Dylan and Chloe flew all the way from Arizona for their Tokyo trip, and somewhere in the middle of it, we found ourselves wandering around Shinjuku together at night. This was one of three shoots during my October Tokyo marathon, and what a fun one it was.
They’ve been a couple for eight years. And let me stress that: a couple, not engaged. Hehe. But watching them together, you could easily have thought they had only met eight days ago. The laughter, the little glances, the way they moved through the city together—it all felt wonderfully easy.
Chloe first reached out to me on Instagram because she was looking for film photography. I had to be honest with her: I no longer offer it, and it has actually been more than a decade since I last shot a roll. I do hope to return to film someday, but for now, I was upfront about what I could offer. Thankfully, we still went ahead with the shoot, and I’m so glad we did.
We wandered through the lantern-lit lanes of Omoide Yokocho, stopped for drinks, and made our way around Kabukicho and the unmistakable red signage of Yodobashi Camera. There were quiet moments among the city lights, and then there was Dylan giving Chloe a piggyback across the street. Shinjuku gave us plenty of colour and movement; the two of them brought the energy.
Looking back at these photographs, what stays with me isn’t just the neon or the glow of the lanterns. It’s how much fun they seemed to be having together. Eight years in, and still finding reasons to laugh like that. :)
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A cinematic Tokyo couple shoot with Dylan and Chloe, photographed at night around Shinjuku, including Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho and Yodobashi Camera. Captured by redsheepphotocinema using the Leica SL3-S and Leica Q3, with a candid, available-light approach shaped by glowing lanterns, neon signs and the movement of Tokyo after dark.