7 minute read

Kindred Spirits

Petronella Lugemwa chronicles the diversity of multicultural love with FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR

What makes you, you? On the face of it, we’re multi-layered blends and contradictions, subdivided across cultural touchstones and ingrained belief systems. Guided by experience, we’re complex, unknowable creatures – identities malleable and mysterious to most, even ourselves.

It’s all something of a riddle, so how does this enigma unfurl when we pledge our lives to another? After all, weddings are a perfect opportunity to champion heritage in its purest form. Platforming traditions and personalities alike, the occasion is an extravagant pedestal – commemorating the big day with a showcase of what truly and palpably matters.

Of course, things won’t always perfectly align. Relationships are delicate balances of care and compromise, so what happens when – as the old adage observes – that chosen person is ostensibly our ‘opposite’?­ And how do we negotiate the challenges of that difference, while retaining our uniqueness, and preserving our individuality?

Based in New York, Petronella Lugemwa addresses these questions with a refreshing, celebratory attitude. Demonstrating how seemingly ‘different’ people can become emotionally intertwined, her wedding photography is a much-needed breath of fresh air, in an often oversaturated space.

Focusing on the ways counterparts complement one another, she uses the FUJIFILM GFX System to illustrate sincere, unadulterated assertions of love. As well as documenting more ‘traditional’ marriages, she also examines unusual unions.

Regardless of how dissimilar some couples may outwardly seem, their bonds are cultivated by seeing beyond the surface, and embracing what lies beneath.

“It bothers me that people can’t see past the superficial. Love is a totally universal thing,” she explains. “People overlook differences when it’s involved. They really connect when that’s the core.”

Adopting an all-encompassing approach, Petronella specializes in memorializing multicultural marriages in gorgeous, colorful hues. Typically, she utilizes an assortment of FUJINON GF primes – but this time, she’s adopting a more ample view.

Fittingly, the extensive range of GF20-35mmF4 R WR aligns with her comprehensively pitched ethos. Petronella’s latest collection underscores the scope and spectrum of human connection in all its forms, the wide-ranging perspective making this the ideal lens with which to create.

A Filipino couple celebrate their wedding reception in an expansive loft garden space

Photo 2022 © Petronella Lugemwa | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR, 1/250 sec at F6.4, ISO 50

“I’m in love with this glass,” she beams. “With primes, I’m constantly having to shift. That can be challenging when you don’t have an assistant, especially when everything’s so intensive. With GF20-35mmF4 R WR, you don’t have to fidget and change. Everything’s in one place, and that’s so useful.”

Reluctant at first, Petronella’s anxieties were assuaged as soon as she fixed the zoom to her FUJIFILM GFX100S.

“I was resistant to begin with, but my worries quickly dissipated,” she laughs. “With celebrations like these, there’s a lot going on, and it’s all happening rapidly.

“GF20-35mmF4 R WR allowed me to document the action, but cut out anything extraneous. With an easily adjustable focal length, you’re able to move more swiftly, and don’t miss any opportunities.”

Recounting the stories of three separate couples, an assortment of scenes make up the bulk of Petronella’s snaps. Going wide, the broadness of her canvas reveals a beautifully unorthodox portrait – a nuptial panorama, broad and far-reaching in its visual style, the vastness of the aesthetic matching the breadth of her inclusive philosophy.

“Before I begin, I try to understand who these people are, and what matters to them. I always want to try and create something that speaks to their story,” she says.

Petronella’s first subjects took to St Patrick’s Cathedral for their ceremony, and a lofty rooftop for their reception. A Filipino bride and groom, both locations represented important facets of their connection to New York.

“They chose a spectacular venue. It’s one of the tallest vantage points in NYC,” she explains.

“Showcasing it was the intention, so the lens was perfect for that purpose. In order to catch it in full, I had to position myself in another building across the street!”

With surroundings opulent and vast, Petronella was presented with an ideal opportunity to test out the force of her Fujifilm kit. In photographs of the cathedral, a low-angle exposure heightens its remarkable architectural feat, stretching the structure as whitewashed skies uphold pious overtones from the heavens above.

“I knew I couldn’t get such a view with shorter focal lengths. This time around, I did. I think it embodies exactly what they wanted.”

Her second set of subjects – a Guyanese/Nigerian pairing – are documented in and amidst Big Sur State Park, California. Currently engaged in a long-distance relationship, their romance is illustrated by more suggestive light patterning and sprawling sands, with fairy-tale scenery.

“This was so exciting. You don’t often see such cultures in locations like these. I was so proud to be a part of recording the experience.

“I thought about the richness of the landscape, their skin tones, and how certain garments corresponded with specific times of the day. For him, I wanted a pink suit. It took a bit of convincing, but the contrasts created a superb juxtaposition of color. Of course, Fujifilm are masters at producing exactly that.

“Pair it with a lens like this and you can’t go wrong. It gave me the fullest extent of foreground and background. Having never used zooms before, I expected it to have weird distortions, but the sharpness was honestly amazing.”

Petronella’s third and final couple were perhaps the most unorthodox marriage of all – epitomizing the underlying tenets that define her outlook. A May-December romance with a twist, they’re a textbook example of outwardly mismatched people being compatible where it really counts.

“From the outside looking in, you wouldn’t think they would work, based on their age differences, and cultural backgrounds,” Petronella concedes. “But when you see them interact, all those judgments disappear. They bond over their sense of humor and commonalities.

“It demonstrates that love can exist, regardless of how different you may be.”

Concluding her excursions in Oaxaca, Mexico, Petronella journeyed to El Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán – a baroque cultural hotspot where marriage ceremonies are conducted round the clock. In the nearby streets, chinas oaxaqueñas (indigenous female folk dancers) celebrate with tiliches (their male counterparts) in attending parades, extolling the festivities of newlyweds in jubilant fleets of color.

“This was a personal retreat. I went as a spectator. I’d heard so much about this place, so I ventured to the square to see what I could find. The people there are immensely proud of their culture.

“I loved their spirit. One of the families took me in, and I even got invited to a ceremony myself! We drank mezcal and got to know each other. All in all, it was a lovely experience.”

Sharing this sense of community highlights the poignancy of everything Petronella does, emphasizing connections that bond us, regardless of who we are or where we hail from. A heady balance of traditions and histories, her artistic perspective is also shaped by this idea in myriad ways.

A member of the Baganda tribe, Petronella’s roots stem from the subnational kingdom of Uganda. As a child she lived in Zimbabwe, before eventually emigrating to Alabama. Over time, she’s learned to take pride in all these features, her self-esteem bolstered by the role weddings play in dignifying and affirming self.

“In Alabama, I seldom saw myself represented. I learned to assimilate by hiding the honesty of who I was,” she recalls.

“When I started this photography journey, I began to fully embrace my cultural background. It’s a major force behind what I do – there’s a reason I chose this particular lane.

“Weddings are special, because everyone gets to see the real you. We often have to conceal parts of ourselves, but on the big day, those fears are abandoned. You get to share them with a person who truly understands you.

“In that promise, you can discard your self-consciousness, and properly honor all that you are. There’s something invaluable about that.”

Shop FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR today. Learn more and read the full specifications here.

a Guyanese/Nigerian couple, posing in front a tree in Big Sur park

Photo 2022 © Petronella Lugemwa | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF20-35mmF4 R WR, 1/200 sec at F6.4, ISO 50


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