Grindelwald, Switzerland: Kelly and Vahakan

For me, some couples are simply a privilege to capture. From the moment that I saw Kelly and Vaka together before their couples shoot in Grindelwald, Switzerland, the depth and beauty of their relationship was apparent. I have known Kelly for a few years now and when I see her, I am reminded of poetry. She is graceful and effortless in her being and every time that I get to spend some time with her, I fall a little bit in love with her person. When I had the chance to meet Vaka and experience the intentionality and care that they have in their relationship, I knew that it was going to be a dream capturing their photos.

This morning in Grindelwald with Kelly and Vahakan started with a picturesque gondola ride up the mountain (the gondolas are one of my absolute favorite parts of Switzerland) and then a beautiful, chill hike out to the lake. That’s when things got a little bit sketchy for a while. Once we arrived at the lake, the clouds rolled in, the sky opened up, and it started to pour rain and then hail. We took shelter under our coats and bags for a bit while we waited for the brunt of the storm to pass. Thankfully, the storm let up pretty quickly and we started to explore the lakeside that was filled with trickling waterfalls and foggy ridges.  

The Schreckhorn finally peaked through the mountains when Kelly and Vaka got into the water. They snuggled into each other and took a slow moment to take in the magnificence of their surroundings. The light was absolutely stunning, filtering through the cloud inversion and sparking off of the water. I love getting to photograph couples when all they are doing in reveling in each other’s presence and that is exactly what Kelly and Vaka did.

After enjoying the chilly lake dip, we settled onto the lakeside and had a small picnic with Aperoal Spritz’s and fruit. I was obsessed with the details of this moment. The way that that colors of the fruit bounced off of Kelly and Vaka’s swim outfits was sheer art.

Everything about this shoot, from the sweeping view of Schreckhorn to the moody fog over the ridge line to the tiny details of muddy toes and tattooed hands, was an absolute dream. Capturing Kelly and Vaka’s relationship in the mountains of Switzerland was everything that I could have hoped for it to be and so much more.