Eyes don't lie — everything the iris can tell you …

The gateway to the soul — welcome to the magical world of the iris.

Why and whether the iris can reveal more about you than you think — that's what this piece is about. Because: eyes don't lie!

Why and whether the iris can reveal more about you than you think — that's what this piece is about. Because: eyes don't lie!

For me it all began in 2019 when I went on a trip. If you think you're reading a spiritual blog now, I have to disappoint you. It was a «regular» trip. And it won't be the case that everything fits into a single blog piece.

Allow me a brief introduction.

Hi, my name is David Avolio. I'm the founder of Iris Foto Schweiz and an iris photographer in Lucerne. Isn't it a bit over the top to speak of «Iris Foto Schweiz» if I only work in Lucerne? Yes, probably — but one thing at a time.

I finished my training in 2002 and have stayed pretty loyal to photography ever since — with side trips into sales (a photo shop) and marketing (distribution in the photo sector as a product manager).

In early 2009 I mustered all my courage and took the leap into self-employment as a photographer. My passion for working with people deeply shaped my direction. I photographed everything that had to do with people.

Whether classic people photography, portrait photography or events. But I don't want to bore you with a full résumé — I'll share more about myself in other pieces.

If you'd already like a few fun facts about me now — here you go ;-)

How did you get into iris photography?

I'm asked very often how I even got into iris photography.

You know it from social media: there are different forms of storytelling. Since this is my first blog piece here, you probably don't know me yet and can't quite place my sense of humour (I'm funny, by the way — at least that's what I think).

That's why today I'll tell you the brutally honest version …

It was 2019 — in the US. I can't tell you whether it was the East or West coast. Nor whether I saw it on a social platform, live in the streets of New York, or someone sent me a link. The fact is: I didn't come up with iris photography on my own. Somewhere I saw it and was — maybe like you — totally fascinated by the images.

As soon as I was back and had time, I had to try this!

The fascination of iris photography

Sharp tongues would call me a jack-of-all-trades — because new things fascinate me incredibly. Yes, iris photography wouldn't leave me alone. But I simply had no time — I was always busy with something: day-to-day operations, planning the move from Eschenbach to Hochdorf after almost 11 years, selling the old shop, private circumstances, the actual move, and setting up the new studio.

And then? Well — exactly one month after the move (February 2020 it was) — came what would shape all of us for almost two years.

Not much more needs to be said about that — except that I suddenly had time.

Lots of time … of course there was the added financial pressure. Business and personal bills still had to be paid: rent, salaries, subscriptions, etc. So what does a guy like me do? I threw myself into iris photography. Intensively.

Pretty quickly I realised that iris photography is significantly harder than I had first thought.

To top it off, you can't just do iris photography on the fly if you don't have the right equipment at hand. So: more investments — without knowing if I'd ever get the money back.

All or nothing! I was fascinated — and it wouldn't let me go.

But how do I photograph the iris properly? What can I expect from clients? How do I design the process so it works commercially and delivers an incomparable result for the client?

Time to research. How do others do it? Are there any others? What are they doing right? What wrong? At some point I knew what I needed … but who even supplies it? Found!

Then the next setback: 4–6 weeks delivery time just for the chin rest.

Barely a step forward in iris photography — and three steps backward again

Some time later, restrictions in Switzerland were first eased. A networking event took place — and of course I seized the moment. I sat at the table with a great artist. It wasn't just classic small talk: we talked a lot about her wonderful work, and at some point I got on to my topic of iris photography. She then gave me a decisive tip: Prof. Dr. Rita Fasel.

Luck was on my side again: when I contacted Rita, I got a surprisingly quick reply.

I got to learn a lot about the iris and what can be diagnosed from it. I was even more hooked afterwards. More on that in one of the upcoming pieces.

But the outcome of that meeting was this: from now on I couldn't do iris photography the way I had originally planned. Photoshop trickery was off-limits. I'll write a dedicated piece on that too.

It was time — Iris Foto Lucerne went online and the first clients arrived

I remember it as if it were yesterday: on the first day I officially started with iris photography, the first clients arrived. On 3 August 2020 I had a family of four. They were existing clients from before. The photos from that day still hang in the iris studio. I'll never forget it. Sure: today we deliver better quality — but without sounding arrogant: the images from back then are still worlds better than most iris photo offerings floating around on the Swiss market.

In closing

Son. First clients of iris photo.

First female client of Iris Foto Lucerne.

First male client of Iris Foto Lucerne.

I'll leave it at this: the path to iris photography certainly wasn't easy — but if it were easy, everybody would do it.

If you've read this far: THANK YOU for your attention.

Right now, though, you might think it's easy and that the holy grail of photography has been discovered — because seemingly every photographer is now trying to find a foothold in this niche. Old memories come back: when, in 2011/2012, I revolutionised the Swiss market with the photobooth.

One request though: if you're toying with the idea of doing an iris photo shoot, look very carefully at what quality and sharpness you're getting.

If quality doesn't matter much to you, you're in the wrong place with us — there are providers who are 20–30 % cheaper.

Look more closely …

Open your eyes! Discover the colours of your iris.

Iris photography isn't all the same.