ALTES LAND
IS ICONIC.
Between the Elbe, orchards and old half-timbered farmhouses lies a region with a character all its own. Couples marry in the historic town hall, say their vows in centuries-old churches and often celebrate on their own farm well into the night.
As a wedding photographer, I photograph weddings in Jork, Estebrügge, Steinkirchen and throughout Altes Land. With an eye for what makes this area distinctive. And for everything that happens between the big moments.
A LITTLE PLACE.
A LOT OF STORIES.
For many couples, Jork is where their Altes Land wedding begins. The historic town hall, small streets, old half-timbered houses and orchards just around the corner.
A civil ceremony, a walk through the village afterwards, a few photographs of the two of you and a celebration with family and friends later. Sometimes you don't need to travel far to turn a wedding day into a whole story.
THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE ELBE.
If you only associate Altes Land with apple trees, you're missing quite a large part of it. The Elbe, the dikes, the little harbours and the open countryside belong here just as much.
The light here is always changing. Sometimes everything is bright and open; sometimes clouds roll over the river and give the landscape an almost cinematic quality. I like these changing conditions. They give the photographs an atmosphere you can't plan.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
HERE AND FOREVER.
Estebrügge has something that's not easy to put into words. The old houses along the Este, the narrow streets, bridges and gardens right beside the water.
I've photographed weddings here where the place was simply part of the day. Not as a carefully chosen backdrop, but because people live here, their families call it home and this is exactly where they want to get married.
THE GARDEN
IS THE VENUE.
In Altes Land, you don't necessarily need a traditional wedding venue. Sometimes the perfect place has been in the family for generations.
A large garden, your parents' farm, a barn or the orchard behind the house. For one day, tables are set up, lights are hung and friends and family are invited over.
I especially love these weddings. Because people feel at home here. Because everything is a little more personal. And because the loveliest unplanned moments often happen between the garden fence, the marquee and the kitchen door.
SOME PLACES
HAVE A HISTORY.
An old farm is more than a beautiful wedding backdrop. There are rooms everyone knows, doors they've walked through a thousand times, and stories that began long before this wedding day.
When a place like this changes for a wedding, it creates photographs with a character all their own. The familiar surroundings remain, but suddenly there's a beautifully laid table in the garden, music coming from the barn and people everywhere who might otherwise only get together at Christmas.
MAKE YOUR
OWN TRADITIONS.
A wedding doesn't have to follow a set timetable. Some couples want a big celebration with all the trimmings. Others marry with just a few close people and spend the afternoon together in the garden.
In Altes Land, both are possible. And everything in between.
I'm not interested in whether your wedding fits a particular idea of what it should be. I'm interested in whether it feels like you. That's exactly what I want you to see in your photographs later.
SOME THINGS NEVER
GO OUT OF STYLE.
The old churches are as much a part of Altes Land as its half-timbered houses and orchards. In Jork, Borstel, Steinkirchen and Estebrügge, they've been part of village life for centuries.
A church wedding has its own rhythm. The waiting before the entrance. The quiet during the ceremony. A stolen glance, a smile from a pew, the excitement as you walk back down the aisle.
It's often these small, unassuming moments that you remember most fondly later.
OLD PLACES.
NEW STORIES.
With its historic houses, church and well-known Hogendiekbrücke, Steinkirchen is one of those places where you immediately recognise Altes Land.
I like the mix of history and ordinary daily life. The old buildings, the little paths between them and the people who bring the place to life.
There's no need to stage anything artificially for wedding photographs here. Often it's the simple backgrounds and the interplay of architecture, light and people that make a photograph interesting.
SMALL CEREMONY.
BIG MOMENT.
Not every wedding lasts twelve hours. Sometimes it all begins with half an hour at Jork registry office, a handful of guests and a rather nervous couple.
Then come the congratulations, a toast and perhaps a little walk through the village.
Even a short time together can produce photographs that tell much more than the official part of the story. Who was there? How did everyone react? And how did it feel when, suddenly, you were married?
EVERY SEASON
HAS A STORY.
In spring, the fruit trees blossom. In summer, celebrations move outdoors. And in autumn, the orchards change colour. Even on grey days, the area has its own appeal.
I like photographing with the light and conditions that are actually there. Sometimes that's evening sun between the trees; sometimes it's an overcast sky above the dike.
A wedding doesn't need perfect weather. And good photographs certainly don't.
THE GOOD STUFF
HAPPENS IN BETWEEN.
While everyone is waiting for the big moments, the most interesting things often happen almost unnoticed.
A grandmother adjusting the dress one more time. Children disappearing between the tables. Friends helping in the kitchen. A quick glance across the garden before the music gets louder again.
To me, these moments belong to the wedding story just as much as exchanging rings or the first kiss.
You just have to notice them.
A DIFFERENT
POINT OF
VIEW.
I like photographs that don't follow a fixed formula. Unusual framing, movement, direct light, shadows or even an occasional moment of blur.
My wedding photography combines documentary observation with a modern editorial eye. That doesn't mean everything has to happen spontaneously. When we're taking your portraits together, I'm happy to offer a little direction where it helps.
But I don't want to turn a wedding into a series of perfectly arranged shots. I want to make photographs that stay with you because they show something that really happened.
RIGHT WHERE
YOU BELONG.
From Jork's historic registry office to the farms and gardens between the Elbe and the Este, Altes Land has many different places to get married and celebrate.
Well-known wedding venues include Hotel Altes Land in Jork, Fährhaus Kirschenland, Obstparadies Schuback and Obsthof Matthies. Each has its own character, from a traditional wedding celebration to a party among fruit trees and old farm buildings.
Then there are the many weddings held somewhere entirely private. On a family farm, in your own garden or in a converted barn.
I photograph weddings in Jork, Borstel, Estebrügge, Steinkirchen, Grünendeich, Mittelnkirchen, Guderhandviertel and throughout the region.
And however often I photograph in one of these places, no two weddings ever look the same.
A RIVER RUNS
THROUGH IT.
Altes Land doesn't end at the orchards. Along the Elbe, in Grünendeich, Hollern-Twielenfleth and the small villages beside the dike, the region takes on a very different character.
Here you'll find wide horizons, little harbours, old captains' houses and always a little wind. Some weddings take place right by the water; others just a few streets away, on a farm or in a garden.
I like this mix of rural quiet and the constant life of the river. Especially for wedding photographs, it offers perspectives you might not expect among the apple trees.
KEEP IT IN
THE FAMILY.
In Altes Land, weddings are often family occasions in the best sense. People know one another, help with the preparations, find a few extra chairs at the last minute and bring out the good china for the celebration.
Sometimes three generations come together; sometimes friends travel from all over. And somewhere between the preparations, conversations and little improvisations, an atmosphere emerges that no wedding venue could simply recreate.
Those are exactly the moments that interest me. Not just what the day looked like, but who was there and what made it special.
