A Wedding Photoshoot in Milan with Asena and Bedirhan
Some photo sessions carry much more history than the few hours we spend together. Asena and Bedirhan built their relationship across different parts of Europe. Education, work and life often placed them in different cities, so part of their relationship was spent at a distance. Eventually, their paths brought them to the same place. Today they live together in Milan, where they also began this new chapter of their lives as a married couple. They wanted their wedding photoshoot in Milan to celebrate exactly that.
Back to Piazza del Duomo
We started the morning in Piazza del Duomo, somewhere that already had an important place in their story. It was here, in front of the Duomo di Milano, that Bedirhan had proposed to Asena. Coming back after their marriage therefore felt like the most natural place to begin the photographs.
We did not want the session to feel too formal. Asena wore a simple modern wedding dress and veil, while Bedirhan chose a light suit. We walked through the square, moved around, laughed and let the morning develop naturally instead of turning every few metres into another posed photograph. The Duomo is obviously one of Milan’s most recognizable landmarks, but for them it was not simply a beautiful background. It belonged to their relationship already. That makes a difference.
Meeting Before the Photoshoot
We had actually met face to face the evening before. Over aperitivo and pasta, we talked about Italy, politics, life, wine, food culture and plenty of things that had nothing to do with photography. For me, meetings like this can completely change a photoshoot. By the following morning, we were no longer three strangers meeting for the first time in Piazza del Duomo. The ice had already been broken, and I think that feeling comes through in the photographs. Asena later described it beautifully in her review:
“It felt more like spending time with a friend than having a photoshoot.”
That is very close to how I want my couple and wedding photography to feel.
From the Duomo to the Galleria and the Streets of Milan
After photographing around the Duomo, we continued walking through central Milan, including Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and some of the smaller streets nearby.
I like working this way because a city becomes more interesting when it is allowed to be part of the photographs rather than simply functioning as a collection of famous landmarks.
Some photographs show the architecture of Milan very clearly. Others could be small moments from almost any ordinary morning together. For me, the combination of the two is what makes a gallery feel personal.
Milan's Historic Trams
There was one part of Milan that Asena and Bedirhan particularly wanted to include: the trams. They both love Milan’s historic trams, so we made them part of the morning rather than treating them as another location to tick off a list. We rode together, photographed inside the wooden carriages and used the movement, windows, light and everyday passengers around us. Some of my favourite photographs from the session came from these few minutes.
The trams also say something about the city in a completely different way from the Duomo. One is monumental Milan. The other is everyday Milan. Both belong to their life there now.
Coffee and a Few Frames on 35mm Film
At one point we stopped for coffee. I had my Contax T2 point and shoot film camera with me, so I took a few photographs of Asena and Bedirhan on 35mm film during the morning as well. Some were taken during our coffee break, while others came from the tram and our walk around the city.
I enjoy mixing analogue photography into a digital wedding gallery when it fits naturally. The grain, colour and slight unpredictability of film bring a different feeling to the photographs, especially during small in between moments. You can see some of those 35mm photographs in the gallery below.
A Morning That Meant More Than Wedding Portraits
Our time together was relatively brief, but there was no reason to overcomplicate it. We walked, took the tram, stopped for coffee, talked and photographed the two of them in the city they now call home. For Asena and Bedirhan, these photographs became more than wedding portraits. After years of studying, working, travelling and sometimes maintaining their relationship from different places in Europe, they are finally living their everyday lives together in Milan.
So returning to the Duomo where their engagement began, walking through the Galleria, riding the trams they love and creating these photographs after their marriage felt like a small way of marking that change. That is probably what I enjoyed most about photographing them. Milan provided the setting, but the photographs are really about arriving somewhere together.
Looking for a Wedding Photographer in Milan?
If you are planning a wedding, an intimate celebration or a post wedding photoshoot in Milan, I photograph couples in a natural and spontaneous way, with as little forced posing as possible. A session does not need to be a tour of Milan’s landmarks. We can start somewhere meaningful to you, walk through the city, take one of the historic trams, stop for coffee or aperitivo and create photographs that feel connected to your own experience of Milan. If you are looking for a wedding photographer in Milan, you can contact me and tell me a little about the two of you and what you have in mind.
How Does It Work?
- Contact me and then let’s schedule a call so we get to know each other by talking about your needs and my services in detail.
- Once we agree on terms I send you a confirmation email and ask you to pay the first half of the total agreed amount so I fix the date.
- You have fun and I take care of the rest with my camera.
