If you’re anything like me, planning a trip to Switzerland probably starts months before you ever step foot on a plane. There are maps open on your phone, too many tabs on your laptop, and a growing list of places you absolutely cannot miss. Maybe it’s the turquoise lakes you’ve seen online, a scenic train ride through the mountains, or that little village you’ve been dreaming about visiting for years.
Then the trip finally arrives.
You spend your days exploring, laughing, getting slightly lost, discovering unexpected viewpoints and taking hundreds of photos along the way. Most of them end up living on your phone — a mix of selfies, landscapes, screenshots, restaurant recommendations and the occasional accidental photo of your shoes.
And honestly? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The thing is, most people spend thousands of francs creating incredible memories in Switzerland, yet very little thought goes into preserving them. A professional photo session often feels like something extra, something you might consider if there’s room left in the budget. But over the years I’ve noticed something interesting: nobody ever reaches out to tell me they regret having photos taken. If anything, it’s usually the opposite.
The photos become more valuable with time
Years later, those photographs become some of the most valuable souvenirs from the trip.
Because what makes a photograph meaningful isn’t the mountain in the background. Switzerland certainly provides beautiful scenery, but the real reason a photo matters is because of who’s standing in front of it. It’s the way your partner looked at you while you were both trying not to laugh. It’s your children being exactly who they were at that age. It’s remembering what it felt like to stand beside Lake Geneva on a warm summer evening or share a picnic with a mountain view that almost looked unreal.
The trip ends, the suitcases get unpacked, and before you know it, life speeds up again. Children grow. Parents grow older. Relationships evolve. The memories stay with us, but some of the little details naturally become softer over time.
Photographs have a beautiful way of bringing those moments back. Not just what a place looked like, but what it felt like to be there.
Someone is always missing
One thing I’ve noticed after years of travelling myself (and after scrolling through far too many holiday albums) is that someone is almost always missing from the photos.
Usually it’s the person holding the camera.
Maybe it’s Mum. Maybe it’s Dad. Maybe it’s the partner who’s always volunteering to take the picture. Or maybe it’s the solo traveller balancing their phone on a fence, a backpack, a water bottle and pure optimism, hoping the timer goes off before gravity wins.
At the time, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. After all, somebody has to take the photo, right?
But years later, those missing images suddenly become much more noticeable. Not because the scenery isn’t beautiful, but because the trip was never really about the scenery alone. It was about the people who experienced it together. The conversations, the shared jokes, the tiny moments that seemed ordinary at the time and somehow became the memories you cherish most.
Switzerland offers plenty of incredible backdrops, but when families look back at their photographs years from now, they’re rarely saying, “What a lovely mountain.” They’re talking about the people standing in front of it.
It's never really about the photos
This may sound like a strange thing for a photographer to admit, but my favourite part of any session has very little to do with the camera itself.
What I genuinely love is watching people settle into the experience. Almost everyone arrives a little nervous at first. Couples often tell me they’re awkward in front of the camera, parents apologise in advance for their children’s energy levels, and solo travellers usually confess they have absolutely no idea what to do with their hands. (For the record, nobody ever knows what to do with their hands. It’s practically a universal human experience. hahaha)
But after ten or fifteen minutes, something shifts.
People stop focusing on the camera and start paying attention to the people they’re with. Conversations happen naturally. Children become curious about the surroundings. Couples start laughing at private jokes. Families fall into their usual dynamic. The pressure of “having photos taken” slowly disappears and it starts feeling more like spending time together in a beautiful place.
Those are always my favourite moments.
Not because they’re perfectly posed or because everything looks flawless, but because they’re real. When clients receive their gallery, it’s rarely the technically perfect photograph they fall in love with first. More often, it’s the image that reminds them of how they felt in that moment. The one where their child was giggling uncontrollably, where the wind unexpectedly turned everyone’s hair into chaos, or where they completely forgot I was standing there with a camera.
Honestly, if you finish a session feeling like you’ve enjoyed a lovely afternoon exploring Switzerland rather than surviving a photoshoot, then I’ve probably done my job well.
Switzerland has a way of slowing you down
One of the reasons I love Switzerland so much is that it constantly reminds people to slow down, even when they have absolutely no intention of doing so.
I’ve met countless visitors who arrive with detailed itineraries and ambitious plans to see as much as possible. Every day is carefully organised. Every train is scheduled. Every viewpoint is marked on a map somewhere.
Then Switzerland quietly does what Switzerland does best.
A lakeside coffee turns into an hour because the view is too beautiful to leave. A short walk becomes a spontaneous afternoon adventure. A mountain viewpoint suddenly turns into the perfect place for a picnic because nobody feels like rushing off to the next destination.
The funny thing is that when people tell stories about their trip afterwards, those are often the moments they remember most. Not the perfectly executed schedule. Not the five places they managed to squeeze into a single day. It’s the unexpected conversations, the detours, the moments where they simply sat together and enjoyed being there.
That’s also how I approach photography experiences.
Of course I help with planning, location suggestions and all the practical details, but I never want a session to feel like we’re ticking boxes on a checklist. I’d much rather create space for genuine moments to unfold naturally. Some of my favourite photographs have happened in moments that were never planned at all.
One day, you'll be grateful you have them
Right now, this trip probably feels very much in the present. You’re researching restaurants, planning excursions, checking weather forecasts and deciding whether it’s really necessary to pack that extra jumper. (As someone who lives in Switzerland, the answer is almost always yes.)
It’s exciting because it’s happening now.
But one day, this trip will become part of your story.
It will be the holiday you took before life became busier. The family adventure where everyone happened to be together at the same time. The honeymoon you’ve talked about for years afterwards. The season of life that felt completely normal while you were living it, only to realise later how special it actually was.
That’s why I believe photographs become more valuable with time.
Not because they’re professionally taken. Not because they’re worthy of social media. And certainly not because every image is perfectly composed.
They matter because they allow us to revisit moments we can never recreate.
The people we love grow older. Children grow up. Circumstances change. Life keeps moving, whether we’re ready for it or not. Photographs give us the rare opportunity to pause for a moment and remember what a particular chapter of our lives felt like while we were living it.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from both travelling and photographing people over the years, it’s that those ordinary moments we almost overlook are often the ones we end up treasuring most.
So yes, take the phone selfies. Take the snapshots of your lunch. Photograph the mountain train, the lake, and the ridiculously beautiful view from your hotel balcony.
But don’t forget to make sure you’re in some of those memories too.
Years from now, you might be very grateful that you did.
Thinking about documenting your own Switzerland adventure?
If you’ve made it this far, there’s a good chance you’re planning a trip to Switzerland yourself — or maybe you’re already counting down the days until you arrive.
Whether you’re travelling as a couple, exploring with your family, celebrating a honeymoon, or simply treating yourself to an adventure you’ve been dreaming about for years, I’d love to help you create memories that feel just as meaningful years from now as they do today.
My sessions aren’t about stiff poses or spending hours in front of a camera. They’re designed around the experience itself. Think lakeside walks, vineyard sunsets, mountain views, family adventures, shared laughter, and those little in-between moments that often become the most treasured memories of all.
Together, we’ll create an experience that feels natural, relaxed, and uniquely yours — while making sure you’re actually in the photos this time.
If that sounds like your kind of adventure, I’d love to hear about your plans.
Book your photo experience or a free call to start planning your experience
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Your Photographer
I’m Maaike Jansen
Your outdoor portrait photographer, mountain nerd, and calm-in-the-chaos guide for meaningful adventures in Switzerland.
I create relaxed photography experiences for couples, families, friends, and wild-hearted travellers exploring the Swiss Riviera and the Alps.
Whether you’re dreaming of a lakeside sunset near Château de Chillon, a stroll through the Lavaux vineyards, or a mountain adventure with breathtaking views, I’ll help you plan an experience that feels natural, easy, and genuinely fun.
No awkward posing.
No rushing from one viewpoint to the next.
Just beautiful places, meaningful moments, and photographs you’ll still treasure years from now.
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