wedding

Wedding Tips for the Budding Photographer

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Howdy y’all 📸

Last month I had the privilege of shooting an intimate wedding in Phillip Island. Y’all, it was one of the most laid-back weddings I’ve got to shoot! It definitely sat in the top three. Having focused on grad school for the last few years, it felt great to revisit the wedding photography mentality. Having shot again, I felt this serves as a chance to share three tips that I’ve found helpful in shooting weddings that I’d love to share with you.

  1. Tell the Story

    The opportunity of the photographer at a wedding is to capture the story of the day. Enjoy this process, and focus on the moments that represent figuratively, pages in a book. Ask yourself the questions:

    • “Who are the characters?”

    • “What made them uniquely them?”

    • What was the main event of this story?” - This one may be obvious

    • How did this story unfold? How did it end?

2. Deliver Quality over Quantity

Fellas, be confident in the images you provide. Deliver the images which support you in relaying the story. Refrain from letting anxiety overtake you. Sometimes I see this analogy akin to the concept of TMI - too much information. Sometimes, oversharing takes away from a wonderful story. Don’t afraid to pull yourself back. To some photographers, this means delivering 150 images. For others, it may mean 400.

3. Communicate

Like any relationship that you wish to have, communication is vital. Before you shoot, have an in-person chat so you are all on the same page. This is an opportunity to share your photography shooting style (imagery as well as on-site shooting preference), check for any points of concern, discuss turnaround time, additional products, etc. During the weeks approaching the wedding day, don’t be afraid to ocassionally stay in contact to provide updates & check for any from the wedding party.

I hope these tips will help you along your wedding journey :).
Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Cheers,
Masumi

California Elopement: B & N

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Last year during the calm period of the COVID storm, I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful elopement for B and N.

Everything about it was beautiful.

The warmth of sunny California day. The gentle breeze. The calming blue sky. The minimal guest count.
The special feeling behind this treasured occasion: two people who love each other dearly, asking a few endeared people to witness their extremely intimate moment of demonstrating commitment to one another. I love elopements.

Their bridal attire harmonised with the California desert colours of beige, orange, yellow and green. I happen to have known the bride for a few years - she, like the sunflower accents you see in the photos, is a wonderfully cheerful and bright individual. Her partner, Niel, though I don’t know him as much, I found at the elopement to be such a gentleman. I was beyond happy to have been selected to capture their demonstration of love, their special day through my film camera.

The images were taken on Portra 400. I am so glad to have photographed them with that film. Their warm tones shone wonderfully through it.

For those who are curious, I capture weddings and elopements via both digital and film. That said, the images that I love most are always taken on film. There is an undeniable feeling of tenderness and nostalgia that is emitted through the film medium. Honestly, I literally gush about film. This year I hope to gain a new medium format film camera and capture more portraits and elopements around the world through it.

I will provide a few updates soon in regards to bookings and travel :)

Stay tuned!

Asuka Visions

Internal Music: Picking Your Vibe

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Let’s talk music.

Most of what we experience in life is interpreted internally. We make sense of what we experience through our own eyes, with our own heart. I believe that every person has their own special music genre narrating these moments that they encounter. The songs which play may vary depending on the day, but overall there’s a music style that vibes with a person’s life. For some of us, it may be a pop song, maybe others experience life with a bittersweet tune playing in the background, and for others perhaps rock, heavy metal music is constantly playing with each step they take. Photographers also have their own kind of interpretation of their life experiences, therefore have their own background music. They often express their own melodies through the images they create. Through their photos you can often hear the kind of song they hear. When you want to hire a photographer it is important to know whether the same kind of melody is being playing in each other’s life soundtrack.

There is something special when you find a photographer who expresses the significance of your life in the way you see it. You can think of it akin to somebody liking the same flavor of ice cream as you do: When somebody also loves your favorite flavor: caramel swirled vanilla with chocolate chip, out of the other 99 flavors out there, you don’t need to know anything else about your new friends. This person is now your best friend. Same favorite ice cream flavor: best friend. It oddly makes sense.

Having said that, sometimes you want to find a photographer in the way that you wish to see it. Some people struggle to see themselves as others do. Their life music may be melancholy but they want a photographer to show them, to become physical proof that their music can receive a healthy splash of vibrant, sweet tunes. We all have our own reasons for the music we love as well as the music we wish to try listening to. <3

So when you next look for your photographer, it is important to ask what kind of energy they are emitting through their photos. What kind of music is playing through their film, their lens? Does their photography emit fun energy or calm, tranquil energy? Does it express rebellion? Perhaps the brightness of living? Or does it make you feel sentimental and emotional? Do you feel warm and fuzzy looking at the photos, or inspired?

I’d love to hear what kind of music is playing in your life :)

Masumi


Painted Hills Destination Bridal

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Before moving out east I went out to shoot Ai who turned her wedding dress into a tie dye work of art. The colors worked beautifully with the mountains of Painted Hills, Oregon. The morning of that shoot was beautiful. Nice and warm, the sun a little harsh but we made it work in our favor. The mountains were truly dreamy. Nothing like traveling to shoot!

Photos shot on both 35mm and digital.