About me
Professional photographer.
Out of passion.
As of: March 2026
My name is Jakob Montrasio. Italian father from Milan, raised in southern Germany, lived six years in Shanghai — as a cameraman, photographer, and filmmaker. I've been photographing for over 25 years. Today alongside my full-time job, formerly on film sets from Japan to southern France. Why do I still do it? Because I can't help it.
From the exhibition at the New York Skyscraper Museum to assignments for Porsche and Microsoft — my images have been shown in 12 international exhibitions. My documentary film Souls of Zen was nominated for the Golden Eye at the Zurich Film Festival. But nothing touches me like the moment when bride and groom see each other for the first time. The mother's tear. The friends' laughter.
I speak six languages — German, English, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and a bit of Latin. That helps when families from all over the world come together. Happily married for over 20 years and father of two children. I know how this day feels. Not from theory. From life.
"The most beautiful photos are taken when people forget a camera is present."
25+
Years of experience
12
International exhibitions
52K+
Instagram followers
5.0
Google rating
My path
25 years in pictures
My philosophy
Real moments.
No staging.
I'm not a fan of stiff poses and forced smiles. My best photos are taken when people are simply themselves — laughing, crying, dancing, loving.
My approach comes from film. I think in scenes, not single frames. A wedding day has a narrative arc — beginning, middle, climax. I capture it as a coherent story. Documentary-style, close, without staging.
As a former professional who now photographs out of passion, I have a decisive advantage: I don't have to make a living from photography. That means I can be selective. I only photograph weddings where the chemistry is right.
And because I do it out of passion, you get professional quality at fair prices.
More than photography
From the film set
to your wedding.
Before I photographed my first wedding in Heidelberg, I stood behind the camera on film sets in Shanghai, Rome and southern France. I directed, operated the camera, told stories — just at 24 frames per second instead of one.
My documentary film Souls of Zen about Buddhist funeral music in Japan was nominated for the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival — my cinematography helped capture this intimate, quiet world. With The Way of the Spur I shot a Spaghetti Western in Shanghai that combines martial arts with Italian cinema — because I love telling stories where cultures collide.
I grew up in southern Germany, born in 1982 in Freiburg. My father is from Milan — hence the name, hence my love for the light that falls through church windows, and for espresso at five in the morning when the wedding day begins. Six years in Shanghai taught me to stay calm in any situation. When you've made a film in China, nothing can faze you anymore — not even a rain front ten minutes before the outdoor ceremony.
What does that have to do with wedding photography? Everything. A wedding day is a film — with leading actors, supporting characters, tension, turning points, and a finale on the dance floor. I don’t see your day as a sequence of moments, but as a coherent story. And that’s exactly how I photograph it.
Six languages help with that. German and Italian from home, English and Chinese from Shanghai, Japanese from filming Souls of Zen. When at a wedding the in-laws arrive from Shanghai and the aunt from Rome — I'm not just the photographer. I also understand what's being said.
In my day job, I work as a frontend developer — so technology isn’t a hurdle, it’s a tool. And on Instagram over 52,000 people follow me. Not because of perfect staging, but because the images are real.
Fujifilm GFX medium format
With the Fujifilm GFX 50S II, I create razor-sharp images with exceptional dynamic range, beautiful bokeh and outstanding low-light performance. On request I deliver up to 100 megapixels – perfect for large-format album prints and wall art.
Reportage style
Documentary and unobtrusive. I accompany your day discreetly and capture real emotions – without interfering.
Fast delivery
Within 1-2 weeks you receive your carefully edited images in full resolution – in a private online gallery.
Interested?
Let's get to know each other
In a non-binding conversation – by phone, video or over coffee – we find out if we're a good match.