Smita & Gary : Couple Shoot in Mumbai

Smita & Gary : Couple Shoot in Mumbai

by | Jun 4, 2016 | Mumbai, Photography, Photojournalism, Pre Wedding | 0 comments

Smita & Gary : Couple Shoot in Mumbai

 

A couple shoot in the action packed city of Mumbai has to be amidst a lot of action. Mumbai is a city which never sleeps and life goes on from the early hours in the morning to midnight. 

This time we tried to do something different. So, we juxtaposed the couple against the usual morning scenes at some of the unique & iconic places in Mumbai – Marine Drive, Gateway of India, Ballard Estate & Express Freeway. What we came across were the early morning jogs, people travelling to work, people working hard to earn their livelihood & simply onlookers staring as we were at our work. Each frame is unadulterated, and our approach was documentary & story telling. Hope you all like it! Scroll down for the photo-set below!

This wouldn’t have been possible without Smita & Gary, and their sporty spirit. So thank you two, you guys were amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

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Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

by | May 28, 2016 | Box 1, Candid Wedding Photography, Photography, Photojournalism, South Indian, Team Weddings, Wedding Stories | 0 comments

Kannadiga-Bangalore wedding

 

On 16th May, 2016 we covered Jyotika & Ravi’s wedding in Bangalore as a part of a promise which we made when Jyotika won in our Facebook contest for free wedding photography. She was super excited and could barely sleep the night she came to know of results.

She visited our boutique in Mumbai with lot of excitement which made us realize how our work can make someone so happy. This was a huge responsibility and it made us more determined to deliver her our best.

So it was decided that Anupam and Sunny would cover her wedding in Bangalore. On arrival at Bangalore airport, Anupam was gripped with Nostalgia where he had spent more than 2 years of his life fresh after graduation. When we arrived at the venue – Saraswati Convention Centre at Magadi Road, Jyotika had started to get ready. At the entrance we met her father who was visibly happy and told us that he loved photography himself. When we met Jyotika her fears were put to rest, whether we would really make it for her wedding. 
 The day was set for an early morning marriage with traditional Hindu customs and rites as prevalent in Karnataka. As a matter of fact the customs on groom’s side were a bit different compared to the bride as they belonged to different parts of the same state. India’s diversity in culture is clearly evident in its weddings. Every place has its own set of customs and traditions and it also depends on the community to which one belongs. This very diversity makes our job as documentary photography so interesting. For all its diversity the common threads of similar beliefs are also well reflected in many customs – for eg. Kashi Yatra, Kanyadan, the Pheras, the Promises, Mangalsutra, Antarpat etc. Our experience with the richness and diversity of Indian weddings can very well form a good subject for PhD research. 
Like all Indian weddings there are a number of functions that happen in a Kannadiga wedding. Jyotika chose to wear different Kanjeevaram and Silk sarees for her functions adorned with elegant and simple Gold jewellery . For the wedding she looked splendid in a cream white and orange Kanjeevaram while Ravi looked every bit the proverbial tall, dark and handsome in the traditional silk dhoti with zari border with white and gold pagdi. During the fun couple shoot the ladies quipped to see his abs which made him blush.
As it was a early morning wedding we were happy to start the day early with beautiful early morning hours perfect lighting for photographs. We had great fun shooting their wedding and photos came out just as kickass as we had hoped.

A week later while we were shooting Ameya and Anuradha’s wedding (next on the blog) in Mumbai we met Jyotika’s dad again and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “You guys are shooting everywhere!”

We tried to keep the photographs as documentary, candid and non intrusive in nature as we could and we hope you like them. If any of you is getting married in Bangalore and would like to hire us, give us a shout. We are in absolute love with Bangalore and its culture. In August we would be covering one more wedding in one of the most beautiful venues of Bangalore for weddigns — Ganjam Mantapa, near Bull Temple. 

But for now just experience the photographs from this elegant and simple South Indian Wedding and let us know in the comments how you find the photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Engagement in Mumbai

Engagement in Mumbai

by | Jan 13, 2016 | Candid Wedding Photography, Engagement, Photography, Wedding Stories | 0 comments

Engagement in Mumbai

Wedding is a celebration that brings together the dearest of one’s relations with a reason to rejoice the new bond between two people. In the Indian culture these reasons are multiplied by having several facets to them. Engagement being the smaller promise to commit with each other for a lifetime, is the first of the many days of excitement to wedding. Photographing an engagement, which is more personal, has its own charm. Especially when the family is known and the environment is so humble. After shooting Nishita’s Tulsi Vivaah it was more exciting to photograph his brother Saahil’s engagement with the gorgeous to-be bride, Shivani. The engagement happened in a Lakshmi Narayan temple in Vile Parle. Just like a snapshot from a fairytale, Saahil went down on his keens to propose Shivani. The two began their journey towards a new life with the blessings of their family and friends. The wide smiles and vibrant joy on everyone’s faces, lit up the engagement day, blessing Saahil and Shivani the best to come!  

 

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Tulsi Vivaah: Pre Wedding Rituals

Tulsi Vivaah: Pre Wedding Rituals

by | Jan 7, 2016 | Candid Wedding Photography, North Indian, Photography, Pre Wedding, Wedding | 0 comments

Photography is a profession but the more personal you get, the better you can click. You get more receptive to the emotions around you and hence your lens capture them in the realest possible way. Like the trust the goes with a family physician it is good to be a family photographer for the same reasons. Nishita’s family is one that invests the trust it takes to capture the best moments at the biggest and the smallest of their family events in me. Having covered her grandparent’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary, I fit into their functions just like any other member of the family. As a photographer being a part of the celebrations gets you the best moments on shot. The real smiles, the real joy and the subtlest of the emotions are framed well.

Nishita is a graduate from New York and is now married to her long standing love Rohan, who she met in college.  In the Hindu tradition due to certain placement of the planet Mars, at the time of birth, it could lead to one being Mangalik. To cancel the power of that force, a pre-wedding ritual to marry a Tulsi plant (Holy Basil) is organized. The function is one of the marks of starting the wedding celebrations and the rituals hold a great value for the bride and the groom’s future wellbeing. Nishita and her family members celebrated the day with a zest, seeing the beginning of their lovely daughter stepping into a new life. Amidst the scenic beauty of a farmhouse in Lonavala all the ceremonies and smiles captured in the pictures speak for the excitement that everyone looks forward to for her wedding day.

 

Gujrati wedding in Mumbai

Gujrati wedding in Mumbai

by | Jan 6, 2016 | Box 1, Candid Wedding Photography, Gujrati Wedding, Photography, Wedding, Wedding Stories | 0 comments

Gujrati wedding in Mumbai

Friendship is a relationship that is bound by no norms of the society. It is the simple joy of being together and being there for each other. When the foundation of a marriage is laid by one such strong relationship of friendship then there is only ahead to look from there. Kanan and Nirav stood like two friends redefining their relationship with each other, as they did 3 years back. Their relationship goes back to the long drawn conversations at foyer tables in college, growing into a friendship that they dearly cherished. Kanan is an advocate by profession and Nirav work as an Economists. Their love story began on a chaotic night at the Delhi railway station while Kanan made a pit stop during her trip. Those special moments made them realize that they shared a bond much stronger than just being friends. As she boarded her train back to Bombay one text message paved the way to making 30th December happen for Kanan and Nirav. In the last three years, Nirav moved around for work within and outside the country, but their love stood the test of distance bringing them closer.

The marriage took place in Andheri following the Gujurati tradition. Stunning entry of the bride, groom’s enthusiastic baarat and the joy shared by all to see these two make it together was what made the day special. Shooting a well-planned wedding is the first step towards a great collection of photographs. Kanan and Nirav’s wedding gave us the perfect space to do that. There was a fabulous vanity van which was the innovative gift the two fathers came up with for the couple’s wedding day. As the baarat prepared to leave from the groom’s house, the bride was preparing to begin the pre wedding rituals. It began with the mandap sthapna puja and Kanan’s brother’s thread ceremony. She then stepped into her Vanity Van to get ready to welcome the groom. Every little ceremony was planned with great precision and creativity. As Nirav arrived with the baraat, filled with thrilled faces of common friends and family members, Kanan was all set to welcome them. She walked through the ‘gate of hands’ to get to the groom. In the Gujarati tradition as the bride is walking to the groom the folks try to trap her at the gate. The pictures capture all the naughtiness of the folks and the how Kanan makes her way to welcome Nirav. The excited couple, finally caught each other’s sight and greeted each other with garlands. The bride then poses for a grand entry at the Mandap where the groom is waiting. She is escorted by her Mama under a beautifully lit chaddar headed by a tiny tod holding a banner saying “Here comes the bride”! At the mandap the final wedding rituals are proceeded. It was indeed a unique wedding in many ways. The guests were given little guest cards to write on and leave their wishes and blessing for Kanan and Nirav. Every picture captures the excitement and naughtiness of the couple as they be the two beautiful friends committing to be there for each other, forever.

Nirav who is a photographer too, after their big day dropped a word of praise for AMP “The pictures we saw so far were beautiful. They had great composition and sharpness. The spontaneity they captured in each picture was commendable too!”

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Silhouetting the Landscape

Silhouetting the Landscape

by | Sep 14, 2009 | featured, Photography, Photojournalism, Rural, Street, Travel | 0 comments

Silhouetting the Landscape

I sat down penning after a long time. I thought-” this time, I will write something legendary”. But, self realisation struck me really hard, wasn’t I trying to make my blog legendary, last time too. I failed miserably. I found so many glitches in my previous posts. One doesn’t make something great by will but it is the interplay of destiny and will. So, am I set to write a legendary blog this time, I  would like to believe so. So I decided not to bother about the result.  But then the thought of creating a masterpiece doesn’t really die off, it lingered on and made me ponder deep, but with no success.

Then I had a brainwave, why not write about silhouettes? As some of my best shot are silhouettes. Silhouette is the easiest way to get an amazing photograph. Rather, I would advice every beginner to start with silhouettes. They are charecterized by a dark foreground or midground and bright background. They lend a surreal effect to every photograph and boy! they are always breathtaking!

Taken up on FD-3 terrace atop Staircase housing

Taken up on FD-3 terrace atop Staircase housing

How to take a Silhouette:

1: If you have a DSLR then switch to Matrix metering mode in Nikon Cameras and Evaluative mode for Canon.

2: Decide your subject and try to focus at one third of the frame so that you could focus at hyperfocal distance. This doesnt ensure you will be focussing at hyperfocal distance but you might get lucky.

In the photograph below image has been shot by focussing at hyperfocal distance to get maximum depth of field. I took this from the terrace of the institute building of my college Bits Pilani on a rainy day.

3: Always meter for the bright region in the background and underexpose it by one or two stop. This will make ur midground object dark and bring in more details in the background.

4: The best time to shoot Silhouettes is sunset, sunrise,dawn and twilight hours.

5: To add an element in the foreground you can use flash as demonstrated in one photograph. In the photograph below i use the ttl flash of my dslr.

6: Click in RAW mode so that you have more control in editing.Also look for leading lines which add value to the photograph and would visually appealing. The shimmering wall leads towards the clock tower

7: Keep your horizon at one third from the top or bottom in the frame. If the sky is very dramtic and you want to take more of sky then horizon should be placed at one third distance from the bottom and vice versa.

8: Look for reflection of the objects in the wet ground or water body. Try to take them by taking care of  exposure and focus. In the following photograph I sat down on the wet ground wetting my pants to take the reflection on the wet surface of the terrace.

Reflecting Tower

Reflecting Tower

9: Don’t always look for inaminate object to silhouette them. Try out silhouettes with living beings. for eg :

If you want to know anything more about silhouettes write to me.