The final one for the year took me to Dahanu.. a rustic town by the sea, north of Mumbai. I had been to Dahanu once before, about 10 years back and had loved the serenity, the water front and the old world charm. So when Rajlaxmi called up and asked me to cover her wedding there, I instantly agreed. This wasnt going to be about pomp and show; this was a simple wedding in simple town. I shot the Srimant-poojan the evening I reached and the wedding and reception next day. Got some superb shots, one of them being one of the best I ever shot. For me the day wasnt done till I did a couple shoot on the beach. We had very limited time and it didnt go futile.. The couple were great and the sunset over the Arabian ocean made it super romantic.. Here we go..
Groom's home and the horse waiting...
10 days later I was on my second assignment; this time flying east to the City of Joy.., Kolkata. This was Paromita and Nilanjan’s big day. It was a late night flight from Bangalore which was further delayed by fog and by the time I landed at my destination, it was past midnight. But what a relief it was to see Abhishek, Paromita’s brother waiting to receive me at the gates. The next day was super eventful and I shot some of the best moments of all times. Wonderful couple, great people around and great food..! Here is their story…
Paromita
Come November and the Indian wedding scene is abuzz with activity. And its a time of plenty for the wedding photographer too. Sometimes a bit too much…
This season had 3 weddings in store for me and I had utmost fun at each one of them. The travel was intense and I probably booked more flight hours than some pilots 
6 flights in 11 days was a personal record..!
These were weddings of different cultures; something I been longing to capture. Full of fun, emotions and color…
The first one was in base camp Bangalore and I was shooting every bit of it starting with Mehandi, all the way to the reception. Dhanashree and Aditya knew each other since school days. It was such a pleasure photographing the couple, the families and friends. Here are some snapshots of the days…
Mehendi
What a busy half year it has been for me..! No time to write. I covered weddings and receptions, that were both challenge and fun at the same time. For someone into people and portrait photography, there is probably no better occasion than a wedding. You have people dressed to their best. the Bride and Groom are decked up to perfection and the rituals, customs and culture add spice to the recipe. The challenge is – there is no margin for screw-up; no one out there is going to enact all that a second time just because you werent ready, or your camera didnt work, or you were talking on phone, or simply because u were in a bad mood…
Rather than getting into specifics of events; something that has been discussed a lot elsewhere, here are some of the images that I loved the most. The moments these images depict make them special to the people that they were made for.
The Beginning
My efforts are always focused around making an impact..! and it starts with shooting an image, followed by the post-processing. After having seen thousands of photos from a hell lot wedding photographers, only some make an impression.. the reason is they infused their images with something unique. This is just such an attempt.. There is always a room for improvement and I will keep improving with each pass 
A wedding shoot in God’s Own Country – Kerala was a truly ‘divine’ experience .
I had been talking to the bride to be, Brinda over phone and e-mails for almost 3 weeks and I got to meet her on the morning of reception in Kumarakom. Over breakfast, I was introduced to her family and Kumaran, her groom who had flown down from US just a couple of days earlier. Since none of the sides had a home in Kumarakom, they were all put up in 3 different resorts. These are truly wonderful people and personally took care to see that I am comfortable. Thanks a lot folks for that..
My arrangements were made at the Tharavadu Heritage Homes , a rustic but cozy place with a clear view of Sri Kumaramangala Temple, just across a backwater canal. The temple was the venue for the wedding the following morning.
I started with exploring Tharavadu and the surrounding townscape looking for suitable environment and lighting for the next morning. Lovely little town with lots of opportunities for even a casual street photographer too. A high bridge went over the backwater canal and gave a breathtaking view of the temple and the easy-going village life. Here is one my my most fav pics.
Sri Kumaramangala Temple
When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. ~Nora Ephron
A wedding is a very special event not only for the couple to be, but for the two families, relatives and friends. And if its an Indian wedding, well, its an event like no other . The wedding rituals in India are just as diverse as its rich and vibrant culture. Capturing it all in camera is fun and challenge at the same time.
Here is Ashwini and Shantanu’s wedding from the eyes of a wedding photographer. I had just upgraded to Canon 7D and couldnt wait to use it. With the superb EF 85 f1.8 and the super-wide EF-S 10-22, I believed I was covered for all situations. The wedding was to take place in a wedding hall with a huge open lawn attached to it for the evening’s reception. I had not planned on using any flashes (though I had a 580 EXII) and I fully depended on the fast 85mm for almost all my pictures except the group shots. Wedding halls are well lit not only by the electrical lighting (mostly fluorescent) inside but also by video lights. The video lights combined with the fluorescent lighting gives strange color casts on skin. Something to watch out for and knowing which one is the dominant lighting and adjusting the white balance accordingly.
Posted here are a few ‘spreads’ out of the album. Do check out Xlens Imaging for more…
Front (inside cover and page 1)
