A long time ago someone very special said to us that “Time is very valuable, how and where you spend it determines the quality of your life.”
That’s resonated with us a lot. We spend most of our time telling other people’s stories. Documenting the lives and histories of those around us. And we kept looking for how we would “spend our own time”. It took a while for us to realize, that all these stories we’re telling about the lives and love of others, they’re completely intertwined with our own journey. These stories are actually our own.
Everywhere we travel around the world for our couples and their glorious celebrations, our memories are recorded, felt emotions echoed and etched across time in our mind. Our love of the world, it’s people and cultures growing with every new place and every new adventure. It became very clear that our greatest passion was observing every detail of this incredible journey of life we’re on together.
And as such, now 20 years on, we look back on the adventures, the icons, the incredible places we’ve been fortunate to cross paths with. And we can't actually believe how much beautiful and ridiculous and incredible and insane things have happened to us. And... how brilliant it is to be in a position to write and share photos about it all. We continue to pursue sharing all that is beautiful and good in the world. And we look forward to so much more.
Behind our passion for landscape photos of the world, lies so much meaning. And so much of who we are. So here is how and why we’re spending the time doing what we do.
We will always feel a surge of joy when traveling. When photographing a powerful waterfall or waking up for amazing sunrises over iconic mountain ranges. These scenes always make us appreciate the world and all it gives us. Keeping us connected and grounded. And always aware of much we need to care for all of this beauty for the next generations to come.
These images all showcase in one way or another, our need for calm and time away. A restorative and healing process. So that we’re always ready and switched on for our next big weddings. Landscape photography is one of the most effective ways we deal with stress. And reminisce about the crazy adventures we’ve been a part of. “You haven't really lived if you don't wonder how you've lived this long.” But as much as we reminisce, landscape photography also bonds us to the present moment too. In so many ways.
We’re fortunate that our job takes us to some amazing locations. So our landscape photography is a way for us to explore in every way possible. Because a lot of the time, we not on vacation, it means a few days either side of work, we exhaustively cover as much as we can. And funnily enough, it’s that exhaustion that buoys our energy. Discovering the world around us brings us so much joy.
The thrill of chasing the light will never leave us. We’ve spoken of chasing the light often, from our 2011 Ignite speech in Las Vegas, to our Chasing the Light Aurora Workshop that we held in Norway in 2012. Always and forever… chasing the light. Literally and figuratively. We always say the difference between good photography and great photography is light. And I guess that’s a metaphor for life too in a way.
We chase after fleeting moments that come our way. But the moment we see that perfect light, it becomes our goal. Something amazing within reach. And every sunbeam is different. Every particle of light can turn into something magical in an instant. This gives us hope, excitement and always keeps us coming back looking for more. The eternal chase for life and love. Thrilling and meaningful all rolled into one. But as we know, with everything worthwhile, no pursuit comes without struggles. Every beautiful image you see on our page, there’s a story behind it. A journey we took to make it. Behind capturing nature’s ephemeral moments are what makes up our personal stories. That old adage, that it’s not the destination but the journey getting there. This is what we see in our images.
We mentioned it earlier but being out in the world and enjoying landscape photography is a way we revitalize mind and body. It’s a time where we’re thinking more deeply and creatively, rather that reactively which is what we do with our job day in and day out. A deep creative process, rather than a reactive creative process is a skill we never knew how much we loved until we spent this time with our cameras just for us.
The rising sun is a beautiful phenomenon. We have no idea why we find it so difficult to wake up for sunrise every regular day of the week. But, if landscape photography is involved, we’re up and ready without a moment’s hesitation. Watching the color of the sky change, marveling at the passage of time and feeling that sense of being truly ‘alive’. Sunrises are about the possibilities of what lies ahead. And so many of our images are from incredible mornings. All with a story of course. Landscape photography has let to us seeing more sunrises than we would have experienced without it. We have gone on midnight hikes and seen the milky way and sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park overnight, watched sunrise over the Tetons at on a freezing winter morning and had little to no sleep between a mid summer sunset and sunrise in GlacierNP. Whatever the physical discomfort involved, pushing through the sleepiness and shivering in the cold, it’s always worth it.
Humans = storytelling. We gather and interact and share stories with one another. And it’s actually our job as professional photographers too. We take this responsibility seriously and work on it diligently. In today’s world there have been many changes in the way we communicate. It has taken the art of storytelling to new levels. And it only seems natural that as photography is a way for us to tell the stories of others in our work, that it’s the medium in which we share our own lives personally.
We live for the emotions that our images evoke, always eliciting a unique response. Different eyes see the world in different ways. People relate in different ways, and an image may invoke stories of their own. But at the heart of life, is story. And we love being able to share that.
As landscape photographers we experience the wonders of nature and share those experiences with others. They lead us to see the world in new ways. The world is our canvas and I see us grow as humans, the more we experience the diversity of the planet. Ultimately, that would be the way for a more united world. A deeper understanding and appreciation for the world around us.
To finish, there’s this quote from Germany Kent, “If you are ever blessed with an opportunity to experience love from a selfless person, keep them close because they are very rare.” We feel that way about life and the world around us. The world gives us the love that we’re open to receiving.
So here are some of our Landscape Photographs. Some of our adventures when we’re not ‘officially’ 37 Frames. But just two people completely in awe of the world.
Japan Wedding Planning & Photography | 3-8-25-703 Kamiochiai, Shinjuku-ku TOKYO Japan 161-0034 | 070-4129-2485 | info@37framesphotography.com | Copyright©2024