When photographer Jeremy Chan, a fixture in the wedding photo industry and a regular at WPPI, married Sarah Chan last December, he knew that it would be important to her to get married in Hong Kong. “It made perfect sense to start with a wedding in Hong Kong and have traditional Chinese wedding culture highlighted by doing indoor games and a tea ceremony,” Chan says. “And when we were back in San Francisco two weeks later, where we reside, we also had a civil ceremony and photo shoot at San Francisco’s City Hall.”

All Hong Kong Photos © Muse Chan

When you are a wedding photographer yourself but getting married, it might be hard to think of who else would be perfect to shoot your wedding. But Jeremy knew just the right people for the two shoots. “Photographer Muse Chan is a good friend of Sarah’s and specializes in shooting traditional Chinese weddings, and Tauran Woo, who shot the San Francisco City Hall wedding, is a good friend of mine and is one of the best in the industry.”

Says Muse: “Hong Kong weddings ares always known as one of the most rushed events ever. Also, Chinese families are very large, so just the family pictures require almost an hour, plus all the different kinds of cultural ceremonies required to capture. Trying to set up my lighting and keeping up with the time is a challenge, but this one went quite well.”

All San Francisco Photos © Tauran Woo

Back in San Francisco, the happy couple were photographed by Tauran Woo in a second ceremony. “It seems that no matter how much time you put aside for taking photos, there are always challenges that occur during the day that seem to whittle away at those precious minutes,” says Woo. “This day was not much different. There were several photographers and videographers in attendance, and everyone needed a little time with our beloved friends. Although I am familiar with the venue and have a few favorite spots I knew I wanted to use, I found it necessary to use my ‘buzzer beater’ techniques to accomplish most of what I wanted to do that day. A further challenge was that San Francisco City Hall is a real operating government building, which had several other events going on, and sometimes the locations we were using were only clear for a second or two before they became occupied by onlookers, bystanders, passerbys and, of course, many other wedding parties and events. Overall, though, it was a wonderful day, and I hope that these portraits will be something that they can treasure for years to come!”

“Both Tauran Woo and Muse Chan are well-respected wedding photographers within the industry,” the groom sums up. “I would not expect anything less from them. But to be honest, standing on the other side of the camera does make me realize how uncomfortable it is being in front of the camera. To capture a natural reaction from your subject, a photographer must know how to put their subject in their comfort zone before the subject will review his or her true self.”

GEAR LIST

Hong Kong
Camera: Sony a7R III
Lenses: Sigma 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, 50mm f/1.4 Art, 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, 70-200mm f/2.8 GM
Lighting: Profoto B1X, 2×3 RFI Softbox, Deep M Translucent & Back Panel, Profoto A1

San Francisco
Camera: Sony a7r III
Lenses: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II, 85mm f/1.2L II, Metabones adaptor, Phottix Mitros+

Vendor Credits (Hong Kong)
Venue: Royal Garden J’s bar
Photographer & Videographer: Muse Muse / AVO Film
Makeup & Hair: Angela Shum
Chinese Kua:  Lucky Embroidery-Chinese wedding dress
Wedding gown: La Cérémonie Atelier
Evening gown: Alisha & Lace Hong Kong
Decoration: Decoland
Accessories: Lane’s Bridal
Wedding bouquet: Life Flower School
Souvenir: SOVOS Perfumery

Submit your wedding to Rf editor-in-chief Jacqueline Tobin for a chance to get featured here.