Fotografie Wanzki

Fotografie Wanzki is the business of Petra Wanzki, a photographer with a studio in Winterthur who photographs weddings in the Winterthur area and elsewhere in Switzerland, alongside newborn, pregnancy, family, generations, couples, business and fine art portrait work. Her wedding page opens with "Ich bin Petra und liebe es, Hochzeiten zu fotografieren!" (I'm Petra and I love photographing weddings!) and describes her wedding photography as "modern, echt & zeitlos" (modern, real and timeless). The site is in German.

Her approach

She writes that she loves the special magic of a wedding, believes in the deep connection between two people, and wants to record each couple's love story for good. The page lists the moments she looks for: the first look, when the couple see each other for the first time, the first kiss as a married couple, celebrating and beaming guests, the wedding dance and, not least, the party. All these details, she writes, add up to a story, "EURE GESCHICHTE!" (your story). The page closes that section with "Spür den Zauber, ich halte ihn für immer für euch fest!" (feel the magic, I'll hold on to it for you forever).

The site's wider motto is "weil Familie ALLES ist" (because family is everything), which also names one of her menu pages. Her wedding gallery reflects it: alongside couple portraits there are group photos and a picture captioned as a grandfather with his grandchildren, and a separate generations shoot is on offer for families.

Weddings in the gallery

The captions on the wedding page name a good range of places:

• a wedding at Schloss Freudenfels
• a wedding at the Giesserei in Winterthur
• a first look among the old walls of Regensberg
• a wedding aperitif at Giusi's Bistro in Weinfelden (Rahel and Fernando)
• a civil ceremony at the Lindengut in Winterthur
• a wedding at the Schupfen in Diessenhofen, with getting-ready and first-look pictures
• a wedding at the Wasserschloss Hagenwil
• church weddings in Winterthur and a winter wedding
• a barn wedding and a summer wedding in Hamburg (Carina and Chris), captioned as grandpa's darling marrying in Hamburg

Her blog adds posts on a wedding at Schloss Freudenfels, a wedding in the Orchideenhaus, a wedding at Stricker's in Winterthur, a wedding in Thurgau, a summer wedding, flowers at weddings, and unconventional ways to celebrate a wedding. For couples marrying in the Winterthur, Zurich or Thurgau area, that is a useful list of venues she has already worked in, and the Hamburg wedding shows that she also travels abroad for weddings.

Before and after the wedding

Weddings are one part of a broader studio. The menu lists couples shoots, and the blog includes a post on a couple shoot in the snow, which is one option for engagement pictures or a save-the-date. For later years there are pregnancy shoots, newborn and baby sessions at home or in the studio, family and generations shoots, portraits, business pictures, application photos, fine art portraits, pictures with horses and animals, and kindergarten and school photography. For a couple settling in the Winterthur area, that means one photographer who can follow the family after the wedding, and gift vouchers for shoots are also available.

Planning help

One line on the page stands out for couples who are new to planning a Swiss wedding: "Gerne helfe ich euch mit meiner Erfahrung auch schon bei der Planung, einfach so. Weil ich gerne meine Tipps weitergebe. Es ist euer Tag und der soll perfekt werden!" (I'm happy to help you with the planning too, using my experience, just like that, because I like passing on my tips. It's your day and it should be perfect!). She also offers a shoot for wedding invitation cards, with a linked page of ideas, and lists a gospel choir, gospelvoice.ch, among recommended wedding suppliers.

Booking

The inquiry form asks couples to check without obligation whether their date is still free. It requires a name, email and phone number, and asks for an Instagram handle, what the booking is for (invitation card pictures or the wedding) and the wedding date. The message field suggests what to include: where and how the couple wants to marry, whether the ceremony is civil, a free ceremony or in church, the number of guests, and how long they want photographic coverage. Answering those points in the first message will speed up a quote.

The site also has a page of customer testimonials, a contact page, and pages on prints and art prints. Her Instagram bio adds that she has a studio in Winterthur and works in homes, outdoors and indoors.

Prices

The menu includes several price pages: prices for photo shoots, prices for application photos, and a general price page for Fotografie Wanzki. The wedding page itself does not state a wedding price or package, so couples should check those pages and then ask for a quote based on the length of coverage they need.

Language

The site is written in German and does not say whether she works in English. Couples from abroad should raise language in their first message. The form fields are simple enough to fill in with a translation tool, and the planning help she offers may be particularly useful for couples organizing a wedding from outside Switzerland.

What the site does not settle

The wedding page does not say how many images are delivered, how they are delivered, how long editing takes, or whether an album is included or ordered separately; the prints pages are the place to look for albums and printed products. It does not describe travel costs for weddings outside the Winterthur area, whether a second photographer is available, or deposit and cancellation terms. These are questions for the first conversation.

Who it suits

Petra Wanzki suits couples in the Winterthur, Zurich and Thurgau area who want modern, natural pictures of the whole day, from the first look to the party, and who value family groups as much as couple portraits. Her gallery covers castles, a moated castle, restaurants, a civil ceremony at the Lindengut, church weddings and a barn wedding, so most couples will find a similar setting to look at. Couples who want help thinking through the day will find her open about offering it. Couples who need English-language service or detailed wedding prices before contacting her should ask early.