How Photographers Create Hong Kong-style Engagement Shoots in New York, LA, and Beyond

Did you know that the Hong Kong engagement photo trend you’ve seen on your Instagram actually has roots in Vietnam?

While the photos are inspired by the retro style of '80s Hong Kong cinema and fashion, the modern trend is credited to Vietnamese photographer Vũ Thụy Khuê, also known as "Kemmie the Cat." In September 2022, Kemmie posted a photo shoot on Instagram titled "Around You, Around Saigon," featuring a couple in retro wedding attire posed casually around Saigon. Her photo style was inspired by her parents’ pre-wedding photos from the 1980s, which had an informal feel against a city backdrop. Her compositions also drew inspiration from Hong Kong movies of that period, especially Wong Kar-wai. The post went viral, amassing nearly 230,000 likes and helping popularize a new aesthetic for modern engagement shoots.

From there, the trend made its way to North America, where photographers across the US and Canada have put their own spin on the style. Just as Kemmie shot her Hong Kong-inspired photos in Saigon, North American photographers are recreating the '80s Hong Kong aesthetic in the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and beyond.

Behind the Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong aesthetic

Wong Kar-wai films like In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, and Fallen Angels are direct inspiration for Hong Kong-style engagement shoots. These films are celebrated for their mood, and the way color is used for emotional storytelling. The signature aesthetic elements include neon-lit streets, moody lighting, and rich color palettes with reds, greens, and golds.

Photographers recreate that aesthetic in engagement shoots by using dramatic lighting, camera angles, similar color palettes, and grainy film texture. Some shots may directly referencing a scene from a movie, while others simply embrace the overall aesthetic. Shooting at night helps make glowing signs, wet streets, and intimate alleys feel like a Hong Kong movie. Couples are also encouraged to act casually, sharing a laugh or a meal together. Instead of posed portraits, the photos feel like candid moments that capture the couple’s real relationship.

Techniques like blurring also help to create a cinematic aesthetic. For the photo below, photographer Aileen Choi deliberately incorporated blur to show movement around her couple, inspired by a Wong Kar-wai still:

The inspiration for this shot is to emulate a movie still, specifically one inspired by Wong Kar Wai films. This was the concept the couple approached me with. I wanted to incorporate motion blur to show movement and create more interest, while it also emphasizes the subjects since they're standing still. I also wanted to make use of the windows to frame the couple.

— Aileen (Aileen Choi Photo)

Location also goes a long way in recreating the Wong Kar-wai aesthetic. However, as Kemmie’s viral Saigon shoot demonstrates, you don’t have to travel to Hong Kong to have a Hong Kong-style engagement shoot.

Local Chinatowns in North American cities offer many of the visual elements associated with the style, like neon signs, red lanterns, and narrow streets. Some couples also start their session in an elegant hotel for a glamorous, editorial feel before heading into the city for nighttime street photos. The combination of urban energy, atmospheric lighting, and candid moments is what gives these shoots their signature look.

Photographer Kevin Liang found the perfect setting on Doyer Street in New York City's Chinatown:

Inspired by Wong Kar-wai's style and this wedding trend, I wanted to capture this nostalgia here in New York City. Mabu Cafe on Doyer Street was the perfect setting; I saw the signage and leading lines that would be perfect to frame my couple.

— Kevin (Kevin Liang Photography)

Creative lighting can be just as important as a good location. Alvis Pham of AP Photography was simply walking around on a shoot when the light changed everything:

I was walking around when I saw the sunlight casting an interesting beam of light. I wanted to experiment a bit and thought, what if I used the high contrast between the sunlight and the shadows to separate the subject from the background! This was a little tricky since the light was cast at an angle so my solution was to have the groom stand and the bride sit so they were both in the beam of sunlight! Not all experimental shots work but I couldn't be happier with how this one turned out!

— Alvis (AP Photography)

The result was one of his favorite shots, which shows how the Hong Kong-style aesthetic is as much about adapting creatively as it is about finding the right street.

Outfits and props

During photo shoots, couples often wear 1980s-inspired looks that nod to the era without feeling like costumes. Your actual wedding clothes may be too modern for the engagement shoot (and you may want to keep it a surprise for the big day), but there’s no need to buy a second outfit.

Couples often thrift or rent retro-style wedding outfits for the shoot, or they wear clothes from their own closets that have a vintage feel. Men might choose to wear dark slacks, while women might wear a dress with puffy sleeves, a short veil, and gloves. Cultural clothing like cheongsams are also a popular choice.

Props can also add to the ’80s and ’90s aesthetic. For example, Andy Wong of Toucan Weddings composed a shot with a vintage Toyota Century while the groom smokes a cigarette, enhancing the retro feeling of the photo:

The inspiration was from Wong Kar Wai Movies and so the client had a vintage Toyota Century and we wanted to create that older 80s and 90s aesthetic with him smoking and his wife holding him closely. We did this shoot in Chinatown and it was lit [with a] two-light set up with a key and back light.

— Andy (Toucan Weddings)

More than just an aesthetic

Beyond the stunning visuals, Hong Kong-style engagement shoots feel both personal and joyful. Perhaps you watched Wong Kar-wai films as a teenager. Perhaps your parents married during the ’80s and did a casual pre-wedding shoot. The trend offers a way to celebrate cultural roots while creating engagement photos that feel fresh and contemporary. 

Couples who’ve done these shoots often find them fun and freeing compared to a traditional portrait session. Since the shoot is meant to showcase authenticity and informalness, it can feel less like a photoshoot and more like a good date together.

Lucy Massavielli of Vielli Studio puts it simply:

My goal is to create photos that you can feel, so that when my couples look at them years down the road, they're transported back to that moment. Above all, I want my couples to have the best time when they just got proposed to, married, or just because!

— Lucy (Vielli Studio)

Find a photographer for your Hong Kong-style engagement shoot

The photos for this post were all shot by photographers in North America who are experienced with this aesthetic. If you’re interested, check out their links below.

New York

Kevin Liang Photography
Instagram

Vielli Studio
Instagram

Southern California

Toucan Weddings
Instagram

AP Photography
Instagram

Vancouver

Aileen Choi Photo
Instagram