Monday Post - Balcony Bliss

Last week was a wonderful one. I got to travel to Munich and meet with my Italian girls and then to travel some further to Würzburg and see my family chums and hug tight and catch up with many dear hearts. 

I planned to arrive in Würzburg especially for a tiny, wonderful charity cafe my friends organised this Sunday. This way I got to meet and greet many special people. Not planned was the laughter-filled after party on the balcony. Some of us stayed a bit longer and we had this trial of how many people this cozy balcony can hold. Of course the occasional picture snapping in the sunset light was not forgotten.

Other highlights on the journey were getting accused of being Italian on the subway and stealing German tax money. Always a pleasure friendly stranger...

And shooting for the first time in my personal horror scenario: portraits on train tracks. Not that this was one of those tracks where no trains where running anymore... nooo. The result was that both times a train came rattling out way I was the first one jumping skittishly away. You can guess... I did not exactly enjoy. But on wedding days I do quite literally almost anything for images. ;)

Come along for a small glimpse of the more relaxed hours.

Robert - Portrait

Here is one fact about me. Probably you have realised this some while back, but I am a huge procrastinator. There you go. As so often with projects and me being involved they get pushed to the very limit of the deadline. Don´t we all do that? 

One of my favourite part about moving away from Würzburg, if there is any part to be favoured..., was that some projects where finalised in the last week. This way I got to go for some walks, climb some of the lovely hills and shoot some incredible people. Even if the project we where shooting for that particular day is not out in the open yet, I get to share some glimpses of it today. 

Monday Post - Leipzig

I was a bit late on catching up with the news of the world after my past busy weekend. But as the week rolled in it suddenly occurred to me. I checked Facebook and different news pages to draw out the mental map in my memory of which part of the mountain country my Nepalese friend was from... With each new click I was confirmed that he was currently residing in the very hot spot of where the earthquake had shaken the earth.  In the course of contacting mutual friends and waiting for any kind of news, wondering if the Internet would at all work where he was... I reflecting on my restlessness. I wrote with several common friends, all dear to me. We shared a home more than six years ago and I remember moving away many years back and I had this thought in my mind. I want to invest in people. I want to spent a good and very dear part of my every day to take an honest interest in people, in relationships and what moves them deep inside.

The past days I was wondering where this ache came from. I had a longing to be with those friends, to sit across a cappuccino & just exists for some sweet moments. I wondered why my heart cared so much about chums I had not seen for months, even years. I wondered at the ocean of feelings washing over me. And I remembered my own wish. This day I left Italia behind for the first time and drove in the car by myself. I remembered it now. I had this wish. To put people first. To care deeply. With caring comes feeling. You will not be able to dissect the one form the other. They come along the way, as twins bound tightly. To buy into the full range of emotions is the only gain I have and I realized about the gift to care and be torn, to hope and wait for news. The ache which invited itself last week came because I care.

Monday post - When the kitchen is on fire

Whereas the two first weeks in Stuttgart I was busy finding my way around last week I had the feeling my new exciting life had taken off. Time of waiting was over. I had found a new Christ crusade group with two enchanting girls, visited Würzurg for one day to pick up my bachelor diploma, and shoot two weddings at the weekend.

So here come the highlights of my week past.

Shooting one wedding at a very gorgeous-meets-country-side feeling kinda location. A private mill with wonderful hosts and incredible good taste. There where all kind of small and big birds running sound the location. The April weather put on it's most impeccable face and as I walked the grounds before the fest begun I just could not believe my luck. This was one of the days I have been dreaming about and that living and walking in those dreams is now reality is truly a gift! Maybe I did not quite get it yet since I was busy keeping up with the schedule. I would love to go back & just sit in tranquility in this wonderful place and breath it's peacefulness. 

The Saturday wedding was at the local zoo "Wilhema". Before the ceremony begun I visited the butterfly house and the fruit bats, there is nothing like watching two cuddling bats for a start of the day. 

I had no clue this park was so gorgeous and exotic, with loads of moorish architecture sprinkled across the lawns.

Beside these kinda obvious highlights there was one more thing. It was tucked away in the quiet of the night. Not glorious, not loud. 

I had visited my friends in Würzi & was at my dear friend Mau's place. It was well past one a.m. and sleep just would not come. For some while I was debating with myself whether to go to the bathroom or not. This might sound stupid to you... But moments later I felt the need to drink a glass of water, beside the full glass I had already stored in our bedroom. What I discovered when opening the kitchen door was just surreal. The whole kitchen was filled with smoke so toxic I flung the door back shut in shock and coughed for the burn in my lungs. I ran to Mau in a hurry and woke her up with the words, Mau you have to get up, there is a fire in the kitchen!!!!  Never seen a person from sweet slumber rising quicker from the mattress than in that moment. 

Wedding Nadine & Florian

 For some reason I just knew this would be an extra special day and I grinned in happy anticipation on the whole drive to the location.

I was to meet the couple at Schloss Neuburg an der Kammel and take pictures of them getting ready. Arriving at the castle I drove past deer grazing peacefully on a meadow and then up a tree lined, cobble stoned alley. As I walked through the gates & gardens and finally into the castle it took my breath away. This place was charming in each detail of each room. Switching between the bridal suite and the gentleman's room I was able to photography both of them getting ready with each of their dear ones. It was such a joy  to document their wonderful style. Nadine´s elegance reminded me just ever so slightly of Grace Kelly. She looked absolutely stunning as she slipped into her off-the shoulders, intricately embroidered dress. 

On my way home, I was still smiling to myself, the scent of lavender from the gardens still fresh in my memory. It was truly a perfect day!

Five tips for mingling in a new place - Monday Post

Socialising in a new place can be exiting ... but very often it is also scary. Yes basically just that. Scary. While for the Easter holiday I nicely avoided this fear instilling part & visited friends, the past week I could avoid it no longer & had a super big mingling planned. I don´t know what got me into this but I agreed to join my new roomy Anna to go away with 160 strangers for four days. Very often right before these crazy things (honestly how do they come up all the time?!) I doubt my ability to make any good decisions and want to run off. Welcome to my head.

Here is a list of things I took away from my four days with Soul Devotion.

1) Accept an invitation. This sounds basic but it helps to get out of the living room & meet new people face to face. Put yourself out there. Just so we all start at the very beginning. ;)

Anna invited me and then I searched for other friends who might had joined the trip already. Making a small start.

2) Forget the worries. As I walked with the girls to the first meet up I laughed so much on the way that I totally forgot to be scared of a room full of strangers (Thank you Lisanne). When we opened the door I was totally overwhelmed by all the faces, but I was not so scared by being scared... get it? 

3) Go for the crowd. After the first two days in my small shell, checking out the crowd & being still a bit shy I decided to leave the safe field (the five lovely ladies I shared the house with) and go talk to a new person for every occasion I got, café table, lunch, hiking, prayer meeting. The whole thing. 


This was the view I got up to every wonderful new day :D

Moving South - Monday Post

After having helped moving me for the tenth time my father had advised me that for the next time all my boxes and stuff needed help I should find myself a handful of strong guys to carry everything. So... this is what I did as the next move came around. My roomy Steffi ( not a guy though) and a wonderful selection of  strong-armed friends helped me with incredible ease to make this move as smooth and effortless as I could never have imagined it.

Thursday I had rented a small moving van for the very first time and we carried my beloved stuff four floors downstairs.  (Why do I have to live so far upstairs in building which lack an elevator?!?!) Anyway here come my do´s and don't´s if you should ever want my advice for moving ;)

Engagement shoot with Anna & Chris

One of the things I look forward most in the next weeks, is moving in with my new roomy. 

After the first handshake and laughter shared I had the feeling this would be a very good idea. Of course we only spent very few days in our new place yet, but every day we met we made some time to talk. I am so very much looking forward to talking, dreaming, being and praying some more. Of sharing the quiet and loud days. Of planning up till August sweeps through our calendars and gathering ideas for Blogposts together ;)

Funny things is, she already lived in our place for some time, I will follow soon. About four weeks after her time had started in Stuttgart I received a Whatsapp going something like, Rici!!!! look we got engaged!!!!!! 

After a good deal of squeaking and excitement it was clear we had to get out together. Out and about to the place where her fiancée had sung her song, had asked this one breathtaking question and clinked some bubbly. 

Taking a deep breath - Monday post

If you would have sat next to me by the river today, I would have told you that I was home last week. I would have told you that I took a good deep breath for five days. 

So slow and quiet that I almost forgot what it felt like to be out of breath. I meet only very  few precious people and everyday I had my dearest Mara´s softest ears to stroke. 

If you would have sat next to me, I would have told you that I don´t feel ready to move on, that I am scared to leave the most wonderful circle of friends behind. Friends I have come to call my family.

I would have told you that I don´t feel ready to leave studying behind and move on into the serious world of working professionals. So not ready.

I basically feel like I am still playing and all the others have figured it out already.

Portraits with Miracle

Everything was solid frozen and the trains where rattling on underneath us.

At 6am I was not quite sure where this idea had come from and as we where finally standing on the bridge I doubted that it was even the slightest of a good idea. The sun was somewhat reluctant to make itself seen and my feet where forming into big ice cubes well before we started shooting. I had underestimated the magic of a sunrise shoot in winter. Who would have thought it would be somewhat different from the sunrise glory in summer? hahahah...

Sometimes (actually often) as a photographer you simply have to rock with what you have. So we watched the dark grey sky turn into light grey and had a pretty wonderful time.