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 ;)

Getting stuck in the Black Forest - Monday Post

Some weekends weddings come and dance through the day, all is cake. Things are in a flow & we sing in the car back home. This past Saturday was a bit more on the try and error (and then try again) side. On the way to the ceremony my navigation system got all confused by a series of construction sights and we ended up on a tiny mountain lane in the black forest. My gut told me this is not a good idea and the road said, there is only one way, and that is through. So we crawled up the hill. To my total terror and despair got stuck between the mountain rock and another car, parking in a minuscule bend on the road.

Long story short, this being the first accident I ever produced, it took me all I got to not melt down on the spot & crawl under the car. My heavenly assistant kept her nerves and helped me to juggle the car inch by inch. The best man (bless him) came to our rescue and got us to the ceremony.

Looking back on this day I was overwhelmed by all the kindness with which we were met. Everybody who came over to chat had only caring words. Even if I was not as collected and calm as I might have been for the rest of the day, we laughed and giggled as much as ever during the portrait time. 

Truths wich we took away from this adventure are: 

A piece of left over Flammkuchen (tarte flambée) never tasted as good as on the parking lot of the police station one hour before midnight.

And the words of our soundtrack of the day - Guardians of the Galaxy -  "ain´t no mountain high enough ... to keep me from getting to you..." suddenly had a total different meaning. 

Happy Monday to ya´ll! 

Keep on pressing forward, even with those Black Forest mountain kind of rocks in your way.

PS, we still sang in the car on our way home, from the bottom of our lungs. ;)

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!

The Unpredictable - Monday Post

Happy Monday out there!

Starting rather slow after a double header weekend I am soo very thrilled about summer finally brushing through Germany. Oh hey! I have missed all this warm light!

Here come the high and low lights of the two rocking weddings...

First of all... the dress I wore on Friday decided it is a good day to give up and crack in a rather unfortunate place. Oh hello mess. For the first cocktail hour I gracefully tried to place my second camera always right on top of the crack which turned out to be not useful. After several gentlemen stopped by & kindly indicating the situation, a sweet Mamma came and handed me her sweater. Armed till we switched location I slipped away and did my first total outfit change at a wedding. 

Now, you have to know I try to pack for several scenarios each weekend. I bring an extra pairs of shoes (usually more than one), tights, sometimes a pair of slacks or an umbrella. An entire new outfit is usually not in the bag. Strangely enough this Friday before I closed my apartment door I flung a dress & matching leggings in. Who would have known I need them? Oh boy, I was glad I came prepared.

Paris Spontaneously - Monday Post

Many good things come my way spontaneously. Even if this one was in the making for quite some time now. The actual booking of this trip happened exactly two days in advance.
I had written with Abby several times over the years & I can honestly say that her Blog was a major motivator in my journey with wedding photography. She had announced back in winter that she would tour Europe & I knew I wanted to finally meet her in person.

So this was the very best reason to finally visit Paris. Since I had never been..., I know. Hah! It was high time! 
Then I found a friend who was even more spontaneous than me. I called her fourteen hours before the train left from Stuttgart main station & she said yes. Needless to say we giggled the whole time. 

Schloss Weikersheim Wedding

As the new winter semester had started, we all met for the first time on a Tuesday night with Campus (Connect in Würzburg).

Little did I guess that the same night two lives were changed. From the first glance & sentence he was hooked. He charmingly persisted to keep the conversation coming and somehow the they chatted late after all had left. Just from the first meeting nothing was the same anymore. 

Then I received the most charming mail in my inbox & decided to travel to Würzburg to meet  them in person. From the first conversation to the last line of the wedding party I felt the appreciation of my photography like seldom before. You are such a dream to be around and to photograph! When you mentioned that portraits are the most important images I could not believe my luck & silently had a cupcake party in my head over the locations & day planning you had spread before me.

Lisbon Project - A Recap

If you have been following along on my Instagram, you will have noticed that I was in Portugal for two weeks at the beginning of March. 

Since March was the only month with zero weddings as this enquiry came, I thought why not. It was a mission trip organised by Campus Connect Berlin. And even if I knew none of the team and I am super shy, let alone go on Campus & share about my believe, I decided to go jump in at the deep end.
I mean you cannot walk around and always say you don´t like something, unless you have tried it. 

Sneak Peek

Getting all jittery about these two!

 More will come.

Have a wonderful Easter 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).

Summer Wedding in Mössingen

One of the things I loved best about their wedding was the deep thought & loving details the bride had put into this day. She has a heart for planning & was literally able to explain to me how to meet her & her groom in the middle of a hilly field of truly nowhere. 

I mean this kind of place where street names end and you are just in the outback. 

The quiet morning as a back drop, we had our gorgeous first look. 

Let me tell you, this girl, (oh my!) knows how to find the dreamy bits of nature. I just loved where we were! 

Staying Home & Traveling - Monday Post

My past weeks joy were a bit different from the usual.

After having traveled to Roma for a real short trip last weekend. I mean short! I had one (!!) bag pack, my body decided it was time for a different kind of break. Since mid week my bed and I had a passionate affair. I only left for tea & more blankets. Ah, here is to roomy´s who bring crackers & make soup! 

Golf Club Domäne - Summer Wedding

They had peeked in for our studio opening & while touring our beloved creative harbour shared that they recently got engaged.

Sweetness radiated from her eyes, as they shared about their wedding, & I had a wonderful feeling. 

Their day unfolded beautifully as an almost all-day outdoor affair. With a ceremony held in a clearing on the golf club. A dreamy summer wedding with chunks of good light, wonderful laughter and a sunset to remember.

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.

Winter Wedding in Jena, Thüringen

It started as a quiet day. With the first expectant look out of the window. Checking whether the snow was heavy or light. The streets free of ice. You see, this wonderful wedding day started in a fortress on a hill not far from my first home.

I just happily loved each and every single moment of this day! The frosting on each tree, the lanes leading up the hills, the jaw-dropping elegant bride, their happy faces during the first dance, all the friends and family assembled.

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.

Sunrise Family Shooting in Stuttgart

It is not often that we get to document life after the wedding day passed. But it is an all bigger joy when we do. We photographed Silvia´s & Marcos´wedding over two years ago & I have to say... to this day it is marked in my memory as one for the books. 

Not only had they the most beautiful castle-by-the-lake location and jaw-dropping gorgeous style. Their family is what made it so special. Their love overflowing and the joy in every corner of the castle.

Imagine my happy anticipation as I learned they had won the shooting with me, which we gave away for the studio opening!

Oh welp! 

We met early one morning at a little corner of the city which is part of their every day life. 

The sun was just getting ready for a gorgeous day & I was in family-shoot-heaven when I saw them walking up to me.

Once more, totally in love with their style. 

Silvia announced the hight probability that Isabel would not get over her shy self well in advance. Just so I would not be disappointed if we did not get any images all together. 

Let me tell you! 

The opposite happened!

Isabel rocked this little shoot of ours. As in big times!

But see it for yourselves!

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.

A Shooting at the Vatican

Late summer in Rome &
 it was about time to take this dress for a walk.

I ran into Marta back in Würzburg.
 This one day I heard her talk on the way to the canteen for the second time.
This time I was determined to not let this one slip. 
You see the first time I heard her & Valeria talk a sudden wave of super timidness overcame me and I let them walk past me without saying a word.

She became easily one of my favourite girls from Roma.

Golden Woods Wedding

It was pouring down so hard, that I decided to camp out in the car the entire hour before the ceremony would begin. 

I had just checked out the fields & wood near by & jogged back to the tiny vehicle for shelter.

I knew how fond both the bride & groom were of outdoor photos & check the rain radar app for the third time in sixty minutes.

All the way through the emotion-overflowing vows the rain hammered on the roof of the top floor city hall.

Just after those most wonderful words had been pronounced and all the dearest been held close, the sky timidly cleared the way & we began shooting in a damp, soaked, perfect wood. I mean think magical with fairy dust on every tree.

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!!

Greenhouse Wedding Stuttgart

It was uncommonly deserted at the castle & I had asked the bride again if she wanted to continue shooting. You see, it was three degree on this cloudy morning & I was afraid for her arriving with frozen feet at her ceremony. She smiled and we continued. Dear Marion & Daniel, I admired your wish to get those portraits! And to be quite frank it was totally worth the cold everything! These images turned out to be a total dream in their quiet, charming, fall kind of way! I love truly them! 

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.

Wedding Shooting with Katharina & Andy

We met at an advanced English Grammar class. Heck that one did not work out for me... as the careful reader will have already noticed. 

Then again, some things work out in different ways. 

For example this lovely lady getting engaged before the last years summer was out. 

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.