Table for Two in Kyoto, by Roberto Panciatici [Rf Wedding of the Week]

For last week’s Wedding post, I was very excited to feature Francesco Spighi‘s coverage of an elopement in Italy. As the photographer pointed out last week, when there are just two people to cover, it allows you all the time to “shoot what you want without pressure. But you also have to be really concentrated about the story you want to tell because it’s not always so easy to build a good story with just two characters.” These words ring just as true for Roberto Panciatici this week, with his featured wedding of a couple in Kyoto, Japan.

All Photos © Roberto Panciatici Photography

“Emma (梁雅婷) + Jacky (杜偉賢) decided to have two totally different sessions,” Panciatici explains. “One with the traditional Kimono dresses and one with more westernized fashion looks. The first one was calm and very slow (a real kimono is about 7 kilos in weight), and the second shoot was faster, contemporary and creative. The mix is very representative of the Japanese culture: a very cool mix of traditions with contemporary, modern elements.”

This trip wasn’t just any ordinary wedding session for the photographer, he explains: “It was a real and deep experience to me. The day before my flight was leaving to Osaka, I injured my back and I couldn’t walk properly. I was really scared about traveling to the other side of the world and I was not strong enough to carry on a backpack full of photography gear, even if I always travel light. I remember that I also shared on Snapchat (@RobPhotography) all the things I would love to do in Japan, but I knew I had to take a step back and pare down.”

Panciatici removed everything except for two cameras and two lenses, he says. “I obviously was still scared, but, as often happens, life loves to give you new challenges, new chances to grow up. My real challenge was to be ready to fail, to delude expectations, to accept that sometimes we need to slow down because we’re human. I’m grateful for what happened because thanks to the injury, I found more than pictures during this trip. I found a new state of mind, a new way to look at my photography and a new perspective, especially to always remember where I’m going and why.”

“My approach to weddings obviously changes year after year, but in general I like to be calm, smile a lot, enjoy my surroundings and think of the best possible solutions for my work/clients, and then get to the point,” the photographer explains. “During the wedding day, it’s very easy to be under stress as you need to be fast because you’ve got many aspects of the day to cover that require more than a few minutes, but step back if you can and get out from your head all the negative things swirling around. Learn how to manage yourself to always have control of the situation. This approach permits me to be as relaxed as possible, to stay creative, instinctive and to always enjoy my work as I strive to always do my best.”

GEAR
Cameras: Nikon D750 and Nikon D810
Lenses: 35mm f/1.4 and 58mm f/1.4
Extras: iPhone

Check out more Weddings of the Week, and email Libby Peterson or Jacqueline Tobin with submissions.