The Wedding, the Studio, and the Unexpected Reunion 婚禮、攝影棚與未完的重逢

I dreamt that I returned to a time before I got married. My boyfriend (now husband) and I were going to take wedding photos. Since I wanted something simple, a friend recommended a small personal photography studio.

We took a bus and arrived at what seemed like Songshan Station in Taipei. After getting off, I wondered, “Where is this studio?”

We kept walking forward. I asked a passerby where "XX Zhai Tang" was, and they said, "You're almost there! It's just ahead."

We reached what looked like a department store or general goods shop, where I saw many nuns and children lining up to go inside. Leading them was a slightly plump nun, followed by a group of kids, while some monks had already entered.

The children noticed me in my wedding dress and exclaimed, “The bride!” It seemed I had planned to visit them later that week. I told them, “I’m here for a photo shoot today, but I’ll come see you in a few days!” They replied cheerfully and continued into the store.

My boyfriend and I kept walking and eventually arrived at a plaza lined with two rows of houses. Finally, we reached the photography studio.

The photographer asked what kind of wedding photo I wanted. I said I preferred a simple shot with a schoolyard setting, where the two of us would face each other. The photographer agreed.

I later learned that this photographer used to be a dancer but likely turned to photography because dancing didn’t pay well. The two friends who recommended the studio were also there. They, too, used to be dancers, and as they chatted, they started dancing. I grew anxious, thinking, “Can’t they finish our photos first? We still have a banquet tonight!” But they seemed carefree, typical of young people, and not very focused.

The studio had no elaborate backdrops. The photographer asked me to lie on the floor, using some creative techniques. He placed a piece of paper, a matchbox, and a bit of water on the ground, manipulating the camera to create the illusion of me crossing a bridge. The paper had a brick-wall pattern, and with the water, it gave the impression of a car interior.

I thought, “Huh? This works?” I had assumed they would take us on location for outdoor shots. Instead, they used paper and matchboxes to simulate outdoor scenes. They even created a schoolyard setting with a piece of paper featuring a brick wall design. I was amazed, thinking, “Wow, you can get it all done in a studio without going outside.”

As the shoot progressed, the photographer suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no, my face is oily! I need a facial.” I was speechless. “Seriously? I’m the bride! I haven’t even touched up my makeup, and you’re worried about a facial?”

He went into a small room, opened a box, and pulled out some skincare products. The two young assistants joined him for facials. I thought, “Hiring these young people was a mistake—they’re so unreliable and unfocused.”

When they returned, they asked if I still danced. Then, right there, they started practicing dance moves. I noticed their bodies had become a bit chubby, and I thought, “They probably don’t train anymore.” Yet their movements remained agile, and they even struck what they thought were “cool” poses with raised legs. They were clearly having a lot of fun.

Finally, the shoot was over, and it was time to clean up. I helped mop the floor. Suddenly, I remembered I had arranged to meet my dad there but hadn’t given him the exact address—just the bus stop and a sign’s name. I worried, “How will he find me?” I decided to call him.

I called his office, but a colleague named Mrs. Jin answered. I asked for my dad, but she said, “He’s not here. I know who you are—you never visit him. I know the kind of person you are, so sorry, I won’t help you reach him.” Then she hung up.

I felt a pang of sadness. Deep down, I knew she was right. I hadn’t visited my dad often. At that moment, I woke up.

夢見我回到還沒結婚的時候，我和男友 (老公) 要去拍結婚照。因為我想拍個簡單的結婚照，朋友就推薦我們到一間小的攝影個人工作室。

我們坐著公車，來到好像是台北松山站，然後下了車。我心想「這個工作室在哪裡呢？」

我們一直往前走。我問路人 "ＸＸ齋堂" 在哪裡，路人說「就快到了啊！就在前面啊！」

我來到一個像是百貨雜貨舖，看到很多尼姑和小朋友，他們正準備排隊進去。帶頭是一位微胖的尼姑，後面跟著一群小朋友，其中有些法師已經先進去了。

小朋友看到我穿著新娘禮服，他們大喊「新娘子」。因為好像在我的行程裡面，這個禮拜要去看他們。我跟他們說：「我今天要拍照，等過幾天，我就會去看你們喔！」小朋友回說好，繼續進入雜貨舖。

然後我和男友繼續走啊走，來到一個廣場，旁邊有兩排房子，終於來到這個攝影工作室。

攝影師問我想要拍什麼樣子的結婚照，我說我喜歡拍一個有學校景觀、兩個人面對面的簡單結婚照。攝影師就說好。

後來我知道這個攝影師，之前是舞者，可能是當舞者的待遇不好，所以他兼差做攝影師。

介紹我來的兩個朋友也在現場，他們幾個以前都是舞者，他們在那裡聊著聊著就跳起舞來。我在那裡暗自焦急，心想不趕快先幫我們拍完照，讓我們先走，因為晚上還要請酒。可是他們很歡樂，這些年輕人做事就是不夠專心。

那個攝影棚內什麼景都沒有。後來攝影師叫我躺在地上，好像要運用一些攝影的技巧。我看到他在地上放了一張紙，還有一個火柴盒，灑了一點水。然後就玩弄起鏡頭，做出感覺像是我在過橋的樣子，可是實際上那就是一張紙。我看到紙上像是有磚牆的圖案，然後又有水。這樣整個弄起來，看起來像是在車內。

我心想「蛤？這樣子也行？」我以為他們要帶我們出外景，原來用幾張紙、幾個火柴盒，就可以弄出外景的樣子。然後他用那張畫著磚牆的紙，製造出校園的場景。我心想：「哇喔～，原來根本都不用出外景，直接在一個攝影棚內搞定。」

攝影師照一照，突然大喊「哎呀！我的臉出油了，我要去做臉。」我心想「拜託～我是新娘子耶！我都沒有要重新上妝。你這個攝影師，還要去做臉？」

然後他就跑去他的小房間，打開一個箱子，箱子下面有一些化妝品。接著另外兩個年輕人也一起去做臉。我覺得找這些年輕人拍照真的很不牢靠，都不專心先把事情做完。

然後他們又跑出來，問我是否還有跳舞，接著他們當場就練起舞來。我看到他們的身材都已經有點腫腫胖胖的，我心裡想「這個應該就是沒有在練了吧！」不過他們的身手還是很矯健。跳一跳，還突然把腿舉起來，擺了一個自認為很酷的姿勢。反正他們就是很歡樂。

終於拍完了要清理場地，我趕快幫他們拖地。拖一拖，突然想起我跟爸爸約了在這裡碰面，可是我沒有跟他講地址，只有告訴他下車的公車站和招牌的名字，那他這樣子怎麼找得到我呢？我想說那我要趕快打電話給他。

我本來想請這幾個年輕人可不可以到剛剛我下車的那個地方，去等一位老年人，然後接他過來，可是他們就是很歡樂在聊天跳舞。我心想還是先打電話給爸爸，告訴他怎麼過來。

我打電話到爸爸公司，然後是他同事金媽媽接的電話。我說我要找ＸＸＸ，然後金媽媽回說：「ＸＸＸ不在。我知道你是誰，因為你都沒有來看過你爸爸，我知道你的為人，所以對不起，我是不會幫你把電話轉給他的。」就把電話掛了。

我心裡有點難過，心想其實她講的對。我那時候也不常去看爸爸，然後我就醒了。