Photojournalism VS Portraits: A European Summer

If you follow me on social media, then you know that I spent my summer in Switzerland and Italy.  I followed that little voice in my head that said “I want adventure, medieval castles and villages, good bread, cheese, wine, family, friends, and a major change in my routine.” 

The urge for this change began last year when my daughter (my only child) graduated from high school, moved out of the nest, and away to college. I wasn't prepared for how big this transition would be even though I tried to hold on to all the "lasts” throughout the year. 

In addition to being a full time mom and my photography business, I had also worked for nine years in social media and marketing for a dome tent company. In March that job ended abruptly during a company layoff and I was in a bit of shock. 

Then in April, my boyfriend proposed to me atop Mt McGloughlin during a perfect spring ski day. So in May, I moved out of my house in Ashland to Talent where said fiancé and his daughter live.

I had raised my daughter and saw her off into the world (on her own adventure to Alaska for summer).   I was no longer tethered to the desk working for someone else. We consolidated homes.  The window was open for a big change, time to do something for myself that I couldn't' do while full time parenting.  It would be both a celebration of a job well done, and a grand adventure to fill the void.

So in June, I landed in Zürich for the summer, riding the wave of change and embracing the opportunity for new adventures.

Being of Swiss decent, half my family lives in Zürich.  This well timed sabbatical was the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with my relatives and old friends, and deepen these wonderful relationships. 

I had a lot of good fortune this summer. A dear friend who I met during my 11th grade exchange year in Zürich, had a free apartment for me to live in for the month of June.  It was minimally furnished, both comfortable and simple, and delighted my love of Zen spaces. I shared dinners with my friend and her family every evening, and enjoyed the banter of her three teenage boys. 

This first month, I slowed down, recalibrated my nervous system after the big move and so many changes, and applied for summer jobs. I landed a temporary job working on a movie set for a German crime series. My cousin works in film and she hired me as a set photographer for her short film. 

The way photography played into the summer was a little different than I had imagined. I took many photos, both while on hiking adventures, such as to the Matterhorn, but also of every day life in the city. I took less portraits in a professional setting than I imagined I would, but  I embraced this change of plans and continued with a photojournalistic style, something I studied in college and enjoyed getting back into.

I was born in Zurich and know it well. It is so easy to navigate with the many trams, buses and trains, or by bike and of coarse walking, lots of walking every day. Wether I was swimming with friends or family at the lake, frequenting the epic Bürkliplatz flea market or simply exploring in curiosity, I witnessed and photographed many interesting faces. I couldn't help but literally photography people on the streets in classic European outfits (they dress so different), old buildings, and juxtaposed elements that called to my eye, and my love of composition, color, and character.

I began to write and delve further into photojournalism, finding reward in the exercise of pairing my love of documenting and social commentary with composition and photography. 

Interesting to note, the Swiss do not normally book photography sessions for a family portrait as we Americans do. They find it cheesy to pose and send out Christmas cards every year, they are way more likely to take selfies and keep them to themselves. I never realized this at all until I tried to book clients. The reason being because for over 20 years I had been bringing my camera and taking photos of my friends and family, because they were willing, I assumed it was normal. but it's not, who knew!? However, I was able to do multiple family photo sessions and introduce my unique approach, which yielded some fabulous results.  

Before long, it was time for Italy, and the Dolomite mountains, where I met up with a group of friends from Mt. Shasta, CA. This was my second time trekking hut to hut through some of the most picturesque mountains in the world.  Alpenglow on these massive walls of limestone is like no other. It was the highlight of my summer and is one of my favorite places in the world. 

I think because I am so moved by beauty, my eye naturally sees the world, especially the natural world as a sort of photo studio and I absolutely love pairing people with beautiful places for my photo sessions!