Sam Scherer

An Event Photographer Who Also Shoots Weddings

Sam Scherer, who signs as Samuel Scherer, is an event photographer in St. Gallen. His site's title calls him "Dein Eventfotograf in St. Gallen und Umgebung" (your event photographer in St. Gallen and the surrounding area), and weddings are one of three services he lists, alongside event photography for companies, clubs and private clients, and family, couple and individual shoots. For a couple marrying in eastern Switzerland, he is a local photographer whose main experience is documenting events as they happen, which is much of what a wedding day is.

The homepage cycles through four short slogans: "Zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen Ort" (at the right time in the right place), then your day and its most beautiful memories, then your event and his shot, and finally "Gestochen scharfe Bilder in jeder Lichtsituation" (pin-sharp pictures in every lighting situation). The last one is the practical promise for a wedding: church interiors, dim reception rooms and evening parties are exactly where lighting gets difficult.

He writes that he has always loved photography, and that his grandmother taught him; a blog post titled "Mein Erstes Mal" (my first time) tells that story.

The Wedding Service

The wedding description on the site is short: couples can relive their most beautiful moment with the best photos again and again, and he is happy to accompany "Turteltauben" (lovebirds) at their wedding. His portfolio has a wedding category among its filters, alongside events, family photos, interiors, landscape and travel.

The best description of what a wedding with him looks like comes from the one wedding review on the site. Nadja & Beat Schär write that Samuel Scherer was their wedding photographer on 13 July 2019, and that "Unermüdlich war er an unserer Hochzeit vom Morgen früh bis Abends spät mit seinen Kameras unterwegs" (he was out with his cameras tirelessly at our wedding from early morning until late evening). They continue that their expectations of the photos were far exceeded, that with his calm and friendly manner he quickly became part of the wedding party and everyone felt comfortable in front of the camera, and that whether couple photos, in the church or of the wedding guests, "die Qualität der Photos ist Weltklasse" (the quality of the photos is world class). They would book him again straight away.

Couple Shoots and Event Coverage

Two of his other services fit around a wedding. His family, couple and individual shoots promise pin-sharp pictures of a person alone, with a partner or with the whole family, and he writes that he will help clients look their best; a couple session before the wedding is a natural way to test the chemistry. His event service speaks to organizers: once the catering is arranged and the venue booked, he asks whether anyone has thought of the photographer who records the moments. Because the event service is offered to private clients too, a couple planning a welcome party for guests arriving from abroad can ask about it as well.

What Other Clients Say

The rest of the reviews come from his event work, and they say the same things in different settings. Martina Wohlgensinger of Raiffeisenbank St. Gallen writes that she could always rely on him 100% and that, without any instructions, he always chose the most emotional and expressive moments to photograph. That is the skill a wedding couple needs most from a documentary photographer.

Anja Oehler describes him as "Kompetent, engagiert, zuverlässig und professionell" (competent, committed, reliable and professional) and praises the service from the shoot through to the preparation and delivery of the pictures. Evelyn & Alberto Gelpi of Yoga in der Altstadt booked him a second time for the opening of their new premises and call the work uncomplicated, professional and of high quality. Johannes Seitz of the Jodlerclub Stadt St. Gallen commissioned him to document the club's 100th anniversary, covering the apéro, the anniversary concert and the banquet, and found the preparations uncomplicated and very professional. Sara Sagrafena of la farfalla KLG thanks him for his eye for detail at her shop opening, from beaming children's faces to product displays.

The Portfolio

The gallery shows a spread of work around St. Gallen and beyond: bank renovation projects and events for Raiffeisen, the farfalla shop opening, a first communion in Winkeln, the Auffahrtslauf race in St. Gallen, the Yoga in der Altstadt opening, family shoots, Christmas in St. Gallen, a sunset in Appenzell, and travel and landscape pictures from Scotland, Stockholm and elsewhere. Wedding pictures form one set within it. The blog carries a post about the Yoga in der Altstadt opening shoot as well as the story of how he started.

Contact and Language

Contact details are on the homepage: mobile 079 777 31 13 and email samuel.scherer@bluewin.ch, plus a contact form headed "Kontaktiere mich für dein Event" (contact me for your event) that asks for a name, email, subject and message. There is also a "Book Me" button in the menu.

The site is in German, with a few English menu words, and it does not say which languages he works in. A couple who does not speak German should ask about English in the first email.

What the Site Leaves Open

The site publishes no prices or packages for weddings or any other service. It does not state how many hours of coverage a wedding booking includes, how many images a couple receives, how and when they are delivered, or whether travel outside the St. Gallen area is charged. It also does not say how many weddings he has photographed. These are the questions to put to him directly, along with a request to see a complete wedding gallery.

Who It Suits

Sam Scherer suits couples marrying in St. Gallen and eastern Switzerland who want an unobtrusive photographer used to reading events as they unfold, and who value a local contact who can be reached by phone. The one wedding review describes exactly what many couples want: a full day of coverage, a photographer who blends into the party, and pictures the couple were delighted with.

The caveats are that weddings are one service among several rather than his main focus, that the site shows only one wedding review, and that everything practical, from price to delivery, has to be settled by phone or email.