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A Group of friends in Saigon take free wedding albums and dream wedding photos for people with disabilities

Mr. Tran Khac Huynh, 57 years old, has connected studios to sponsor wedding gowns, and makeup and has taken free wedding albums for nearly 100 disabled couples in the past 6 years.

Mr. Tran Khac Huynh, 57 years old (wearing a bandana) in District 10 is a longtime photographer. During his career, he rarely saw disabled couples entering the studio to hire wedding photography.

“In 2016, I had the opportunity to assist a friend in taking wedding photos for a disabled couple. I heard from them that many couples in the same situation felt inferior to themselves, even though they wanted to hire some kind of souvenir, but they couldn’t. dared, so I decided to invite a group of colleagues to take free wedding photos for them,” Huynh shared.

So Charity Wedding Photography group was born with the aim of helping disabled couples own a dream wedding photo set.

In the picture is the wedding photo shoot of Mr. and Mrs. Le Canh Hiep, 35 years old, and Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Thuy, 40 years old, at Alibaba studio, Binh Thanh district on September 29. Mr. Hiep has been paralyzed in both legs since he was a child, currently working as a lacquer worker, while Ms. Thuy is a seamstress, her left leg is a bit weak but still able to walk. 

Shooting outdoors in the studio often has to move to many different points, so photographers often take the responsibility of carrying the bride and groom. In the picture, a cameraman is carrying the groom Canh Hiep to the place to take pictures. 

Taking pictures of people with disabilities is more difficult and time-consuming than taking pictures of ordinary people. 

In addition to the photographer, the sewing of costumes and makeup is equally important in the photo shoot. At first, Huynh had difficulty finding costume sponsors and makeup artists. Currently, the group has a professional team with all parts from photography to logistics. 

Previously, Huynh took wedding photos for couples in the park. Later, he rented a studio and film studio to take pictures outside. Initially, the group paid for the cost, but later on, the studio got free entrance tickets when Huynh took pictures for the disabled. 

Huynh’s group is well known to the disabled community. Every month, his team takes pictures for about 2-3 couples. After the couple’s contact, Huynh will go to the house to verify the situation, take their measurements to prepare the costumes. Then, he posted to the group to ask for the support of members such as studio owners, makeup artists and photographers.

In the picture is a photo session of Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dung, 48 years old, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, 44 years old, both working as workers in Binh Duong. The couple both have weak legs and can only walk with crutches. Despite their age, the couple still longs to have a wedding album as a souvenir. 

Mr. Huynh shared his feelings about work: “People with disabilities often have few friends. They rarely go out, so they are rarely photographed.

After the photo session, the photographers will select the photos and do post-production and send them to Huynh. The group leader is responsible for synthesizing, designing the album and then printing it.

Usually, the group will give the photographer an album with about 60 small pictures inside and a large wooden picture to hang on the wall with a beautiful design.

Couples who are about to get married will be given priority to take photos as soon as possible. Pictured are the couple Van Minh, 32 years old, and Kim Ngan, 33 years old, from Cu Chi district. The couple will get married on October 23, so Huynh’s group prioritized taking pictures last week. 

“After I asked for help, Mr. Huynh verified the situation and scheduled the shoot in just 4 days. My wife and I were luckier than other disabled couples in that we could still walk, so the shoot took place quite quickly. Without Mr. Huynh, I would not have taken a wedding album because I wanted to save money,” Ngan said, her eyes bright. 

In addition to sponsored wedding costumes, disabled couples are also given couple shirts to take more pictures. 

When wearing casual clothes, couples are more comfortable styling, laughing and joking more naturally than when wearing wedding clothes, often somewhat shy. Team members are always enthusiastic to guide couples to pose, make jokes so that they have poses with beautiful moments. The photographer moves, shoots from many different angles, limiting the defective parts of the photographer’s body.

After taking pictures, Huynh and the members of the group often bring the album home. If the couple can easily travel by motorbike, Huynh makes an appointment to go to the film studio to receive pictures. 

Because of the pairing of two couples for one session, the studio often has many cameramen as well as logistics personnel. All of them take the time, effort, and participate in activities completely free of charge. 

Mr. Huynh (far left) said: “When taking pictures, I don’t consider them disabled. Because I see that they are still cheerful, still yearning to own beautiful and happy pictures like ordinary bride and groom couples. When I receive the album, I see them cry, many people are embarrassed, cherish it, making me realize that what I and the group are doing is meaningful.”

(Dan Tri)

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