An Evergreen Sagai
A vivid commemoration of culture and climate, Mio Monasch gets intimate with his premarital portraiture
It may be steeped in modified color schemes and obvious postures. It might scream preset, Photoshop, and fakery — gleaming with extravagant highlights and gaudy fairy-tale appeal. But wedding photography remains something we simply cannot do without — the foremost means of memorializing marriage.
When the fabled romance takes center-stage, ‘real-life’ reflections prove scarce. Pictures are frequently artificial — heightened creations intended to populate bookshelves and Instagram stories. Prone to repetition, the style can prove tedious, notwithstanding its storybook charm. Cutting through a world of clichés is a challenge worthy of the most adept practitioner, but in Mio Monasch, the genre has found an innovative force.
“It’s almost always a stunning model couple, performing the ultimate adventure… enveloped in this contrived dream. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I wanted to find some diversity in the subject, and bring it back down to reality,” Mio begins. “I’m not looking to create the best image, just because I can. You need truth. Accuracy. How it felt, smelt, what you saw, what you heard. My values have changed and grown over the years. It’s about people. The experience. The connection. If it’s already there, why change it?”
Surrounded by the breezy humidity of the Pacific Northwest, Mio was awestruck. Feathery layers of haze hung in the air like waiting apparitions, gliding across ribbons of moisture and moss. Bordered by soaring peaks and endless valleys, the state obliged a hefty lungful, a heady exhalation.
In the cold light of day, Olympic National Park was shrouded in an intoxicating, crisp ambience. The energy was palpable, and Mio knew that something unique ought to inhabit the space.
On the face of it, a demanding task was afoot, but Mio’s aspirations were firm. His subjects would need to mirror Olympic’s rawness and grandiosity, but they’d also have to match its distinctiveness, its personality. In time, a workable prospect materialized. Celebrating his recent ‘sagai’ (engagement) to fiancée Sneha, Harish was Mio’s former work associate and friend.
With heritage hailing from India, the couple would agree to showcase their customary cultural practices for Mio’s GFX System — a showpiece that would merge two seemingly incongruous narratives as one, creating something totally inimitable.
“Emphasizing the cultural particulars was definitely part of my goal. Harish is obsessed with Olympic. Like me, he loves the moodiness, the rain, the dark tones. Better yet, they’re an actual couple. They aren’t models, and they aren’t pretending. It’s wholly real,” Mio stresses.
“Introduce the Indian element, and you’ve got something really special. There was so much genuine excitement in the air. I loved being able to showcase scenarios that not a lot of people are used to seeing. I was blown away by the detail, the beauty… honored to learn about their process, and help them get back in touch with their roots. It was all very intimate, and I felt completely involved.”
As graceful henna configurations were applied to her skin, Sneha slipped into a traditional lehenga. Harish opted for a customary sherwani. Floral ‘varmala’ garlands were traded, with references to the ‘griha pravesh’ observed — a conventional ritual involving the submerging of the wife-to-be’s feet in a red dye or ‘alta,’ preceding her formal induction into the groom’s home.
Matching Sneha’s dress, cherry-red petals would simulate the pigment — a dramatic substitute that explodes in frames of muted, chilly indifference. This remarkable disparity of color produced a striking photographic feast.
“Her attire formed this beautiful contrast with the environment. It really popped. That was the final part of the puzzle,” Mio describes. “Pairing it with these settings was incredible. Take one turn and you’ll see the craziest ranges, layers of endless mountain peaks. Take another and end up at the lake, layered with fog and evergreens. It’s so moist, with a weird moss growing everywhere. Then you’ve got the vibrancy of these gorgeous garments, juxtaposed. That distinction really drew me in. I wanted to situate them in a space they felt connected to. When you’re photographing a couple, that’s integral.”
Reiterating the stance of other portrait photographers we’ve talked to, Mio underscores the value of fostering camaraderie with subjects, and choosing the right moment.
“They’re fun, comfortable people. I obviously knew Harish beforehand, so we had an understanding. I always look for a trigger to get a couple laughing. With these two, they’re massive fans of The Office. I can quote almost all of that show, so it certainly helped! When we were a little tired, I’d throw a line out, and that would get them going. Some people might consider that cheating, but the emotion was real, and it’s tethered to their relationship. You can’t command laughter. It has to be genuine.”
With GFX100S, Mio found a laudable system to craft with.
“At first, the thought of large format was a concern — I hadn’t done it before. But this kit felt recognizable. The general dials and components are parallel to what I’ve been dealing with for years. But the viewfinder, display, and HDR all blew me away. Being able to see where your focus is… that’s so important. The 100S made all the difference. You can’t just sit there and hold for a terribly long time, so you need speed — and you’ve got to hit the moment. The 100S is fast enough to do that, but it also has perfect depth. The colors and tonalities…” he pauses for thought. “It may be a continuation of the Fujifilm tradition, but I think we’ve hit hyperdrive with this update.”
When it came to lens selection, a variety of glass suited Mio’s multifaceted approach.
“Some couples will notice me less if I’m further away, and sometimes I’ll be too far removed, and they won’t take it as seriously,” he describes. “That’s why I had a slew of lenses in my bag. I needed that flexibility. I used GF45mmF2.8 R WR, GF63mmF2.8 R WR, and GF110mmF2 R LM WR. GF63mm was my principal choice. I love its sincerity. It’s closest to how the human eye perceives.”
When camera mimics cornea, photographs serve to emulate the nearness of the material world. The ensuing ‘realness’ of the image captivates and compels, and Mio’s original objectives are visualized — true and forthright.
“Because of the sensor size and higher aperture, the fall-off looks like real life. It’s matchless. The combination of body and prime feels so candid — and that naturalism really is special.”
For most of his career, Mio has engaged with commercial clients and the great outdoors. It’s safe to say that projects like these are beyond his usual sphere of influence, but with predictabilities in mind, he would end up fulfilling his aim of constructing something new — an important addition to an oversaturated photographic category.
“We get bogged down in the confines of genre. We’re stoked to be living and working in our dream space, but we also plateau. I’m so grateful to be able to pursue my dreams, but there are definitely days where I feel the repetition. As artists, we get excited when we encounter a learning curve. It’s like drinking from a fire hose, then the water pressure lessens.
“When you find new ideas, inspiration is rekindled, and you can pass that along to whoever is viewing your images. It’s rare, but you can find it. All you need to do is look harder.”
A creative call to arms, the mettle to experiment epitomizes Mio’s efforts. When confronted with clichés, consider your choices. Possibility lurks around every corner.
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