Philippe Wiget Photography Blog

I’m about to start a very busy week and before leaving for a first shoot, I thought I’d post a quick impression of this past Saturday’s wedding. It was taken on a boat ride on Lago Maggiore from Vira to Ascona in Ticino, and indeed, the boat was rather fast…and more photos will follow;-)

Nun hat für mich die 2010-Saison als Hochzeitsfotograf definitiv an Fahrt gewonnen und somit ist es höchste Zeit, dass ich hier ein paar aktuelle Hochzeitsfotos zeige.

Stephanie und Markus feierten Ihre Hochzeit im frühen Mai in Baden. Ich durfte die beiden über den gesamten Tag von den Vorbereitungen bis zur späten Feier im Badener Claque Keller begleiten. Und ich hatte die ganze Zeit über das schöne Gefühl, in einer wunderbaren, sympatischen Gesellschaft willkommen zu sein. Dies begann mit dem angenehmen Umfeld zuhause und blieb durchgehend so bei den Portraits im Park der Villa Boveri, während der Trauung im Pavillon, dem Apéro draussen mit Guggenmusik und vielen Freunden, bis zur ausgelassenen Feier mit Darbietungen, Sound und Shots.

Ja, ich hatte wirklich grossen Spass dabei zu sein und euer Vertrauen für eure Hochzeitsreportage zu geniessen. Vielen herzlichen Dank!

Tuscany and photography workshops have a very special meaning to me.
It’s about four years ago now, that I visited an amazing one-week long workshop in Tuscany with the well respected photojournalist Bob Sacha (check out his National Geographic portfolio here). It was one of the most inspiring weeks I’ve ever had. Each participant followed his own project, while the workshop teacher gave feedback, valuable input and additional photoshoot assignments. And in addition, everyone present, from participants to assistants and teachers, exchanged constantly and lived an amazing week.

The more I look back to this week in Tuscany in 2006, the more I see the real value great workshops have for me. A workshop should be 90% hands-on, should be practical, should expose you to challenging and inspiring situations, to other creative minds and to the experience and personal feedback of a great photographer. A workshop for me is not a ‘how-to’ course, that promises you a road to become a good xyz photographer. It’s an interactive experience, that leads you to a better understanding of imagery and photography. It should allow you to move forward, learn and feel the inspiration. Topic-wise, the workshop by Bob Sacha had nothing to do with my business as a wedding photographer. But it’s inspiration has given me far more than probably any other workshop ever did.

A fine-art workshop in Tuscany, this June:

This summer in June, there will be two great workshops taking place at the exact same location in San Quirico d’Orcia, Tuscany. It’s a fine-art nude photography workshop taught by my very good friend and studio-partner Bryon Paul McCartney. Bryon has taught several workshops before and his images have won numerous awards. Among them are the First Place & Best of Show Selection in the International Photography Awards and First Place of the Prix de la Photographie in Paris.

If you are looking for a workshop with a well established photographer that will take place at an amazing location and which will bring you a lot of inspiration, these are the workshops to choose among. The workshops are limited to 8 participants and there will be a model for every two students, so you will have a lot of photography shooting time. Bryon will be giving you his personal input and help, as well as individual coaching and feedback. And not to forget, Bryon and his wife Kellie will create an environment with style that makes sure you never forget this unique experience in an amazingly beautiful location.

The two workshops will have a different focus and they can even be combined:

• Light, form & expression (June 20 – June 26)
• Cultivating a unique style (June 27 – July 3)

Please check the workshop page for more details and to register:

Fine-art nude photography workshop in Tuscany

Diana contacted me a while ago for an engagement photoshooting in Zurich. She and her soon to be husband Jan are frequent travelers between their two homes in the US and here in Zurich. And that’s exactly the reason why they wanted to have a nice set of photos of them right here in town, before getting married in the US later this year. And I am so happy to have been chosen to take them!

After getting ready here at the studio, we headed right into the town center by tram on a beautiful, sunny day – ready for the many facets of Zurich, the lovely details and delicious sweets!

Enjoy the pictures – I had a lot of fun taking them and really enjoyed spending a wonderful time with this great couple – thank you Diana & Jan!

[English text in light gray below] Ich hatte schon länger die Absicht, mich bei der amerikanischen WPJA anzumelden. WPJA steht für Wedding Photojournalist Association, oder zu Deutsch Hochzeitsfotojournalisten Vereinigung. Und dies steht genau für das, was ich selber so sehr mag: Ungestellte, natürliche Hochzeitsreportagen. Anfangs Jahr meldete ich mich also an und es klappte auf Anhieb. Mehr sogar: Ich solle doch zugleich noch der auf die kunstvolle Hochzeitsfotografie ausgerichteten Schwestervereinigung AGWPJA beitreten – the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association. Somit bin ich nun also bei beiden dabei.

It was my intention for quite some time, to become a member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association WPJA, as I love natural, unposed wedding photography. You can imagine, that it was quite a bit an excitement, that they did not just accept my application, but also directly suggested to me to become a member of both, the WPJA, as well as the Artistic Guild of the WPJA, AGWPJA.

Both of them have regular internal contests and this gives the opportunity to compete and compare one’s own level with a huge number of members, including some of the world’s best wedding photographers. And in fact, just a week after being accepted as a member, a competition deadline motivated me to participate with a few of my 2009 wedding photos. A great decission, and I’m excited to have made it into the Top20 in the Off-camera flash category:

Die WPJA und die AGWPJA sind inzwischen ziemlich grosse Organisationen und vor allem auch wegen der internen Wettbewerbe interessant. Bei diesen messen sich die vielen Mitglieder gegenseitig und mit dabei sind auch zahlreiche der weltweit besten Hochzeitsfotografen.

Gleich eine Woche nach meiner Aufmahme stand der Einsendeschluss eines solchen Wettbewerbes an. Also sandte ich ein paar Bilder aus dem vergangenen Jahr ein und zu meiner grossen Freude schaffte es eines auch gleich in die Top20, auf Rang 14 der Kategorie für kreatives Blitzen:

Das Bild nahm ich letzten Sommer während einer wunderschönen Hochzeit im Park Hotel Weggis auf. Alle geladenen Männer schenkten der Braut eine schöne, rote Rose. Ihre Freude war riesig und das sieht man dem Bild doch auch ganz gut an:

This photo was taken during a wedding reception in the beautiful Weggis Park Hotel. All invited men brought the bride a nice, red rose, which really thrilled her, and that’s what this photo stands for.