NANNA
& JOUI
Besides grabbing those fleeting moments I keep talking about, this wedding was an interesting one — guests and family came all the way from Japan, and I wondered how much culture shock my usual outgoing, friendly style of shooting would cause.
Turns out the worry was massively unfounded. They were some of the sweetest, most relaxed subjects I have had the pleasure of shooting.
We found this food truck, and the couple suggested a “Kabedon” — the Japanese anime trope of slamming a hand against the wall to corner a romantic interest — to which I enthusiastically agreed. The challenge was the harsh light in that spot, but with a reflector from my assistant and some creative editing, we got the shot.
The bridesmaid had this lovely idea of running to an ice cream stand to grab a cone as a prop. Here she is, running back, with a huge smile on her face.
I start with one of the presets I have built over almost two decades of shooting — a baseline for different lighting conditions and moods.
Then I lean into the spring look: a mask over the background to raise saturation and play with the hue of the greens. The skin tones get selected, saturated slightly, and corrected for a green tint reflecting off the leaves.
Lastly: vignetting for emphasis, and — since this photo is likely to go to print — film grain sampled from my own scans of 35mm and medium format film, for a timeless look.
- Participants
- Nanna and Joui
- Cameras
- Canon EOS R5Canon EOS R6 Mk IIPanasonic Lumix G9 ×2
- Lenses
- Canon EF 28–80mm ƒ2.8–4LCanon EF 70–200mm ƒ2.8L IS IIISigma Art 50mm ƒ1.4Sigma Art 85mm ƒ1.4Olympus 12–40mm ƒ2.8 ProOlympus 40–150mm ƒ2.8 Pro