We always wanted to do a pre-wedding shoot in Hampi, one of the best locations for pre-wedding in India, undoubtedly. This was our second outing with Sachin & Neeraja, post covering their engagement in July last year. And one day at a meeting in our office, we brainstormed together and decided to shoot their pre wedding at Hampi. It was a unanimous decision, and all of us were thrilled and waited eagerly for the shoot. 

Sachin is a lawyer and Neeraja is a dentist by profession. Sachin & Neeraja are the classic case of how “opposites attract each other”. Its an arranged love story, that they call it. But once you meet them, you will feel that they know each other since ages. Their love, chemistry & joys in enjoying little moments and taking turns to tease each other are something which makes their relationship more special & unique. And naturally, we were thrilled to be on-board the second time for their pre-wedding shoot in Hampi.

So, we were all set. We left the next day after Diwali last year, 8th Nov, 2018. Little did we know we were up on an adventure that we would not forget the rest of our lives. The plan was to travel Hampi via road. We got the delivery of our new car Tata Nexon on the day of Diwali. And Anupam was really thrilled to take it out the next day. We were set to cover a distance of 730 km in 13 hrs. Sachin & Neeraja also joined us on road, in their Renault Captur. 

Hampi is charismatic even in its ruined state, the beauty lies in the temples, ruins of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, treasury buildings. And when there is an even more charismatic & enthusiastic couple, the joy of shooting is all the more. Together with #saneera & the temples, the ruins & the boulder strewn structures, we made some stunning photographs. And, all the drive and the journey throughout was really worth it! 

We shot across multiple locations starting off with Virupaksha Temple in the background at the Hemakutta Group of temple complex. This pretty much took the entire one morning. Thereafter we advanced to structures at Hampi Bazaar opposite the Krishna Temple. In the evening we proceeded to the hill of Raghunath Temple. This has a great view of the sunset and is free of any interruptions and guards. The best part of shooting in Hampi is that one doesn’t really need to shoot at Famous temple but you can always choose a hillock with some ruins around or a hill simply with a good view. The whole landscape is very beautiful with big boulders and small hillocks, lush green fields and the Tungabhadra River flowing across this landscape lending it a scenic charm. On driving back to Mumbai we took a detour to Pattadakal & Badami. 

A few things to keep in mind (for the photographers & the couples) if you decide to shoot in Hampi – a. Do take permission from the authorities of the place before planning a shoot in Hampi, b. Carry comfortable shoes as it involves a lot of climbing up and down on the boulder structures. c. Carry hair spray, as it might get too windy to hold your locks in place. Now, checkout their amazing photos as below –