When you’ve been shooting weddings for the better part of a decade, you come to some firm conclusions about the craft. According to Yannick Zurflüh, “wedding photographers need to listen to their instincts, or the moment will be gone.” In the adrenaline fuelled pressure of a wedding day, a photographer needs to tune into their own style and emotions, as well as having their own perfect partner to support them. For Yannick, that’s his Sony Alpha 1.

Yannick, one of Switzerland’s most sought-after wedding pros, explains that a positive process comes down to enjoying the day, both emotionally and stylistically. Essential to that success is not only selecting the work that inspires him creatively, but also the couples in question. To Yannick, a close and genuine connection with his clients all feeds into his relaxed, simple and intimate style.

Yannick’s visual style is influenced by his desire to do work which stimulates his love for photography, rather than a need to attract customers. “Practically and aesthetically, my style has always been super important to me,” he confirms, “and it’s what gives me the freedom to enjoy what I do. The more personal your approach and philosophy, the longer you can do it and the happier you are – and that’s attractive to couples, too. If you bend your instincts, it’s not the same, it’s not pure.”

It all starts with his initial contact with couples and his understanding of what they need on their wedding day. “I forge a relationship with my couples, months or even years before the wedding day,” Yannick explains, “and I think that amounts to 80% of the success of my portraits. We just to get to know each other, in a real way.”

This means that, come the wedding day, he is less of a photographer and more of a friend in their eyes, which can make a huge difference in terms of creating a comfortable, natural environment.

“I take them to a quiet place, where we’re not overlooked and just let them decompress for a bit. Again, it’s the one time in the day, when they’re not on show and can be themselves and talk. I don’t pose them at all. In fact, I used to think of that as a weakness of mine, but over the years, it’s turned into a strength of my style.”

Because of the atmosphere he wants to create, his Alpha 1 cameras’ silent shooting mode is incredibly important to Yannick. “The lack of shutter sound means they’re far more likely to forget I’m there, and be themselves,” he says, “so it’s something I use all the time, and I’m completely reliant on.”

In order to stay true to a style that ensures intimacy is captured naturally, Yannick tends to stay away from complicated techniques. “To keep things simple, I shoot wide open most of the time,” he continues, “and that’s once again to create this sense of stillness. For me, blurring the backdrop is like turning down the background noise and putting all the attention on them. It becomes their zone. For that reason, along with my Sony Alpha 1 cameras, I use very fast prime lenses that keep me close to the subject, including the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM and FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. Those apertures are really important to me, because even using an f/2.8 lens gives me more background than I want for my style.”

“The only time this differs, is when I am shooting silhouettes,” he says, “which I use as another way of simplifying these moments. It’s something I often do when there’s more clutter in the frame than I’d like, forcing the shadows into pure black and turning a couple’s embrace into something uncomplicated and iconic.”

On top of that, the Alpha 1’s blend of features from other Sony cameras created a compelling tool for him. “It’s really a great mix of the Alpha 7R and Alpha 9 series,” he confirms. “It has supreme speed and autofocus, which is vital for me when shooting my portraits wide open. But what really surprised me is how much I’ve gotten used to the camera’s huge megapixel count. Coming from the Alpha 9, I didn’t think it was something I’d need that much, but now I really enjoy the flexibility to crop in, especially on photos where I shot pretty wide.”

In the end, using a supremely powerful and versatile camera simply helps Yannick to finish the work he began months before the wedding day. “I’d definitely say that the way I approach my couples and go through the whole journey with them is a massive influence on my success. It creates the style I’m known for, and it keeps me interested, too. The Sony Alpha 1 helps complete that process. I used to change cameras every few years, but I can’t see the need for anything else now. For me, it’s the perfect partner.”