From the top
That feeling of love, to connect, to know without words, to share, to be thought of… these feeling will have you floating and dreaming of what could be in the future. In today’s blog I want to share some images and moments with Shin and Nao. They got married almost a year and a half ago and I don’t often like to share client photos SOON after taking them, so I wanted to take some time to let life move a bit before looking back… SO, let’s take it from the top!
Often times when we think of weddings, we have the image of family coming together, the chapel, the white dress and the ring. In my mind that’s really around the middle area of it all. The relationship of courting and getting to know the person you want to spend your life with starts well before you even think of buying matching dishes. The saying the “The home is where the heart is.” carries a lot of weight. Often times when I see wedding photos it’s usually the same tropes that we’ve all seen a million times.
When I talked to Shin and Nao about their wedding and photos for their wedding, I wanted to take it from the top and start at home. For them, that home even though it was a rental, it had many memories and was something they wanted to remember because I’m sure many firsts happened there.
I remember when I first went to their home for consultation, it felt like them. I’ve known these two for years and it was a bit weird to see them being love birds because I think I knew them before they were even dating just as friends. To see the dynamic change and how they moved together was a good thing and it was nice to see them happy and comfortable.
Nao has a love for cooking and Disney, in particular Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Shin loves music, Disney and ramen. When I talked to them about their pictures, I wanted to make it clear, the pictures I take for you are about ‘YOU” they aren’t the pre-set run of the mill pictures that most Japanese couples settle for. These pictures should be about you guys, your personalities and your passions.
When we talked about what they wanted we settled for 3 days of shooting since they had busy schedules and a clear Idea of what they wanted related to Disney and a bit of a cosplay wedding memory trip to Tokyo Disneyland. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. The first day was a quiet moment at home to remember their first apartment together.
To me, pictures like these, that remind us of the beginnings, carry the most emotional weight. They may seem simple, but they capture a very important time. That time right before we were married. That time when we lived in that one bedroom, that time it was just me and you before the kids… that time when it was simple and all about us sitting on the couch watching Disney and One Piece.
As a photographer our job isn’t to make the client just look cool. For me this is what I struggled with. Making people look cool, look good, appear happy. But later on, for me, photography has turned more into being the person someone or a family chooses to capture their special moments that when they or their family looks back, will probably not remember me, but remember that moment vividly.
If I can do that, and be that person for them, then mission complete.
Keep love in your heart and kindness with you at all times. I hope this blog story and pictures made you smile and think about your first home or apartment and the important people that you spent time with.
Have a great day! As always comments and shares are welcome.
