zhenyaswan I will be cheering this moment for the rest of my life…..My spirit animal and I are making a grand entrance to meet @julius_hne and get married in front of all our dearest and nearest people in magical South Africa!!!!

Planning @kraak.co.za @hannes_van_kraak
Venue @kruijd_

zhenyaswan This is just a fun BTS moment vs the actual shot I took! What do you think?

From the magical photoshoot for @yvonthelabel starring @celinebethmann ✨🌸✨🩷💐

zhenyaswan It’s beautiful how reality sometimes gently guides us —
like a parent’s hand on your back,
nudging you forward just enough to choose, to trust, to experience something beautiful.

Sometimes, all it takes is the process itself.
To surrender.
To be grateful.
To understand that there’s no such thing as a “bad” experience — only lessons, only perspective, only the choice to turn experience into meaning and bring the best out of it.

Waking up here in Marrakech, in the quiet of my room,
while the Medina hums and clatters in the distance,
I feel the soft truth of it all settling in:
I am grateful.
Grateful for where I am.
For the people I work with — who make me better.
For those who believe in me, who help me grow,
who remind me, gently and endlessly,
that I belong here.

And gosh — what a beautiful thing it is,
to be alive on this planet….

zhenyaswan I’m 32 years old and I’m not ashamed to admit:

1. I still experience imposter syndrome in my profession even after working as a full-time photographer for 14 years. I get nervous before important shoots and sometimes think I’m not good enough.

2. A lot of my fiends have kids and started families, but I still freak out about the idea of having kids. On one hand, I’d like to have kids one day, but it’s also very scary for me to lose my freedom and don’t belong to myself anymore. I want to be 100 percent sure and firm about this decision and not do it out of social pressure or just because “it’s time”.

3. I don’t like spontaneous phone calls. Either it’s for work or personal, I am not fond of this type of communication and prefer text or arranged calls so I can prepare myself.

4. After living in Germany for 5 years, I still speak poor German (I’m working on it though), hate doing my taxes, don’t like visiting official departments (like immigration office) and fear of going to local doctors.

5. I am a very dreamy and romantic person and tend to romanticize life a lot. Sometimes it plays against me, but this is also who I am and I’m not planning to change.

6. always have been prone to do very different types of photography like weddings, travel, interior, editorial, fashion, lifestyle and equestrian and can never focus on one thing only even though I know it’s important if you want to become successful. I love all these genres and expressing myself differently and I also believe it’s making me a better professional as I can combine various approaches and visions that still are part of my own style. And somehow my clients always appreciate that in me as well.

7. I’ve pitched my photographs, ideas, articles and shoot scripts to dozens of media, magazines, and brands and have been rejected or simply ignored. But that’s ok - it’s part of the process.

8. I’m an introvert and love spending time on my own. I am very extroverted in public, however my social batteries need to be recharged afterwards and I need to be alone in my space.

zhenyaswan Recently I got the photos from @zeven_media_ and was absolutely astonished by the beauty of the pictures of the wedding entrance… That’s why I think it would be a crime not to share them here. What would you say?

Planning @kraak.co.za
Photography @zeven_media_
Videography @suzanneswartfilms
Dixie (this feisty pony and an absolute star) @capewinelandsriding

zhenyaswan I love South Africa from the bottom of my heart, but if you places I keep returning again and again because they keep my mind, my heart, peace, and my soul full. @babylonstoren is definitely one of those places and this time it was no less special to stay there with Julius and immerse into special atmosphere of this farm….

zhenyaswan I always dreamed of having a real first dance at our wedding. Not just a slow sway — but something we actually practiced for. So Julius and I went all in… and took dance lessons in Berlin with the most wonderful, patient teacher, Hanna @hanna.woldt @houseofwalk . She was also our guest so she was watching us and it gave us a lot of confidence while performing! Hanna, thank you for spending hours and hours training us and choreographing this dance!

Neither of us are dancers (Julius’s signature move might actually be “the robot”), and to be honest, we forgot a few steps… and may have been slightly tipsy.

But that night — something magical happened.
Every spin, every lift, every misstep felt perfect. The energy, the music, the cheers from our friends… it was like Dancing With the Stars meets chaotic newlywed joy.

It wasn’t about the perfect performance —it was about doing something new together, supporting each other, laughing, holding on tight, and twirling through one of the most beautiful moments of our lives!

Still floating...

zhenyaswan What a week spent in Patagonia on a horseback can bring?

Well, let me show you….

We are about to announce the dates for our new ride in 2026 so send me an email or dm when interested!!!

zhenyaswan Wild and untamed, where silence roars,
A raw land of ice and fire at its core.
Here, horses carve paths no maps can trace,
Guiding hearts through Patagonia’s fierce embrace.….

Thank you @abrazarte.argentina @belaya.lena @bernadettehofmann @felixrpopp @sofia.kanevskaia @soniabelokur @ana_galk @ilichenko_irina @panchibonadeo @nikfliess10 @kosovo4 @rideandexplore.safaris for sharing this experience ✨🐴☀️ it’s been truly wild and inspiring!

zhenyaswan When @suzanneswartfilms sent us this teaser last night, she explained that she picked the song which was called “Sondela Forever” and Sondela is a Zulu word which means “come near”….

Our wedding days (or weeks haha) definitely felt like that when all our friends and family flew from all over the world to come near and celebrate with us this special time…

@suzanneswartfilms thank you for this memory! You did such a fantastic job and we look forward to seeing more in the future! We smile widely as we look through all the photos and videos…

Thank you @kraak.co.za @kruijd_ for making our fairytale become a reality. Your dedication, attention to details, personal approach and professionalism are hard to be compared or underestimated. Thank you 10009 times!

Cover photo @aisleglam

Thank you @fleurlecordeur for your unique vision, for reading our ideas and bringing your own into this kaleidoscope of beauty and visual poetry.

Thank you @zeven_media_ for being responsible for capturing the moments with your multiple cameras and creating life lasting memories for us.

And thanks to my crazy friends @aisleglam @angelika.dupuis @polina_beloo @anastasiafrost for bringing your cameras along and being good at multitasking - taking photos and partying like hell ❤️😂❤️☀️💒✨👑

Dress @tatyanakochnova_bridal
Muah by my dear friend @ekaterina.mignery @ekaterinamignery.bridal

zhenyaswan Another year around the Sun….love you every single day @julius_hne . Happy Birthday my heart @julius_hne . To many more years together …. ✨❤️✨