Michel Matthey de l'Etang

Michel Matthey de l'Etang is an independent photographer and filmmaker based in the Basel region, working from a studio in Muttenz. He has documented weddings since 2007, alongside commercial photography and private portrait work. His site positions him as a specialist in Basel and the surrounding Baselland countryside, and his approach centers on detailed pre-wedding preparation, location scouting, and personal contact with each couple.

Career and Studio Background

Matthey de l'Etang moved to the Basel region as a ten-year-old in 1977 and finished a master's degree in economics at the University of Basel in 1993. He switched from analog amateur photography to digital in 2004 and became a full-time independent photographer in 2006. He opened his studio in Muttenz in 2007, the same year a couple first asked him to photograph their wedding, which was new territory for him at the time. He says he first photographed couples among friends to get a feel for the work, then found the job so rewarding that he decided to build weddings into his repertoire on purpose. Since then he has photographed many weddings of very different kinds. He describes the Muttenz studio as one of the largest in northwest Switzerland, set up specifically for people photography. He has since expanded into film and video, and since 2020 he has also filmed and photographed with drones.

Beyond wedding work, he runs a commercial photography practice and a private portrait practice under separate websites (portraitierungen.ch for private clients, belichtungen.ch for commercial clients, and drohnenprojekte.ch for drone work).

The Wedding Approach: Pre-Shoot Reconnaissance

For large weddings, Matthey de l'Etang says it matters to him to meet the couple in person beforehand. At that first meeting they go over the venues, activities and the rough timeline: the ceremony, a place for a couple shoot, where group photos fit into the day and anything else that comes up. He then makes his own "Reko" (reconnaissance) of the locations to work out the best spots and any particular challenges, because on the wedding day itself no time should be lost searching for places to shoot. Once he has scouted everything, he likes to visit the key locations with the couple in advance, so they can see his ideas and add their own. He adds that this outing is also a good way to get to know each other, which pays off on the day.

For Small Civil Ceremonies and Registry Offices

For civil ceremonies and smaller weddings, he acknowledges that there may simply be no budget for a scouting visit. In that case he asks the couple to accept the approach "wir machen dann situativ einfach das Beste aus der gegebenen Lage" (we simply make the best of the situation as it comes). He notes that he knows the registry offices in Basel and Baselland and their surroundings well, so he can often draw on experience to find good photo spots without advance planning.

Weddings Outside the Basel Region

The site explains the name of the business: in his own region he can scout a venue several times by bicycle and prepare every wedding the way he wants to. When he photographs a wedding outside the Basel region, he says he does his best to carry out the scouting as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Marrying elsewhere does not rule him out, but some services cannot be offered quite as cheaply as around Basel. He adds that he often works more cheaply from a distance than photographers local to the venue, and invites couples to simply ask. The portfolio backs this up with weddings shot beyond Basel: Solothurn, the Petersinsel on Lake Biel, Lucerne main station, Wangen an der Aare and Zurich Albisrieden.

He also answers a question that matters to couples living abroad: can the collaboration work without a physical meeting? His answer is yes. He writes that his ideal of joint preparation assumes everyone has time, is mobile and lives in the region, which is often not the case, that there are many ways to communicate and get to know each other today, and that he can handle the preparation on his own.

Couple Sessions and Group Photos

The portfolio shows couple shots across Basel: street scenes on the Petersgraben, the Wenkenpark in Riehen, the Rheinsprung, the Mittlere Brücke, the harbor, Brüglingen in Münchenstein, the Ebenrain in Sissach and fields in Magden. On group photos his line is "Wenn schon, denn schon" (if you do it, do it properly): they always have to fit the schedule and locations, but when the day allows room for them, he says it is always worth taking it. One portfolio example is a group photo with action and the whole wedding party actively involved.

Flexibility with Couples' Vision

He writes that every photographer sees the world through his own eyes and has his own style, but he is happy to take requests from couples about a look or an editing style. He often makes variants in black and white or sepia on his own initiative, so such wishes are no trouble. He has created a specific look for a single wedding, even a very small one.

Languages and Accessibility

The site is published only in German and does not say whether he works in English. For a couple from abroad, that is the first thing to settle. Contact runs by phone (061 821 86 03) or email (michel ät hochzeitsfotograf-basel.ch, written that way on the site). He says he is often out shooting, in the studio or on scouting trips, so email is usually the easiest route; his answering machine is always on, and anyone who leaves a message will hear back from him personally.

Pricing and Packages

The navigation includes a separate prices and services page, but the wedding pages themselves list no fees or packages. What a wedding costs, how many hours of coverage are included, how images are delivered and how long editing takes, and whether albums, prints or video are available are all questions to put to him directly.

Who This Suits

Matthey de l'Etang appeals to couples who value careful preparation and creative collaboration. Couples who want a photographer to scout the venue in advance, meet them to understand their ideas and then run a planned shoot will find that is how he prefers to work. Couples marrying in Basel, Riehen or Baselland benefit most from his familiarity with the region and its registry offices.

For civil ceremonies or small weddings he offers a practical option, with regional knowledge standing in for a scouting visit. For couples marrying elsewhere in Switzerland, his openness about the extra cost of scouting away from home is useful, as is his remark that he often still comes in cheaper than a local photographer. The site names no second shooter or assistant, so couples who want two cameras should ask.

Before booking, couples from abroad should confirm whether he works in English, agree how preparation will run if they cannot meet in person, and get the final cost and deliverables in writing.