Jess & Piyush smashed it out the park on their big day at Winstanley House earlier this year. Had such a great time photographing both the civil ceremony in March and this Hindu ceremony, followed up by a great night partying away at the reception! A massive congratulations to Jess & Piyus - you guys were awesome!
Vibs & Shaan had their civil wedding ceremony in April at the Centre of Oneness, Sant Nirankari Mission in Birmingham! It was such a unique and wholesome ceremony, followed up by an awesome celebration at The New Bingley Hall! A massive congratulations to Vibs & Shaan - you guys were awesome!
Read More
Shock horror - I’m actually blogging. Its been a manic few months with exams and and weddings but I’ve got a whole lot of weddings and shoots to blog in the upcoming weeks! First up is Devina & Kevin’s big day back in March this year. Devina & Kevin had a full wedding day at Northbrook Park, with a Hindu wedding ceremony in the morning, civil registry in the afternoon and reception until late! The day started off with a bit of wet weather, but but we didn't let that spoil proceedings. A massive congratulations to Devina & Kevin once again, you guys were awesome!
I had an absolute blast photographing Kreepa & Dylan’s civil ceremony at Markshall Estate last winter. From the morning preparations and wedding ceremony right through to the evening reception, the day was filled with love & fun, and it was truly a privilege to there. A massive congratulations to Kreepa & Dylan once again, you guys were awesome!
Keya & Shiv have been planning their big day for over a year - all things pandemic related meant that the date had to be pushed back twice since last August! So once the date the was set (third time lucky!) they were definitely going to make the most of it - no matter the weather!
The rain stayed with us for most of the day, but we didn't let that spoil proceedings. The Westminister Room at the Old Marylebone Town Hall made for the perfect venue for this intimate wedding, full of laughter & excitement!
A massive congratulations to Keya & Shiv once again - bring on the Hindu wedding in June!
Suppliers:
MUA/hair - Kiran Raval - @kiranravalmua
Dress - Wed2Be - @wed2b
Jewellery - Jon Richard @jonrichardjewellery, Simon Lewis Jeweller @simonlewisjewellery, beaverbrooks @beaverbrooksthejewllers
Shiv’s suit - Edit Suits @editsuits
Keya’s shoes - Ted Baker @ted_baker
Cake - Meera Solanki @meeramakes_weddingcakes
Catering - Urban Guj Norbury @urbanguj
Film - Sheer Cinematic @sheercinematic
Venue - Old Marylebone Town Hall @adaytorememberdotlondon
I had the privilege of photographing Krupa & Chirag’s civil wedding ceremony earlier this year, just before the world went into lockdown. This meant that their dream Hindu wedding had to be delayed from April to the end of August and moved to Hanbury Wedding Barn in Burton-upon-Trent. As the name suggests, the venue was an amazingly restored barn, with the ceremony taking place in the Wedding Pavilion, overlooking a lake. It was the perfect setting for Krupa & Chirag, and was made extra special with the decor from Krystal Group. I had such an awesome day photographing the ceremony - Krupa and Chirag, thank you so much for having me!
Suppliers:
Ceremony Venue: Hanbury Wedding Barns
Wedding Planner: Ivory Events and Weddings
Videographer: Babu Mistry (Nica Creations)
Florist: Blooms Apart Coventry
Décor & Live Stream: Krystal Group
Makeup Artist / Hair Stylist: M&D Hair & Makeup
Henna Artist: Hema Mua Mehndi Artist
Caterer: Chana Catering
For the last six to eight months, I have been trying to figure out how to juggle a full-time job, further studying and running a business. At the time of writing this blog, I’m still going with all three, so I thought I’d try and break down the difficulties and challenges that juggling these tasks face, as well as some tips and tricks that have helped me ouat.
Read More
I photographed my first wedding of the year earlier this month. It was a really fun day, full of laughter and excitement. The ceremony took place in Cheylesmore Manor, a really nice small venue that is in the heart of Coventry. After the ceremony, we made our way across the road to The Lazy Monkey, a new bar & restaurant with really cool décor and even better food! A massive congratulations to Krupa & Chirag once again, you guys were awesome!
Nowadays, a lot of couples are going towards having an unplugged wedding – one where family, friends and guests are asked to turn off their mobile phone, iPads, cameras and any other digital device during the wedding ceremony to allow the photographer and video team to record the day in their own respective ways without being distracted by Chandukaka getting in the way with his iPhone! Here are some of the pros and cons around having an unplugged wedding!
PROS
1) Having an unplugged wedding allows all the guests to experience your big way in the way you intended. You might hire a beautiful string quartet to play in to play while the wedding party are walking up the aisle, and so taking the away the temptation for guests to get the cameras out during the big moments of the ceremony will allow them to experience the whole wedding authentically and exactly how you intended!
2) For a photographer, there isn’t anything worse than having to photoshop a guest with a tablet out of the background of an image – I can’t imagine how extra it must be for a video team! Having an unplugged wedding will mean that no one will get in the way of the media team during the ceremony, allowing them to concentrate on capturing the best moments of your day.
3) There might be certain photos taken by guests that might not be the most flattering. Having an unplugged wedding means that you can filter what is and isn’t shared on any social media or between friends and family.
CONS
1) No one wants anyone to be hugely offended or upset on the wedding day. If letting a guest take a couple of photos or a short video or guests avoids a whole load of angst during and maybe even after the big day, then its definitely something that can be worked around.
2) Throughout the day, your media team will be focusing on you and your close family. Allowing your guests to take photos and videos throughout the day is great way to ensure that you’ve got pictures of all guests at the wedding.
There’s no right or wrong way to go about planning for this. It is entirely up to the couple to go with whatever feels right for them. However, there are some ways that could potentially combine the best of both worlds!
1) When organising group photos, I like to keep the groups set up for a few extra seconds after I’ve taken the group shots. Guests will always come up and congratulate you at this time, so this might be the perfect time for guests to take their photos – especially selfies!
2) Leaving disposable cameras on tables during the reception is a cheap and novel way of encouraging guests to capture everything that is going on at their table, things that maybe your media teams might not be able to capture. Just don’t pull a Chandler and remember to collect them at the end of the night!
3) Collate images shared on social media throughout the day via a hashtag (usually a clever combination of both of your names!) This also has the potential to be a cool part of your reception slideshow – another fun way to keep your guests involved in the day!
What are your thoughts on having an unplugged wedding? Let me know what you think!
Pithi ceremonies are normally held at both the bride and grooms homes a couple of days before their big day. They involve a paste, made up of chickpea flour, rosewater and turmeric (along with whatever other craziness any siblings and cousins might include!) being applied to the bride or groom. I think the actual purpose of doing so is to cleanse the skin before the wedding, but in reality it is the best way of roughing up the bride and groom before the big day! Putting yourself in the middle of the ceremony helps to get really close to all the action, often putting your clothes, hair and camera on the line! This ceremony is full of fun and colour, so there is always awesome moments going on in and around the bride or groom. Here are some of my favourite images from past pithi ceremonies!
2019 has been my busiest year yet! I’ve taken over 30000 images with everything from film cameras to my mobile phones, at two amazing weddings in Wellingborough and Taplow, several colourful and fun pre wedding events and an incredible two week trip to India! Here are my favourite images from this year, looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings!
I had the absolute please of photographing the weddings of Lorena & Amit earlier in October this year. Firstly, the civil ceremony took place at The VIP Lounge, Edgware. From the on the day fresh trim Amit got at RW Wolf Barbers in the morning to dancing the night away in the reception, these guys were an absolute ball of energy all day! It truly was an international wedding, with guests attending from all over the world!
A couple of weeks later, we had the opportunity to celebrate all over again at SGI UK, Taplow! Here, Lorena and Amit took part in the ceremony of cups. This is a form of Buddhist wedding ceremony, and consisted of prayers, chants and drinking sake out of various sizes of cups. It was fascinating photographing this ceremony and great to learn about new traditions and cultures. After the ceremony was over, we headed next door to Taplow House to take some couple photos in the manor. The wind and rain didn’t stop Lorena & Amit, and throughout the two events they were an absolute pleasure to photograph!
I had an absolute blast photographing Urvi & Suraj’s civil ceremony at the Wellingborough Council Registry Offices earlier this summer. From the morning preparations to the sagai ceremony in the evening, the day was filled with love & fun, and it was truly a privilege to there. A massive congratulations to Urvi & Suraj once again, you guys were awesome!
I had the pleasure of photographing Urvi & Suraj in the amazing Castle Ashby Gardens, just outside Northampton. Urvi & Suraj were absolutely brilliant, and I can’t wait to photograph the big day next week! Scroll down for the full set of images!
I had the pleasure of photographing Tejas’s mandvo and pithi ceremonies earlier last month. Having photographed a wedding within the family last year, I knew the family would be an absolute joy to photograph, and they didn't disappoint! Scroll down for the full set of images!
Shooting abroad meant a little planning had to go ahead to ensure I had the equipment I wanted to take the photos I wanted to take. I wasn’t looking to shoot any events, nor was I looking to expand and create a travel portfolio, so I tried to keep my camera gear as simple as possible.
I decided to take two cameras so I didn’t have to waste time changing lenses. I settled on taking my small Fuji, which has a wide-ish angle lens, as well as my DSLR with a telephoto lens. This meant I was pretty much prepared for the majority of situations I’d come across.
For the majority of the trip, I mainly used the Fuji camera. That camera never left my side, with it being so small and easy to carry without having to think about it. I also loved using my phone to shoot, so unless I really wanted a specific telephoto look to an image, the DSLR stayed in the bag.
For my next trip, I will be definitely look to leave the DSLR at home. Its weight, and having to fully empty the whole camera bag at every security point we went through, meant that I’d rather just shoot as light as possible. For events, however, I don’t have that luxury.
The above images shows what I took to photograph Kushi & Kalpesh’s civil registry. As a professional photographer, I need to ensure that I have all bases covered for any eventuality. Two DSLRS, two flashguns and a selection of lenses help me be more efficient in not needing to switch lenses as well as providing any back-up if a piece of equipment should fail. I like to use the DSLRs at events such as receptions, where the lighting isn't always the greatest. However, the little Fuji is never too far away. I love using this camera for quiet parts in a day where I don't want to seem too intrusive (the camera is completely silent).
As photographers, we all tend to get caught up in the specifics of which camera brand is the best, how many red rings are around the lenses and how many megapixels can be squeezed onto a camera’s sensor. I’ve always thought that as long as each piece of equipment in your bag has a specific purpose, you're good to go.
India is mental. From the moment you step out of the airport, a wave of smells, sounds and sights that you haven’t experienced before hit you and stay with you until you touchdown back home. Our first week was spent in the state of my ancestors, Gujarat. We visited my grandparent’s places of birth and the villages they grew up in, as well as checking out legendary temples and towns such as Dwarka and Somnath, steeped in history and tradition.
Following the week in Gujarat, we headed to Delhi. Delhi’s official population is around 20 million people, and at times it seems like all 20 million are heading towards the same spot on the same 3-lane highway. Places like the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk seem completely overwhelming with the amount of people in one place, but there are also quieter more cultural spots within Delhi. Unfortunately we were only there for a couple of full days, so we only really scratched the surface of Delhi, but more time is definitely required to see the more cultural side of this beautiful city.
From Delhi, we headed to Haridwar and Rishikesh, two towns that are known as the gateway to the Himalayas. Situated along the River Ganges, both of these towns hold great religious significance for Hindus. The River Ganges is viewed as a goddess, and people come to visit these riverside towns to bathe in and offer prayers to the river, to wash away any sins and seek blessings.
Our time in India was far too short. There were so many new sights and experiences yet I feel we barely scratched the surface of this amazing country. I can’t wait to go back to explore and shoot even more!
I managed to get dirt cheap Eurostar tickets, so decided to head off to Paris for the day! It was really cool checking out the Lourve Museum for the first time, spending an hour trying to figure out how the Metro system works, as well as being a proper tourist at the Eiffel Tower! Here are a collection of images from the day.
An Indian wedding is rarely ever a one day affair. From the mehndhi nights to religious ceremonies, preparations for the big day can take place days, weeks and even months in advance! These events provide the perfect opportunity for friends and family to come together and celebrate the upcoming nuptials. Below are images from the wedding week of my guy's Niki & Jai!!
Of course, before any wedding preparations can begin, there must be a proposal!! Jai proposed to Niki amidst the cold and snow in the most romantic proposal. The full collection images from the proposal can be found here.
Fast forward to the week of the wedding. The week started off with a small religious ceremony, welcoming Lord Ganesh into the family home and signalling the start of the celebrations ahead.
The sagai followed this, as both families came together to officially announce Niki & Jai as fiancés. Jewellery and sari's were given to Niki, and gifts & sweets were exchanged by the family members.
The next day was the Pagla ceremony, which marks the bride's first visit to the groom's house. Niki places her feet into a mix of kanku, a red powder made from turmeric, and leaves her footprint upon a white cloth. After this, the guys from Niki's side bring along and exchange various gifts and sweets.
Following this was the Mehndhi night. Ladies from the family gather together and apply henna in preparation for the big day on the weekend, and friends and family come together to party and dance the night away!
The day before the wedding, three short ceremonies normally take place; the mandvo, mameru and pithi. The mandvo ceremony involved Jai's parents seeking blessings from the gods to continue with the wedding preparations and ceremony. The mameru involves the Jai's maternal uncles giving gifts to the family. These range from clothes, jewellery, sarees and, most importantly, loads of sweets! The pithi involves the ladies of the family applying a tumeric and chickpea flour paste to the groom as a way of cleansing him before the big day. These tend to get way out of hand as the groom soon finds out!
It was an absolute pleasure photographing these days and events with Niki & Jai! It is always great to spend a fair amount of time with couples and families, and try and capture the mood of celebrations and festivities of a wedding week!
I've been predominantly shooting and posting to my Instagram story during my commute to and from work recently. Here are a collection of images from the last few weeks.
