have more weddings scheduled on my Saturday´s than ever before. I enjoy the taste of being close to full time during my summer break. Still every rainy, dark, grey summer day in Germany makes me miss Italia like crazy. I mean like nuts. It is even worse when all of le mie ragazze (my girls) are traveling. Soooo, here is the plan for the next week: Go.to.Roma.

This is my one week for travel and I will drink it all in, southern style ;)

Now, here is the deal for you!

If you happen to be in Roma, and you always wanted to have a portrait shoot or engagement shoot or a styled shoot. 

Shoot me a line (larici.photography@gmail.com) and we will meet next week!

I wish you a wonderful new week tomorrow.

Have a great one!

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Married

They met during a cultural exchange between Belarus and Germany. What was a brief encounter turned into a second exchange and this eventually developed into a friendship. Across borders and languages, they found their own language of staying in touch, being close and dreaming up plans. One of them came true on this cold April day at one of my favorite places in Stuttgart.  Which made it not only a day of their dreams but also of mine.

 The castle Solitude is truly the ultimate romantic location I can dream of and even on a very chilly Saturday you guys filled it with warm laughter. Thank you for joking so freely, for laughing and giggling along. 

Dear Alena & Ingo-Felix, never before have I laughed so much during a client meeting than with you!!

Thank you for making me falling in love with what I do even more!!

You guys are great!

How to get through a wedding marathon - Monday post

Or how to survive a twelve hour + wedding.

I have the feeling, the longer the summer the longer are my weddings.

The first time I was on the phone and the groom announced that twelve hours will not be enough I felt a slight panic gripping me. I had surely accompanied Jan for longer weddings last year. But being a team and shooting all on your own is just a whole different game. 

I know I get tired and exhausted after a full day of carrying around two heavy cameras, plus lens & later with flash. I was quite afraid of not making it through the fourteen and half hours of this one spanish-italian wedding. I know my arms are not as strong and oh, a wedding day full of new turns in the time line can be, lets be honest, very tiring...

So, what do I do to stay on top of the game? 

I decided I need a game plan in order to tackle this marathon which creeped all I had within me... well, out of me. 

So here is my strategy:

It is still in the testing, but the last super long weddings have passed well and I thought it might help the one or other newby. ;)

Get a lot of rest beforehand. 

This is one great tip I read other photographers do. I try to have a quite Friday and get to bed real early. Even if I am bad at retiring early it helps a lot.

Have a lot to drink in the car.

For the warm summer days I have a cooler in the car. It is stacked full with drinks and power bars and all the food I could crave. I realised that when I am hungry I can get cranky... so this is one state I want to avoid. Whenever there is a switch of location and I have five minutes in the car I tend to eat while driving just to stay fit. Usually as soon as I am out of the car there is no time to rest and eat till dinner comes along.

When on a break, be on the break.

During the day and especially during the portrait session I can get really excited. This is cool for the couple because I make jokes, run around and entertain them (read make a fool of myself). At the same time this takes a lot of energy. Whenever I have the smallest break I try to wind down, slow my breathing to relax for a tiny bit. This is very hard and I am so not good at it. ;)

Drive home safe.

Two weeks ago between the time I closed the front door and I got back home where seventeen almost eighteen hours. There was a two and a half hour drive to and from the location and oh boy I was at my limit. Wedding days are kind of extreme so I get my last espresso at 11 pm and turn the music up good.

And lets be honest! There is nothing like driving in Stuttgart down town, with the rain coming down and the windows down for fresh air while Bonnie Tyler hollers I need a hero... in the middle of the night at you. Oh those beats... ;) 

Nothing.like.it!


Some instagrams from last Saturday : )

Have a great new week!!

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Preview

More of these two will come next week :)

Have a great weekend!

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My summer in between

Every now and then people ask me what I do during the week... when I don´t shoot weddings. Most people know that weddings happen on the weekends ;) and assume that during the week I am well... not as productive.

Usually I study and teach in university. I take classes, do the student thing and also edit. Now that my summer has fully begun (read, last exam over and term paper handed in) it was time to take off and let summer rain on me.

So I am most happy to write that for the rest of summer I am free of university obligations and truly can take time to roam, to be creative and to drive around the country to visit friends.

This is exactly what I did last week. 

So this is my invitation to join my summer in between. In between the weddings and in between the weekends. In between meetings with couples and preparing for the bliss of what  I gladly call my work.

I decided that my summer break does not have to be scheduled out of the wedding season. I decided it is right here. In the middle. In between.

Small breaks to recharge. And share time with friends.

Steffi & Sam - sunrise couple session

 Night was still in the air, I was in the historic centre of town, listening to the rare sounds. 

Waiting. Filling my lungs to wake up.

Then they came around the corner. Both on his bike, she safely in his arms. She blinked at me, unbelieving. Oh, is this what we do?

I greeted them with embraces and let Steffi in on the secret Sam & I had prepared for them.

Honestly? Nothing like surprising friends! Nothing like it.

The Monday post - pouring rain & le ragazze

The clouds rolled in, with the wind picking up, I searched my way to the hills near Würzburg as the car went quiet. 

I will be honest with you my mood was low ... even lower. The wedding was planned entirely as an outdoor event and the prospect of a tent packed with loads of guests was nothing for my slightly claustrophobic self.

After a full hour of wet from above... oh happy day... the sky cleared and we had the most amazing time outside with the panorama of the city spreading below the hills.

Not only was it the day I spent with my ragazze (my italian girls) one of us tied the knot and oh boy! Nothing like a good international wedding party!

Oh, the dress was designed and created by Marta (on the left). You will see more of it!!

I was of course happiest to have time with the sunset light working its magic and the cutest couple on earth.
Still I was even more surprised as Christina´s favourite band appeared on the scene. The exact group which she had most detailed described  to me as not realisable for their wedding. Yes, lets just say, she takes great delight in surprising her friends.

So here is to beautiful surprises and the sun coming out again!
Happy Monday!!

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Sunset preview

Oh, today I could not wait till Monday to share the first peek of yesterdays most incredible love affair.

You will see much more of these two soon.

Have a lovely Sunday!

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Preview

Have a great weekend!

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What not to do in the castle - Lesson learned

As I found my way the curly dirt road up the hill, I first saw the deers, then the alley of lime trees followed by a gate leading into the first court of the castle... followed by another garden... 

If you think I write about dreams come true way to many times on this Blog... maybe it is because my dreams indeed do come true. I felt like walking in one this past Saturday for sure.

And as I was pondering about this a bit more I realised something.

The more I dream, the more can come true. Right?

There was a new thought.

Lesson learned when shooting in a castle. 

Even if outside looks chilly and rainy... running up and down the stairs between the maiden chambers and the gentlemen's rooms surely is not chilly. But oh, all are under the same roof. I was happiest.

These cute, upholstered, golden-legged, antique chairs are not a good idea to stand on. Not even if it is to take the better angle picture of all the groom´s attire spread out on the bed. Luckily there was a quick hand to hold the chair and prevent my otherwise falling directly on the night blue Hugo Boss. Gosh, that would have been a memorable start.

Rosé rooms with white ceilings and large windows make a hack of a getting ready room. Just saying´.

Being offered a glass of champagne along side the ladies was one of the greatest honours for me... but being offered the German morning beer five minutes later... I simply had to reject.

Here are the last images of the day. <3

Gosh, so in love!

Have a great summery day!

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9 things I know to be true

9 things I know to be true or; stars fall only once.

A bit of life.

1) Eating my morning muslie without a spoon sucks.

2) Fresh basil always has to be next to the stove.

3) Sarah Kay sweeps me off my feet, even after listening to her Ted Talk the 8th time.

4) Having a good friend in walking distance calms my orb of storming winds.

5) I consume more ice cubes than the average German (they don´t get it ;))

6) After years I cannot define the taste of music I have.

7) My relaxing evenings are not at the end of the week.

Married: Julia & Andre

With each hilly bend in the road my joy increased for this long anticipated day. I met Julia & Andre last year in Stuttgart and was beyond psyched to travel east for their festivities. To go home, see the hills again, smell the forests & shoot on the grounds of one of my favourite castles in Thüringen. <3
Truly in love with this gorgeous english park and Julia´s radiant smile as she hurried down the isle to meet her soon to be husband. 

After the last shutter was clicked and my work for the day was done, I drove back to the park, grabbed my snacks and laid down in the soft grass. Right in front of the castle. Despite the "Keep of the grass sign". Head over heels I stared at the pointy tips of the english roof. Because this was a moment worth celebrating. Not only to shoot in great locations, but to accompany people and see their moments unfold. 

Dear Julia & Andre, thank you for letting me be part of your day. To come in close and to stay far off. To see your smiles and joy.

What to do with rain on your wedding day

This is a question I get asked a lot for the early spring and late fall weddings... but due to the rainy start which July has provided us here in Germany I thought it is good to answer this question on the Blog. First of all; I love it when couples ask questions. And this one is a good one especially in Germany ;)
Second of all; bad weather is usually not that bad and there are so many creative and fun ways to work with it.
So here are some of my ideas to make this work for your special day.

1) Ask your photographer about the Plan B before the wedding
All the photographers I know are so very happy if clients ask them for advice. We love being part of the day and share what we know. A lot of the planning are small things, but they come in handy when thought of before the day, should the not so good weather strike your day. ;)

2) Plan for back up locations
This one goes along side the first hint on the list. There are many beautiful outdoor but roofed locations you can shoot in. It is always good to think of them ahead. For example hotel entries, porches, hotel lobbies, rooms with large windows or wide staircases will do as well.

Married: Sarina & Tim

This day it was for one of us. No, actually two of us, tying the knot. It was a huge get together of our old Campus Crusade group. Many had travelled here. I had gone ahead, the others would follow later.  On the train I was impatiently anticipating the events of this marvellous Saturday. In the living room I was trying to decide where to pin the boutonniere and in the garden catching my breath along side Tim as he first laid eyes on his bride. 

This day was nothing short of magical. One heartfelt embrace followed by the next and one  stunning location drawing us in after the other. 

The Monday after a free weekend

How else to relax better with an exam session rolling up dangerously close to this week, than to go on a bike tour with friends?!

I had a free weekend and just knew I wanted to be part of this. A bunch of friends from Campus Crusade, sixteen bikes, two days away.

Before us the road, above us pouring clouds... well that the weather had been kind would be the understatement of the year... but somehow all of that crumbled into insignificance as the group grew closer with each bend in the road and the conversations deepened with each hill left behind.

As the hearty welcome of arriving was shared, changed into dry clothes and the fire lit... all was forgotten and before us was time. Time to spent, with the cellphone put far away, to listen to the birds, the cracking of wood, to each other and to God.

A different Monday story

This Mondays story is not about a wedding. It was Wednesday morning as one of my cultural studies professors approached me with a special request. She knew I was a photographer on the side (during the week I'm still a student/ tutor at university) and inquired if I could document an opening ceremony for a rather huge American Study conference. 

This was how I found myself on Thursday afternoon scouting a huge renaissance church in the middle of Würzburg surrounded by security people. Yes, you read that right. Huge security guys swarming all the good hiding places between columns and side aisles.

As it turns out there was the US ambassador John B. Emerson amon the honored guests and first speakers.  

So there I was, holding my breath, trying to tiptoe around the facility as unsuspicious as possible, while carrying my smile to get in all the corners of the building. It was the most beautiful thing to see how far a friendly smile goes. Let me take a moment to emphasis that three of the six bodyguards inside the church responded to my smile! That I did not get tackled to the ground is the second biggest success I count for the afternoon.

Here is to melting the big guys and wikipediaing all the honored speakers beforehand to be prepared of who among the 400 guests is who.