They are my neighbors, we meet at all hours, they are the workers of Cantine Riva Morcote.

For a whole year I have known them, watched them and observed them.

The first time I saw what they do and what an environment is created when the first harvest arrives, I had feelings of happiness, well-being and sympathy for everyone. Finally, here it is. The result of a year of attention to the plants, the soil and everything that goes with it.
You see these very men who are happy, they are welcoming nature’s prize that made them wait a year.

My studio neighborhood is beautiful because in the courtyard you meet architects, artists, gardeners, engineers, musicians, physical therapists-in short, we are a microcosm. Pat and Marco, the two “bosses” of the wineries, with their collaborators have made this yard come alive even more that when you pass by there they call you for a chat and a glass of wine.

I leave here their SITE

travelingportrait.ch could be a way of life for me.

Photographing people and seeing them leave with their printed portrait under their arm are emotions. It is an encounter between photographer and subject. One of my photography mentors Toni Thorimbert says that a portrait is a curve that starts at the bottom, goes up and then comes down again. You as the photographer have to be there to capture the highest peak.

In December 2020 I didn’t want to do this portrait event, but I was ready, I had bought a pigment printer, envelopes, paper, found the space downtown and with Luca we had also prepared the website.

Covid had dissuaded me, mentally I had let it go.

On December 8 I meet my friend Diego, co-owner of eventopolis.ch and we decide to go for a coffee. I tell him that reluctantly I would not have done the portraits event because no one would have come. The covid has also polluted us mentally. Diego, oooooh Diego, always positive, always upbeat, always with new ideas, I don’t remember what kind of brainwashing he did to me, but I left the café, I arrived at the studio and I told Luca, my collaborator: – Luca, pack the bags, we’re moving the studio to Via della Posta today, tomorrow Traveling Portrait starts! –

It was a quick day we cleared out my parents’ carpet store, set up our photo shoot. Michele Gaggini graciously printed my window, we hung lettering and photos with punk-style scotch tape, and set off posting photos on social inviting dogs and owners to be photographed.

In the end it was great, old friends I hadn’t seen in ten years came along, new knowledge was established, we were all happy and I still thank Diego to this day.

It was the first travelingportrait, on February 13 and 14 we did a second one in the studio. Soon the third one will arrive.
We are preparing it and it will be a surprise for you and for us.

For now, enjoy these portraits.

I had already taken the photos for the Airolo cheese factory years ago.
I had gone alone, I had done a good job but this time I decided to go with my trusted collaborator.

At eight o’clock in the morning we were already there with mask and white overalls.
I started to shoot and there was something that did not convince me. Luca passed me the optics and supported me psychologically, but it was not enough. Something was missing.
At a certain point I mount the flash on the camera, Luca suggests a second point of counterfield light. Now it works better. There are two of us, he gives the backlight, I frame.
I sink that button that makes a click. It’s a disco. The cheesemakers get excited, they feel like stars. They are stars.

We have learned all the procedures of cheese and we go home with a good service.
Thanks Airolo.

Alexandre Zveiger

 

Enjoy a few photos, you can found more on photobank.ch.

Alexandre Zveiger

March 2019

Location: Haute Nendaz

Customer: Interhome

Goal: Show happy family spending great holidays in an Interhome home.

Participants:

Art Director: Alessandro Gatsis

Assistant Director: Stuart Unwin-Smith

Photographer: Alexandre Zveiger

Assistant: Luca Tumminello

Models: Gina, Spyros, Arghyro e Kyveli.

 

I begin by thanking Alessandro who gave me the opportunity to do this photoshooting for Interhome.

When I left his office in Zurich, after the thousand recommendations of how he wanted the images, I told him: everything will be fine, don’t worry.

We needed snow and sun.

After this meeting, it was a succession of weather checks. The chosen week was not the best, in fact, until the last few days it was not known if we would leave.

Alessandro decided to leave. If the weather had not allowed us to take pictures outside because it was prohibitive, we would have taken only situations inside the chalets with the family.

Luca and I left on Sunday morning, and arrived in the afternoon at Haute Nendaz, where we met the model family We were all very nice right away.

For the evening Stuart has booked an Italian restaurant, someone eats pizza, other spaghetti and between one joke and another you choose not to shoot immediately the next day because of the bad weather.

Then … the dream. The DREAM! On Monday evening it snows and on Tuesday we wake up with a sun that breaks the stones.

The day begins by photographing the family at breakfast in the chalet.

Immediately afterwards we move outside where we take advantage of the only sunny day available.

Shooting looking for perfection. The little girls are very good, no whims and they have autonomy all day.

Alessandro and Stuart, as they proceed, show me the give itself.

At the end of the first day we are upset but happy because everything went according to plan.

The second day is relaxation, the weather is not the top, we decide that we have enough exteriors and decide only for internal situations.

Thursday and Friday it snows all day, we don’t leave the house.

Saturday morning we put the chains on the wheels of the car and go back home with lots of beautiful photos.

Thank you all.

A typical day of work with Stella Luca and Dario. All these photos were taken by Stella except those where where it is portrayed.

This is a test article and they are backstage photos to show our seriousness, complicity and constancy.

Unfortunately, in my house, I have no bathtub.

With Dario di Tiaffitto.ch we spend some good times.

On this day we have photographed three apartments: one in vernate very nice, one in Ponte Tresa and the third in Ponte Capriasca where we stopped to stop.