Moon & Theory
Photographs for the way it felt.
We are Ruth and Mo, the two people behind Moon & Theory.
I fell in love with photography when I was very young, and weddings have always held a special place in my heart — the joy, the quiet moments, and the way people become so fully themselves when they are surrounded by love.
Before becoming a wedding photographer, I spent years working as a digital marketer. For a long time, photography was something I carried with me quietly, until one day I realized that if I never gave myself the chance to do this, I would regret it. No other path had ever made me feel that way. So once I knew, there was no hesitation — I simply began.
Mo is an engineer at Intel, and after we met, photography somehow became part of our life together too. We like to joke that when you marry a photographer, you don’t just get a wife — photography comes with the vows. He still has his own full-time career, but he has supported this dream in every way: emotionally, practically, and, very much in engineer fashion, by learning everything there is to know about cameras, lenses, lighting, and all the little gear details I am more than happy to let him geek out over.
Together, photography has become more than work for us. It is how we notice people, how we remember a feeling, and how we tell stories with honesty, beauty, and care.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” — James 1:17
It started with our own wedding in Karuizawa
Before we officially became wedding photographers, we planned our own wedding in 2024 — a year-long process that made us fall even more deeply in love with weddings, not only for how beautiful they can look, but for the care, emotion, and intention behind every decision.
We chose Karuizawa, Japan, as the place to gather with the people we love. Surrounded by nature, quiet light, and the kindest weather we could have hoped for, the day became exactly what we had imagined: warm, intimate, thoughtful, and quietly nostalgic.
Looking back, planning our own wedding helped shape the way we now see and photograph weddings — with a deeper appreciation for the small details, the rhythm of the day, and the feeling that remains long after it is over.
Our wedding was photographed by our dear friends at Studio Opia, and all photo credits belong to them. You can read and see more from the day in our feature on Together Journal.
The Way We See It
Our Style
To us, photography is a way of giving shape to something beautiful that once lived in imagination. We are drawn to honest, emotional images — photographs that preserve not only how a day looked, but how it felt.
We see ourselves as storytellers of happiness, documenting real emotions with an eye for beauty, atmosphere, and the quiet details that make each celebration personal.
Our Approach
We photograph with both digital and film — and yes, we do film!!!
Digital helps us move with the rhythm of the day, while film brings softness, depth, and a sense of surprise we love. Waiting for film scans feels a little like opening a blind box from the day — familiar, unexpected, and always exciting.
Where We’re Based
We are based in Portland, Oregon, and photograph weddings throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We are always open to wherever your story takes us — whether it is a city hall, a coastal town, a garden, a family home, or somewhere meaningful only to you.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14