AD-PHOTO

AD-PHOTO is the wedding photography and videography practice of Dragan Avramovic, based in Yverdon-les-Bains in the canton of Vaud. He shares the business with his wife Aleksandra, a wedding videographer, and the pair cover weddings in Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland) and, in the site's words, "dans toute la Suisse" (throughout Switzerland). They describe their style as "une approche raffinée et intemporelle" (a refined, timeless approach) that aims to flatter each moment without losing its authenticity. Unusually for a Swiss wedding photographer, the price list is on the site, and it is short and easy to read.

The published packages

The tariffs page lists four wedding collections, each with a name, a length of coverage and a price in Swiss francs.

• Premiers Instants, CHF 700. 2 hours of coverage, which the page describes as suited to a religious or secular ceremony plus a few essential portraits.
• Journée Inoubliable, CHF 1600. 8 hours, covering the key moments the page names: getting ready, the ceremony, the vin d'honneur (the drinks reception), the first part of the party and a couple shoot.
• Toute une Vie, CHF 2200. 12 hours of full coverage, from the preparations to the last dance, again with a couple shoot and the highlights of the celebration.
• Forfait éternité, CHF 4000. Two photographers present through the whole day, so that a glance or a tear is not missed. A made-to-measure Fine Art photo album completes this package.

Two extras sit beside the collections. An engagement or after-wedding session of 1 hour costs CHF 500, and the page suggests it for invitations or thank-you cards. A 32-page Beau-Livre costs CHF 400; the site says it is made by one of the best photo laboratories in the world and pitches it as an art object in its own right.

What comes with every collection is also stated. All retouched photos are delivered on a USB key in a presentation box, together with a private online gallery that stays active for 6 months, so the couple can share and download pictures with family and friends. Transport is free within a 50 km radius. The homepage also describes collections running "de la cérémonie civile au reportage complet", from a civil ceremony to full-day coverage, so a short registry-office booking is part of what they do.

Weddings on the site

Three wedding stories on the site show where the couple has worked, all around Lake Geneva.

Zillah, from Vevey, and Alex, from Michigan in the United States, married at the Église Notre-Dame de Vevey with family and friends who had come from Switzerland and the US. After the church, the party took a CGN boat out on the lake, with the Alps and the Dents du Midi behind them, then went up into the terraced Lavaux vineyards, which the page notes are a UNESCO World Heritage site, for the couple session. The day finished back at the Grand Hôtel du Lac in Vevey with the bouquet toss, drinks and the party.

Élodie and Anthony had their civil ceremony at the Centre Général Guisan in Pully, beside the lake, took a short detour into the Lavaux vines for portraits, then joined their guests at the Mirador in Chardonne for the aperitif and the evening, facing the lake.

Cassandra and Hazyr held both their civil ceremony and their reception at the Domaine de Choully in the Geneva vineyards, with Mont-Blanc in the background. The couple session took place in the vines around the estate, and the evening ended with a fireworks surprise.

For a couple flying in, the Vevey story is the useful one: an international couple, a church ceremony, a boat trip and a vineyard shoot, all photographed in a single day by this team.

How Dragan works with couples

The blog carries a guide by Dragan to ten couple poses, and it says a fair amount about how a session runs. His starting point is that the couple are not models and do not need to be. He is after moments that are true, simple and spontaneous, and the poses are designed to produce natural, elegant pictures without stress. The list opens with a classic hand-in-hand portrait, which he notes is often the one families print and frame, and moves through embraces, walking while looking at each other, a forehead kiss and an improvised dance, ending with simply having fun. His closing line is that authenticity counts for more than perfect poses.

The three Google reviews on the homepage back this up. Victoria and Arthur write that Dragan puts even shy people at ease and guides them toward natural photos. Catarina and Maxim say he caught the key moments they had asked for and went further. Cecilia and Victor thank both Dragan and Aleksandra for the photos and the video, which confirms that the couple have filmed as well as photographed a wedding together.

Contact and language

The website is in French only; there is no English version. It gives a full address, Chemin de Calamin 12 in Yverdon-les-Bains, a mobile number, 076 421 51 66, and an email address, ad.photo1400@gmail.com, as well as a contact form that asks for the date and place of the wedding and a short description of the plans. The site does not say whether Dragan or Aleksandra work in English. Their Vevey story, with a groom from Michigan and a guest list from both countries, shows they have photographed an English-speaking family, but a couple who do not speak French should ask about language in their first message.

Booking terms are not on the site: there is no mention of a deposit, a cancellation rule or how far ahead dates fill.

What the site does not settle

• Video pricing. The homepage talks about photo and video services and the reviews mention a film, but the tariffs page lists photography only. The price of Aleksandra's video coverage, and whether it can be added to a photo collection, is a question for the couple.
• Delivery time. The site states the USB box and the 6-month gallery but gives no turnaround for the edited photos.
• Travel beyond 50 km. Transport is free inside that radius, and the homepage says they work throughout Switzerland, but the cost of travel beyond it is not published. For a wedding in the mountains or in German-speaking Switzerland, ask for a travel quote.
• The album. The Forfait éternité includes a Fine Art album and the Beau-Livre is sold separately, but the site does not describe how the album is designed or how many rounds of changes are included.

Who it suits

AD-PHOTO suits couples marrying in Vaud or Geneva who want to know the price before they write. The collections run from a 2-hour ceremony booking to a two-photographer day, so a small civil wedding and a large celebration can both be planned against a figure. The portfolio leans on the lake and the vineyards, which makes the team a natural fit for a Lavaux or Lake Geneva wedding. The main caveat for a couple from abroad is language: everything on the site is in French, and English service has to be confirmed directly. Couples who also want a film should ask for a combined quote, since the video side is not priced online.