pjbooks Chapter 500 Wedding Photography
Chapter 500 Wedding Photography
After sending that message to Lin Wei, Lu Ran added another: "By the way, do you have any photographer recommendations? Someone who's good at portrait photography, with a natural style, not too posed."
Lin Wei replied faster than expected, directly sending over a photographer's WeChat contact with a note that read: "Independent photographer, has photographed several celebrities' wedding photos and wedding ceremonies, with a documentary style, not deliberately posed."
Lu Ran clicked "Add Friend".
The other party approved quickly, greeted him, and introduced himself as Liu Chengzhi, who works in wedding photography and videography.
After chatting for a few minutes, Lu Ran briefly explained his needs: two to three scenes, with a natural style, not too many deliberate poses, a flexible schedule, and sufficient rest time in between.
Liu Chengzhi said no problem, he knew the suitable photo spots around Shanghai very well and could suggest a few options for Lu Ran to choose from.
Lu Ran asked him to send over a few proposals to take a look.
Less than half an hour later, Liu Chengzhi sent a brief site selection suggestion.
The above lists three directions:
The first is an old villa complex in the western suburbs of Shanghai, with red brick walls, wrought iron railings, and plane trees that have been planted for decades, making it suitable for taking retro-style photos;
The second is the riverside promenade along the Huangpu River, with the Pudong skyline in the background, resulting in a more modern-looking shot;
The third is a beach near the sea on the east side of Shanghai. It is less crowded, clean, and has particularly good lighting in the evening, making it suitable for taking seascape photos.
Lu Ran looked at all three options and had a general idea of what to expect.
Instead of making the decision himself, he forwarded the photos and addresses to Shen Yuege, adding, "The photographer recommended three locations; see which one you like."
Shen Yuege replied quickly, typing only two words: "Beachside."
Lu Ran replied with an "OK", and then forwarded Liu Chengzhi's WeChat contact to Shen Yuege, so that the two of them could directly communicate the details of the photo shoot.
The photoshoot was scheduled for a Thursday, a weekday, when there were fewer people at the beach.
Lu Ran took a day off in advance and drove Shen Yuege from home in the morning, heading towards the eastern coastline of Shanghai.
Priscilla Chan originally wanted to go along to help carry things, but Shen Yuege persuaded her not to, saying, "Mom, you just stay home and rest. We can handle it ourselves."
Priscilla Chan stood at the door to see him off, constantly asking, "Did you bring a parasol?" "Did you bring sunscreen?" "Did you bring enough water?" Shen Yuege answered as she closed the car door.
It took a little over an hour to drive there.
Shanghai was already hot in June, but the trees along the coastal highway were very shady. As the car drove by, the sunlight was filtered through the leaves, creating dappled shadows that flashed across the windshield.
Shen Yuege sat in the passenger seat, lowered the seat a little, and half-reclined to watch the scenery rushing past the window, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand and taking small sips every now and then.
"Are you nervous?" she suddenly asked.
"What's there to be nervous about? Taking photos isn't like going to war."
"You were completely stiff during our last wedding photoshoot. The photographer told you to smile, but you smiled like you were in a meeting."
Lu Ran, caught off guard, coughed lightly: "That time we were pulled in at the last minute, unprepared. This time is different. This time I practiced beforehand, spending several days in front of the mirror."
Shen Yuege turned her head to look at him, her expression somewhere between belief and disbelief: "You practiced smiling in front of the mirror?"
"Yes. Smile for two minutes while brushing your teeth every day until it becomes muscle memory."
Shen Yuege couldn't help but chuckle, then turned her head back to look out the window.
When they arrived at the beach, Liu Chengzhi was already waiting there.
He was thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a neat short haircut, wearing a gray T-shirt and khaki cargo pants, old canvas shoes, a DSLR camera around his neck, and a spare lens bag in his hand.
He looked relaxed yet professional, and his tone was very casual when he greeted people.
"Mr. Lu, Ms. Shen, you've arrived." He didn't waste any pleasantries, gesturing behind him, "The weather's nice today, the cloud cover is just right, the light isn't too harsh. Let's take some photos on the beach first, then head towards the rocks; we can capture the waves crashing against the shore from there."
When Shen Yuege got out of the car, Lu Ran reached out and helped her.
This movement is so natural, as if it's something I've done countless times.
Shen Yuege didn't say "I can walk by myself without help" like before, but instead put her hand in his hand and got out of the car.
Liu Chengzhi had already scouted out several locations in advance.
The first spot is located slightly to the left of the middle of the beach, where the wet sand left after the tide recedes gleams with a pale golden light in the morning sun.
In the distance is the horizon, and closer by are several rounded rocks, sculpted by the sea, scattered along the edge of the beach.
"Mr. Lu, please stand in that position first. Ms. Shen, please take two steps forward." Liu Chengzhi stepped back a few steps and raised his camera.
Shen Yuege was wearing a white dress with the hemline above her knees and a pair of flat white sandals.
Her hair was loose, fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. She stood on the beach, facing Lu Ran, without deliberately looking at the camera.
Just as Liu Chengzhi pressed the shutter, she turned her head to look at the sea, and Lu Ran reached out to help her tidy up her hair that had been ruffled by the wind.
The movement was very light. After Liu Chengzhi finished taking the picture, he took the camera down, looked at the screen, and said, "The previous picture was in very good condition. You guys can decide for yourselves whether you want to maintain that feeling."
Lu Ran walked over to the photographer and glanced at the screen. The two people in the photo were standing on the light golden sand. The sea breeze blew a strand of Shen Yuege's hair up, and he was reaching out to tuck it away. Neither of them was looking at the camera; one was looking at the other's hair, and the other was looking at the other's face.
The scene was quiet, without any deliberate attempts at intimacy, but that natural state was more comfortable than any pose.
"This one looks good," Lu Ran said.
Shen Yuege also came over and glanced at it. She looked for two seconds, didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
The second set of photos was taken in a different location, moved to a rocky area at the end of the beach.
Liu Chengzhi had Shen Yuege sit on a flat, large rock, and had Lu Ran stand next to her, placing one hand on the rock behind her as if to protect her from slipping.
Shen Yuege sat very steadily, her sandals making a slight scraping sound as they touched the stone surface.
Lu Ran's position blocked most of the sea breeze, so her hair was no longer blown around like before.
Liu Chengzhi squatted down at a distance, changed to a lower angle, snapped a few photos, and then stood up to watch the playback.
He flipped through the photos and then said, "You two cooperated better than I expected. I didn't need to remind you how to stand or pose; your natural movements resulted in great shots. We'll shoot two more sets and then call it a day, saving our energy for changing locations this afternoon."
Lu Ran looked at Shen Yuege and asked her if she was tired.
Shen Yuege shook her head and said it was alright, they had only been filming for less than an hour.
The afternoon shoot was moved to a grove of trees not far from the beach.
The grove wasn't large; it mainly consisted of pine trees and a few old camphor trees with thick trunks and dense canopies that filtered the midday sun into soft dappled light.
Liu Chengzhi chose a spot with gnarled tree roots and had the two sit back to back, then had them turn their heads to look at each other.
When Shen Yuege turned her head to look at him, Lu Ran also turned his head to look at her.
The two were less than a palm's width apart. Liu Chengzhi pressed the shutter button a dozen steps away, then pressed the second button, and then said softly, "Okay, next one."
The third group was in a clearing deep in the grove.
Liu Chengzhi had the two stand facing each other, without saying a word, just silently gazing at each other.
This action lasted for about ten seconds. Shen Yuege couldn't hold on any longer and her lips curved into a smile. Then Lu Ran also smiled.
At that moment, Liu Chengzhi pressed the shutter several times in succession, recording the entire process of his face going from tense to smiling.
After filming, Shen Yuege walked to the folding chair next to her, sat down, unscrewed a bottle of water, and took a couple of sips.
Lu Ran stood next to her and took a sun hat out of his backpack and put it on her head.
"Want to sunbathe or not?"
"It's alright. The sea breeze isn't too hot." Shen Yuege raised her hand to adjust the angle of her hat brim and handed the water back to him.
Lu Ran took the water and drank a sip, then bent down and sat down on the chair next to her.
Liu Chengzhi was looking through photos on his camera a short distance away. After about two minutes, he walked over and turned the camera screen towards the two of them: "We took over two hundred photos today, and most of them should be usable. You can choose which ones to pick later. In my experience, you were in better shape than most newcomers today. Maybe it's because Mr. Lu is a tech person and wasn't as nervous."
Lu Ran said, "I'm not nervous because I have meetings at the company every day, so I've gotten used to it." Liu Chengzhi chuckled but didn't reply.
By the time the two had packed their things and were preparing to head back, the sun was already setting.
The light on the sea surface changed from white to warm yellow, shattering into golden fragments on the crests of the waves.
Shen Yuege stood at the edge of the beach, took one last look towards the sea, and then turned and walked towards the car.
Lu Ran followed behind her and opened the passenger door for her.
On the way home, Shen Yuege fell asleep in the passenger seat. Her head was slightly turned towards the window, her breathing was steady and long, and the brim of her hat was pulled down to cover most of her face.
Lu Ran slowed down the car a bit, turned up the air conditioning temperature slightly, and then continued driving.
The scenery outside the window receded frame by frame, the sky changing from warm yellow to orange-red, and then slowly settling into gray-blue.
The boundary between the distant sea and sky became increasingly blurred, eventually merging completely.
Shen Yuege woke up when Lu Ran got home.
She rubbed her eyes, sat up straight, looked at the sky outside the window, and asked, "How long did I sleep?"
"Not long. About an hour."
Why didn't you wake me up?
"It's rare for you to sleep so soundly, why would I wake you?"
Shen Yuege did not refute, unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
She stretched and yawned on the steps of her front door, then glanced back at Lu Ran: "Take the photos from today, pick the best ones, enlarge them, and hang them up. That empty wall in the living room will be perfect."
"Okay. You choose. You have better taste than me."
Shen Yuege said "Of course" and then pushed open the door and went into the house.
Lu Ran followed behind her, and his phone vibrated as he entered the room.
He took out his phone and glanced at it. It was a message from Lin Wei: "Mr. Lu, the preliminary wedding plan and venue list have been compiled. Please check your email when it's convenient."
He replied with an "okay" and then put his phone in his pocket.
Priscilla Chan's voice came from the kitchen, asking, "You're back? How much filming did you do? Are you tired?"
Shen Yuege's voice followed immediately: "We've filmed quite a lot. I'm not tired. Lu Ran arranged it very well; we filmed one set and then rested."
Priscilla Chan smiled with relief, and then the sound of the spatula clattering together resumed.
Lu Ran stood in the entryway without going in immediately. He leaned against the shoe cabinet for a few seconds, going over the day in his mind.
Beach, reefs, woods, sea breeze, sun, hat brim, Shen Yuege's sleeping profile.
Every frame is crystal clear, like the unexported original photos in Liu Chengzhi's camera. They haven't been color graded yet, but they're already very beautiful.
He straightened up, changed into slippers, and went inside. The living room lights were on, casting a warm yellow glow that made the whole room feel soft and peaceful.
Shen Yuege was already sitting on the sofa, flipping through channels with the remote control in her hand. Chen Huixian was cooking in the kitchen, the range hood humming, and the aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic wafting out of the kitchen.
Lu Ran walked over and sat down next to her, placing his phone on the coffee table.
Before the screen went dark, the last thing he saw was the message from Lin Wei, which was still lit up and had not yet been opened.
I'll check back later.
Let's eat first.
...