Couples’ retreat
Us-based Philippines-born photographer Abby Marasigan explains how she helps couples share their lifetime adventures
Having emigrated from a small island of the Philippines to the USA, I love exploring and making memories around the world – ‘small girl, big world’. Ever since my mother gifted me my first DSLR (a Nikon D3300) in high school, I’ve connected with couples who have the same sense of adventure and love for mementos in our ‘adventure sessions’. These sessions are photo shoots where I travel with my couples to unique locations for pure adventure, whilst documenting their joy together. Getting to know my couples before their wedding day in this manner is a beautiful combination of my artistic ability and innate curiosity. As a major planner, these sessions almost force my creativity to bubble up, since planning perfection is nigh-on impossible. These locations, which are mostly in the southeastern USA, are out of my norm or too far out to scout prior to the session. Because of that, most of my research comes from messaging other photographers, hunting around Instagram geotags and Google Earth, studying golden hour times online, and interviewing the clients themselves if it’s their special spot.
Going into a session partially blind is definitely a challenge. Sometimes the location isn’t as accessible as I’ve predicted, maybe the sun goes down faster than
I’d hoped, or maybe I’m wearing platform sandals instead of practical sneakers (rookie mistake!). It’s definitely easy to get distracted by all the potential photo spots.
Endlessly exploring
These adventure sessions have, however, helped me to develop as a photographer. I have learned how to think on my feet, how to prioritize locations and poses, how to chase light in my favour and how to make sure my couples stay safe as they enjoy their new experiences.
To encourage my couples to be carefree in front of an intimidating lens, I’ve learned to document play using activity prompts more than formal poses. Perhaps the next step to elevate my work is to let go of expectations and to capture unique chemistry in a way that’s less ‘picture perfect’ but more cinematic and raw.
I’ve also trained myself to freeze time and spot soft, candid magical in-betweens in the mundane everyday. These usually feature shadows and rhythmic patterns made by everyday objects, which I shoot on my iphone as a subconscious daily exercise. It’s almost like playing ‘I Spy’, finding sparks of peace and joy in the world, and I highly recommend it!
On wedding days, I will typically shoot with my Nikon Z 6II, Nikon D750, 50mm f/1.8, and 24-70mm f/2.8 – with the 24-70mm being used 80 percent of the day. For adventure sessions, however, the lightweight 50mm f/1.8 prime is where I feel most creative, encouraging myself to come closer for a shot and making myself run into the distance for an open perspective. The wide aperture provides a beautiful soft bokeh and a foreground blur that helps frame a more intimate story.
Getting to know my couples before their wedding day is a beautiful combination of my artistic ability and innate curiosity