AILÉA is a couple-portrait studio in Kyoto, here to add another one. You choose what to wear, we do your hair and make-up, and you step into a set that has been built for it. Less an errand to collect photographs than three and a half hours together that happen to end with them.
How close the two of you stand, how you laugh now. Kept in a form you can look back on in a few years' time. You do not have to wait for a milestone to be allowed to keep it. That is what this studio is for.
AILÉA is a coined name, taken from aile, the French word for wing. Light, unbound, shaped the way the two of you want it — a shoot that does not have to follow a set form.
There are more reasons to be photographed together than a wedding: a honeymoon, a trip to Kyoto, the anniversary of the day you met, a marriage registration, a welcome board for a reception — or an ordinary day you would like to make a little special. The day you want to keep is the day that becomes the occasion.
AILÉA is the couple-portrait brand of Look Make Lab Esperanto Kyoto, a studio specialising in hair, make-up and styling, and one of the studios of the Kyoto Kokoro Group.
The group's studios have been dressing and photographing visitors in Kyoto since 2006 — maiko and oiran transformations among them. The kitsuke, the hair and the make-up behind AILÉA come from twenty years of that work, which is why a bridal kimono here is put on by someone who does it every day.
An uchikake or hikifurisode is normally worn once, at a wedding. Here you can wear one on a honeymoon, an anniversary, or an ordinary day in Kyoto — dressed by a trained kitsuke stylist, in about three and a half hours, with nothing else to arrange.
Sets built around a theme, plus plain white and black. Distinctive enough if you want something unusual, and classic enough if you would rather keep it timeless.
Everything happens inside the studio. No rain, no crowds, no waiting for the light — which makes it easy to place in a day of sightseeing, whatever the season you are travelling in.
There is no consultation visit beforehand; we talk it through on the day. Costume, hair and make-up are included, so you arrive empty-handed.
Lighting and framing are built for each set-up, and every photograph you receive is fully retouched. The make-up is natural and contemporary, and the styling is current rather than traditionally bridal — the picture is closer to an editorial portrait than to a record of the day.
We photograph at our studio at KOKORO Okazaki Bldg. 1F, 53-37 Awataguchi-Toriicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8436, Japan, a few minutes from Heian Shrine. Kimono and dress styles are photographed on one of our built sets or against plain white or black; concept styles come with a set of their own. A gold-screen drawing room with a round window, an antique Western room, a garden of green walls and white pillars, a neon back alley — each one built around a theme.
Everything happens indoors rather than on location, so the weather, the crowds and the light are never the deciding factor. It also means the shoot fits neatly between other things you have planned in Kyoto.
From arrival to leaving, allow about 3.5h on Standard, and about 4h on Premium.
Send us your preferred dates through the form — from overseas, before you travel, is fine.
We talk through the style, the garments and the mood you want, on the day.
You each choose what to wear from our wardrobe.
Hair and make-up to suit the look. For kimono, a stylist dresses you — the part that cannot be rushed.
On the studio set, mostly couple shots, with solo shots if you would like them.
You choose your favourites; we retouch them and send them within about a month.
Yes. Send your preferred dates through the booking form before you travel, and we will confirm availability by email.
Yes. Our staff aren't fully fluent in English, but many guests who speak little Japanese enjoy the shoot with no trouble. We guide you mainly by showing poses, with gestures and simple English, and we can use a translation app when needed.
Not at all. Any couple is welcome — a honeymoon, an anniversary, a proposal, or simply your Kyoto trip.
Being photographed together,
on your own terms.
From ¥42,900 tax incl. ／ about 3.5h ／ costume, hair, make-up and retouched images included