Flew Out to Berlin to Photograph This Bride and Groom on Large Format Film

Cecilia and Charles came across my work on social media while searching for a large format film photographer. They live in Hong Kong, and were soon to be married, but covid restrictions still prevented them from flying in a photographer without a 2 week quarantine. When they mentioned that they were traveling to Berlin that summer, around the same time I was planning to be in Italy for the Venice Biennale, we both agreed to extend my travels and meet in Berlin. So, we rented a studio and a backdrop, and spent the entire day taking pre-wedding portraits - a very common tradition in eastern cultures. Aside from a few arguments with the Berlin equivalent of TSA, traveling with my large format equipment was easier than anticipated. This was one of those opportunities that comes along, against the odds of the large pool of social media content in the world, and I'm truly grateful for it. It was my second time in Berlin and was a trip I will forever remember. I even had the E100 positives developed at a local lab in Berlin because I was so anxious to see them. Until you've held a 4x5 film positive in your hand, it's hard to explain just what that feels like and the impact that it can have on a couple and on a photographer.