Jigar Champaneria, partner

From the beginning, I've always wanted to be behind the camera. Rarely did I stop and pose for a picture. More than likely, I was grabbing my dad's Minolta or my little point-and-shoot. I took it to school to chronicle the fun that my friends and I had. I took it on camping trips. I took it on afternoon walks around the neighborhood. Heck, I had a camera on me even while getting married! Yes, I was the only groom taking his own photos while riding on horseback during his wedding procession.

All this camera toting has been about remembering. About not letting my memories fade away. Further to that, photography has been about the details in everything I've done. Traveling to the Taj Mahal for me isn't just about the building itself. It's about the sunset placing a spire in silhouette and how I'll never forget the grandeur of that immense monument. It's about taking in the moment and making it last. Attending my niece's birthday party isn't just about the gifts & cake. It's about the sheer joy and surprise as the birthday girl rips open the wrapping on her presents. It's about sharing that joy with her parents. With a new daughter, I feel a special joy in capturing every one of her smiles, cries, and emotions and sharing them with my own family.

I think about all of these sorts of things as I'm capturing a bride smile, as her mother gives her a hug, as her father gives her away. I think about the moments that await a couple as we shoot their lifestyle portraits in the streets of San Francisco. I think about the privilege I have to make these memories last forever.

I think about *this* every time I'm behind the camera.

Asad Ali, partner

Experimenting with different photographic techniques has always been fun and intriguing for me. Be it a school competition to capture human moods, finding the right exposure for taking the perfect picture of fireworks, waiting hours to photograph a humming bird or taking candid pictures of guests during weddings and parties, I immensely enjoy the experimentation with my camera. Growing up with film cameras including Yashica and Minolta, the fun part for me was not only in taking the pictures but also in waiting anxiously for the film to get developed and detail analysis of each picture.

Years of landscape, candid and nature photography has taught me to be at the right place at the right time to capture the right moment. Those experiences are a perfect fit for photographing a wedding. Capturing the excitement as the bride or grrom is getting ready, the smiles on the bride and groom's faces during the ceremony, the joy and pride of the parents during the wedding, the emotional goodbye during the vidaii (farewell to the bride), the fun & laughter during the reception and the joy during dancing gives me the immense satisfaction in this profession and inspires me to continue in this journey.

My interest in photography is driven by my passion and hence my experimentation with my camera will never stop.