Qureshi Family - Life Session Portraits Oh boy...where does the time disappear. After months without an update, here's something which should make everyone smile. The Qureshi family have been great clients of mine for some time now and when Tayyiba, Cody, and little Z-Man were in town last fall, we got the chance to take some fun family portraits.

This was actually Tayyiba & Zamaan's second photo session with me in 2009. Here's some of the previous session with his masis

With family portraits, we never know what exactly to expect, so the sessions are way more loose and playful than usual. As you can see from this sampling, Zamaan didn't leave us much chance to pose for shots...which is a great thing!

Labels: Bay Area, Family, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits, San Mateo

  Permanent Link 4:48 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Aparna & Jeff's Engagement Portraits Earlier this summer, I took Aparna & Jeff all over San Francisco for their engagement portraits and what a fun time! We got to try out some new spots on that beautiful summer afternoon so it made for some wonderful moments. It was also great since they didn't mind a little public display of affection while we were taking their portraits :)

We started out in North Beach, then headed to the Presidio, and finally to Baker Beach. With each location, since we had extra time, we were able to find some cool little spots that helped their photos to be as unique as possible.

Here are some samples!









I just love this next portrait due to the wind blowing Aparna's hair just so and especially that look in her eyes!



Aparna & Jeff, I can't wait for your wedding next month!

Labels: Beach, Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits, San Francisco

  Permanent Link 3:46 PM  5 Comments Links to this post

  Rajan Family - Life Session Portraits Mamatha & Ranjeet got married a couple of years ago and I was lucky enough to photograph their wedding in San Ramon. Fast forward to this spring and they had a son just a little bit after we had our own daughter. So it was a pleasure doing a life session focusing on their one year old son, Ishaan. We started off with some clean portraits with a background then moved onto their backyard and finally to Piedmont Park nearby. I've gotta say, photographing a child in his or her own environment is key to capturing great moments...




I went a bit more abstract with some of the editing. Since I was getting so many great expressions from Ishaan, I just had to go out on a limb with some of these photos.





The dreamy look in this next photo really just hit it for me. I knew it was out of focus when I took it, but I couldn't let go of it. I'd say it's my second favorite from the afternoon.

And what's my fave shot from this session? The next photo! The sheer joy on Ishaan's face with Ranjeet in the background is what these sessions are all about!


And finally...the happy family!

Thanks guys for inviting us to your home. We had a great time and hope to see a lot more of Ishaan as he grows into the rockstar he's destined to be!

Labels: Family, Life Session, Oakland, Piedmont, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 12:03 AM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Gellon Family - Life Session Portraits The Gellons are close friends of our's and with their son Zaver's first birthday coming up earlier this year, I wanted to make sure they had memorable portraits before his birthday. Instead of going out to a park or the beach, we decided to take advantage of Vic & Sophina's lovely home. We all thought this would not only lead to fun portraits, but make them much more personal.

I had trouble narrowing down the selection of photos for this session, so enjoy this cute and handsome young fellow!









The next bunch of photos are actually from the galf course which is in their backyard.

Labels: Family, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 8:02 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Raj & Jag's Engagement Portraits One of the most popular spots for taking portraits has been Stanford University. While it's not as popular nowadays as it has been in the past, it still provides some really classic elements like the columns you see in the background of the first photo. There are also great little spots around campus which provide for great variety. In addition to the Stanford campus, we took a little trip to downtown and had some fun walking in the streets of Palo Alto.

This shot is one of the very few where I do any really visible editing. Usually, the photo speaks for itself, but in this case, I felt that adding in the layers of texure & blur helped to give the shot some extra oomph!




When we moved onto Downtown Palo Alot, I was just in love with all the brick facades!




Raj & Jag, congrats and I wish you all the best in married life!

Labels: Engagements, Palo Alto, Portfolio, Portraits, Stanford

  Permanent Link 2:24 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Patel Family - Avila Beach Portraits We did a fun & relaxing family session last month in Avila Beach. Where is Avila Beach, you ask? It's in Central California near San Luis Obispo & Pismo.

We photographed Tejal & Nalin's wedding last year. And this year, her big sister, Roshni, wanted to do family portraits before the first birthday of her twins. So I joined the whole family at Avila Beach close to where their mom lives. And what a wonderful day it was! The weather in mid-June had been so unpredictable, but we all lucked out and get an absolutely gorgeous day at the beach. Besides the awesome weather, it was great catching up with the whole family since I hadn't seen them in over a year. It was also pretty cool doing 3 or 4 mini portrait sessions since the whole family was there.

Here's just a few of the photos from the session:











Happy Birthday Aiden & Alina! I know your mom loves these photos...when you grow up, I expect you to love them too :)

Labels: Avila Beach, Beach, Family, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 4:52 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Shefali & Hitesh's Engagement Portraits Catching up on some Spring & Summer sessions we've had...

I met up with Shefali & Hitesh after a bit of extra planning & coordination...I live in the Bay Area, but Shefali was in San Diego and Hitesh was in Chicago. So where to meet for portraits when everyone's in a different city? Los Angeles!

It was actually a lot of fun planning this session out. Shefali really wanted to do some interesting with modern architecture as well as mix in some traditionally romantic photos. So we settled on 3 great spots in LA & the Westside...the Disney Center in Downtown LA, the UCLA campus in Westwood, and the pier & beach in Santa Monica. So let's get onto the photos!

I just love, love, LOVE the Disney Center's architecture. The shapes are just so interesting and offer a lot of options for us. And when you get closer, this awesome exterior surface of the walls just draw your eyes in.


This is one of those little nooks that I love about the Disney Center. It's such a tiny spot and it's the type of thing I love to find.





For this next shot, Shefali & Hitesh look totally calm, but what doesn't show on their face is a bus hurtling at them at full speed :) I didn't know about this bus until after I took the shot since my back was towards it. Needless to say, we ran very quickly :)

And moving onto my alma mater, UCLA is always a fun place to do portraits. It's always so relaxing there on weekends and it really lends to a more fun & relaxing shoot. Plus there's so many spots for a lot of fun stuff. Here's just a few of the spots....



And who could complain about Santa Monica on a nice spring afternoon?!

Out of the entire shoot, I have to say, this is my favorite shot. It wasn't something I asked Shefali to do, but the look in her eyes is just so memorable for me.

And with that, I'm going to end this post. Shefali & Hitesh, thanks for a wonderful afternoon of portraits. I can't wait for your wedding next month!

Labels: Beach, Disney Center for Perfoming Arts, Engagements, Los Angeles, Portfolio, Portraits, Santa Monica, UCLA, Westwood

  Permanent Link 11:36 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Patel Family - San Francisco Portraits Catching up on one of the many portrait sessions from the Spring, here are some highlights of the Patel Family from a sunny April afternoon in San Francisco.

We started out at Baker Beach...it was Aarav's first time at the beach and above all, he was just confused by all the water and sand. So it was definitely cute to see him make new discoveries about this 'wierd stuff' :)



We then moved onto a nearby playground where Aarav really opened up. When photographing kids, I always love to catch them in moments that they just LOVE. In this case, Aarav just loves swings and playground equipment...






And just in time for Aarav's first birthday party, the family had a couple of gallery wraps made to hang in their house. We wanted to do two completely different looks so the first one with black & white photos just have a simple background. The second one is more playful and colorful.


Aarav, I'm glad we got the chance to spend an afternoon photographing you! It's going to be a blast watching you grow up!

Labels: Family, Gallery Wrap, Gujarati, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 5:15 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Engagement Portrait Session with Kinjal & Alan Kinjal and Alan were the lucky winners of our Engagement Portrait raffle last year. We started our shoot at the Embarcadero center in San Francisco and walked over to Union Square. We had certain places that we definitely knew we wanted to cover in the photo session. However, as usual, we stopped and took impromptu pictures as we made our way through the City trying to capture the essence of San Francisco.

With great weather at San Francisco and a fun loving couple, it was no surprise that the 3 hours session just flew by











Congratulations Kinjal and Alan, it was a pleasure spending the afternoon with you!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 9:09 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Bhumika & Bharat's Sign-in Book We love taking couples out on portrait sessions. We love it even more when they get to show off their photos to all of their guests! To that end, custom sign-in books are a great way to show off photos and create a topic of conversation at wedding receptions.

Well, Bhumika & Bharat just got married over the weekend, and here's the sign-in book I made for them. We printed it in a really nice 10x10 hard cover book, metallic finish on the cover & thick, lay-flat pages inside:

Labels: Album, Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 6:22 PM  2 Comments Links to this post

  Mayuri & Kunaal's Engagement Portraits A little springtime vacation meant this blog was quieter than planned! Sorry about that :)

Here's a few shots from a fun portrait session we had in Half Moon Bay with Mayuri & Kunaal. This shoot was ALL about what they love to do and what's meaningful for them. As you'll see from the sampling of photos, we started at some local stables since Mayuri grew up with horses. We went to the Half Moon Bay Ritz since that's where they became a couple. Had some fun on the putting green, and had a little picnic on the beach. All in all, a very unique session since Mayuri & Kunaal really spent time thinking about what they love about each other and what they love doing together!

On to the photos!



The stables had this AWESOME barn. And the light?! To die for!


A little wine tasting never hurt anyone...

I personally love the whole series of these putting green photos. Mayuri & Kunaal had so much fun there, it's hard not to notice how much they love each other...




I just love unplanned shots. We found some green spots along the way to the beach and couldn't help but spend some time there...


Champagne on the beach? Yes!





Thanks for a great portraits session, see you guys later this month!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 10:01 AM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Bhumika & Bharat's Engagement Portraits I had the lovely opportunity to photograph Bhumika & Bharat who are getting married next month. Even though they live on opposite coasts, they wanted to do a fun session that was all about their time in the City together.

The shoot was a lot of fun, just like the two of them. As you can see from the favorites I've picked out, we went all over the city and founds lots of neat little spots.


As everyone who know me will realize, photographs for me aren't about the location, they're about the emotions. And I've gotta say, this photo in Union Square is my absolute fave because of Bhumika's smile. I just love it!




It was actually pretty difficult to get these two to NOT smile at me :)


Busy, busy, busy...Bharat struck this pose without Bhumika knowing and she kept wondering why I had a funny smile on my face.


And who can complain about the colors of these murals! We could have stayed in this area in the Mission all afternoon if we didn't have to get back over to the Embarcadero!





Bhumika & Bharat, we can't wait for your wedding!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 3:45 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Sharan & Manny's Engagement Portraits We got the chance to photography Sharan & Manny on a really quiet weekday in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and we couldn't wait to share the fully processed photos. We took Sharan & Manny to the Palace of Fine Arts & Baker Beach for a wonderfully fun afternoon. Even though we only met in person for the first time during the photo session, we had talked on the phone a lot before so it really helped to understand what Sharan & Manny wanted. As you can see in these photos, we were definitely going for a really romantic look and the additional processing you see like the textures, blurs, and embellishments are all about bringing out more of that in the photos. Hope you enjoy!




This weeping willow is always so beautiful, but the location is usually way crowded. Lucky for us, it was pretty quiet and we got more than enough time to get some really stunning angles. Funny enough, this is the only photo in this blog posting that doesn't have significant artistic post production done to it!

This is my ABSOLUTE fave from this session. As usual, we time our sessions knowing where the sun will be; Asad noticed this angle and we just had to stop and get some crazy cool backlit photos with some sharp sun flares. Yes, there's artistic post work done on this photo, but a lot less than you'd imagine ;) Yes, the sun's real, yes, the blur's real...just some texturing & color touch-ups added...







Sharan & Manny, thanks for giving us the opportunity to photograph your engagement portraits!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 12:09 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Photo of the Week...Again! Well, I don't like to gloat, but heck, I will :)

The previous gallery wrap montage which we featured here on the site has won "photo of the week" honors from Pieces of the Picture.

If you're curious about family photography, Pieces of the Picture goes beyond the typical photography tips type of site since it's about more than just a "how to"...it goes into a lot of the thought process and challenges to capturing a family's moments. Have a look at their site as well as their Flickr group if you have a chance.

As we've been getting more into family portraiture, we've been trying a lot of different things so that our work is fresh and can provide lasting memories for our clients. So that might mean portraits in front of a backdrop or outdoor portraits. The way it's presented, I think, makes a huge difference also. So the online versions of the montages we've shown might look great online, but I love seeing people's reactions when they see these huge wraps in person.

Here's the winning photo montage again in case you didn't see the previous blog post:

Labels: Family, Personal, Portfolio, Portraits, The Biz

  Permanent Link 6:09 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  More Gallery Wrap & Montage Goodness We've been getting such a great response on the Gallery Wraps using photo montages, I figured I'd share a personal example of my daughter Sophia. These gallery wraps have a lustrous metallic finish to them and hang without any need for a frame. It's great any where you want something a bit more modern, but as you can see with the background, we can mix it up for a wide variety of look.

This was a Valentine's Day gift to my wife and now hangs in our family room next to the couch. Safe it say it brings a smile to our faces every time we look at it!

If you're interested in a portrait session for you or your children, or you just want to create a unique enlargement like the example here, drop us a line.

Labels: Enlargements, Family, Gallery Wrap, Personal, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 2:55 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Le Family Portraits Keeping on the Family portraits tips, here are a few highlights from a shoot we did last year of the Le family.

Mom + Daughter + Dog = Lots of fun!

I had met Abra, Asia, and Bodie before, but I had never had a chance to really talk to Asia or play with Bodie. The great thing about doing small portrait sessions like this is that we get a chance to talk, get to know each other, and have some fun along the way. So when Asia's ready for her Senior portraits (hint, hint), this will be an old hat for her!


Somethingt that I just love is parent & child interactions. On a wedding day, there are certainly chances to see and capture those special moments, but it's such a stressful and agenda packed day that I don't think any parent or child can really appreciate things. In a relaxed session like that, we always find some time to let everyone have some fun not just with their poses & the camera, but with each other.

In this case, Asia had a lot of mock anger/angst like any teenager, but we could see right through her facade :P Of course she was just having fun with it and she ended up having a good deal of fun with shots too :)






Isn't Bodie a sweetheart! He was just happy to be out and about and I wanted to make sure we got some of him into the photo session. I have to admit, he didn't want to do EVERY pose imaginable, but he was a real trooper and was smiling throughout!

Thanks Abra, Asia, and Bodie! It was a pleasure spending the afternoon with you and I'm glad you all love your photos!

Labels: Family, Life Session, Portraits

  Permanent Link 3:53 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Photo of the week Well, whaddya know, a photo from the last photo shoot I posted was selected as Photo of the Week for the "Pieces of the Picture" blog. Always nice to know that people enjoy the work we do and even a little recognition is appreciated. Thanks to Tommy over there for the consideration!

Here's the selected photo:


Here's the blog post on their site about the Photo of the Week

Have a look at the rest of their blog for some great advice on photographing families, especially children: Piece of the Picture

Labels: Family, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits, The Biz

  Permanent Link 9:13 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Qureshi Family Portraits Wow, what a fun afternoon with the Qureshi sisters and their kids! I've been itching to post these photos to the blog and now that we've presented the photos to the family, I'm happy to show you some of the highlights.

As we've been doing some work outside of the usual Indian weddings, I've found family life sessions to be so enjoyable. There's a very different vibe with an entire family interacting with each other. And notice that I called these Life Sessions, not portraits...after all, the time we spend with these families is about capturing their lives together, not just about posing for a camera. So during these sessions, we do the usual group portraits, but most of the time is spent finding those family interactions which are so special and will be remembered forever.

Anyways, onto the photos! I know the family from Tayyiba's wedding about 3 years ago. We covered many of their events and so it was a great chance to see the family again, especially how the kids have grown and to meet the newest member of the family, Tayyiba's son, the little Z-Man!

Enjoy the photos!

We started off at the Ferry Building in San Francisco....
Talking about family interactions, this is one of those moments which are so common between a mother and her child. I decided to take this simple moment and make it a bit more special with some extra post-work, tying in textures & illustrations for something which highlights that special bond.


Little Inaaya was a bit shy when posing for her pictures, but she just loved showing me her dancing skills! So here's a few shots I took while she showed me how to dance.




From the Embarcadero, we moved onto Baker Beach. The sunsets there just can't be beat!









And this is an example of the unique montage enlargements we like to provide. It's a way to take a wonderful photo and turn it into something really special that will look great in the family room, living room...anywhere you please!

Labels: Family, Gallery Wrap, Life Session, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 2:05 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Kalpana & Ramesh's Engagement Portraits Kalpana & Ramesh came to us last spring looking for coverage of their wedding and some classic engagement portraits. The Stanford campus fit them perfectly so we took them out last summer for one of the more classic portrait sessions we've done in a while. But, as you'll notice in the photos below, we tried to mix things up with a variety of stuff over the course of the shoot.

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 11:11 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Gurjeet & Jessie - Gurj's Maaiya, Chuddi, and Jaggo Catching up on some of the weddings from this past summer, here are some highlights from Gurjeet & Jessie's Wedding weekend. They had an extended 3 days of colorful, fun-filled events. Both Gurjeet & Jessie's families were so gracious to us throughout the weekend and it was definitely a pleasure capturing every tradition especially since both families carried out so many Punjabi & Sikh traditions that many families don't necessarily do nowadays. I actually covered their engagement ceremony last year so it was really nice seeing the whole family again...and made it easier since I already knew all the faces :)

The wedding weekend started out at Gurj's house in San Jose. They combined lots of different things into one afternoon/evening. So here are some highlights from her Maaiya & Chuddi ceremonies and then the Jaggo and dancing that followed. This was all in the middle of the summer so everyone had a blast in the back yard...

On to the photos!


I'm always amazed at the similarities in traditions across India...here are Gurj's cousins setting up. It's really similar to a Gujarati Rangoli...






Something I just love about these smaller events at home is how relaxed everyone is and how much fun they have with their closest family & friends. Of course the wedding and reception are lots of fun, but these pre-wedding events just have a different feel to them. As a photographer, I get to know the family & friends really well since it's small enough that I can talk with most everyone there...

Labels: Portraits, Weddings

  Permanent Link 4:25 PM  1 Comments Links to this post

  Sunny & Gary's Engagement Portraits We've been amiss lately due to some travel that both Asad and I have been doing. But getting back into the swing of posting some highlights from our recent shoots...

We actually took Sunny & Gary out back in July a little while before their wedding. Now that the fall chill is upon us, it's actually kind of nice to see these warm pictures :)

On to the photos!

Although we only met Sunny & Gary for the first time at the shoot itself, it was actually really easy to get into the swing of the photo session. We normally start things out a bit slow & formal, but I quickly realized that there was no need for that.

We started the shoot over at The Palace of Fine Arts and then moved on to Baker Beach. Something about Indian skin tones, blue tones in clothing and the Palace of Fine Arts just goes together....









We actually spent way more time at the beach and for good reason. They were game for lot of stuff including getting wet in the water.




This shot obviously has a lot of work done to it with the color tones, textures, etc, but it spoke to me even before I started editing it. It's actually posted on Flickr and it's one of my most viewed shots there. Asad actually took the shot and I wouldn't be surprised if he counts it as one of his annual faves :)




This is one of those serendipitous shots...totally unplanned and unposed (just a bit of shoe arranging), but it's one of my faves from this year...and it's a nice way to end this post.

Sunny & Gary, congrats on your wedding!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 12:54 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Shweta & David's Reception Following up on the last posting, here are some photos from Shweta & David's Wedding Reception which was held at the Summit Center in downtown San Jose.

We actually started off with some evening portraits in the Fairmont. We just love tying back portraits to the event venues so whenever possible, we utilize great spots inside or outside the wedding or reception location. Of course, the lobby of the Fairmont is outstanding so no complaints from us :)


Look at David all dapper in his tux. Love the silver...

Later on in the evening we actually did an impromptu photo session on the balcony of the Summit Center. With the sun setting & San Jose City Hall in the background, there's no denying where the party was at!
Since there's two of us covering the wedding, we have the chance of capturing the anticipating before the couple make their grand entrance. A last glance at each other before Shweta & David make their arrival...

Just a few shots from the night...



They had this wonderful cake which just made for great photos...

And with floor to ceiling windows, the colors they chose really lent a bright airy feel to things...


Just a few from their first dance...



And finally...time to get the party started!

I had a lot of fun playing with the lighting. The DJ had some crazy lights going on, so we were able to get some fun starlight pops into our photos.



Shweta & David, thanks for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and cover your wedding!

Labels: Portfolio, Portraits, Weddings

  Permanent Link 4:05 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Shweta & David's Wedding Getting back to posting some recent weddings, here's a peek into Shweta & David's Wedding. If you recall, I posted some of their engagement portraits here. I must say that we love it when we're able to do both a couple's wedding day as well as their engagement portraits. It really builds on the relationship we have with our clients.

Anyways, onto the photos...

We spent the day in downtown San Jose...starting at the Fairmont and then heading over to Summit Center which overlooks City Hall.

A bunch of morning photos....the schedule for the day allowed for a lot of time before the wedding to get all those wonderful getting-ready shots as well as the details of the outfits. Since Shweta had a few outfits throughout the day, I had a lot of great stuff to work with....





I just loved the simplicity of Shweta's bouquet...
They made this really modern yet classic gift box wrapped in a nice silk material. It matched the colors used throughout the day. Burnt orange is one of those new classics. While it's really popular now, I have a feeling we'll be seeing it for years to come...
To top off the box, they had this cute little topper of our lovely couple. And no, the rings weren't stuck onto the box :)

In case you wanted a closer look at these rings. You can never go wrong with Tiffany's, huh?

Moving on to the ceremony....




Since I had been with Shweta all morning I knew she really just wanted to get things going. She was really calm, but just couldn't wait. I love the look on her face her as David places the garland around her neck.



Finishing off the first part of the day, we don't normally post many of the formal portraits, but I just *had* to share this portrait...Since the agenda allowed for it, I took Shweta & David around the Fairmont on a location hunt. We found quite a few places and got some great shots. My fave was this corner. It had the chaise & mirrors I had been hunting for. I wanted to get that wonderful bouquet into the photo too. And so amongst the many other shots we got that afternoon, this has gotta be one of my favorites...





Look out for more from their wedding in an upcoming post!

Labels: Portfolio, Portraits, Weddings

  Permanent Link 4:12 PM  2 Comments Links to this post

  Neera & Trushar's Engagement Portraits Back to the portraits!

Just a few shots from a shoot we did in June in San Francisco. This was before the usual summertime fog in The City so the colors & light were just so wonderful.



We started off the formal shots at The Palace of Fine Arts. Even though there's a lot construction going on there, we still find several great spots. And even though we shot at mid-day, the light bouncing off the Exploratorium was just wonderful.

I think these next two shots show off Neera & Trushar's personalities better. Getting out of the formal outfit and onto the beach on a nice hot day can certainly help loosen things up ;)



And speaking of small worlds...if you read our last post about Manisha & Ashwin's reception theme of Vegas...I mentioned that they were introduced to each other by mutal friends. Well, it was Neera & Trushar that introduced them to each other...aww how schweet :)

Anyways, it was a wonderful afternoon photographing...especially since we got to cool off a bit in the nice cold water! Congrats guys! Hope you love the shots!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 5:25 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Anju & Rajeev Engagement Portraits So ya think we've been doing a lot of outdoor portraits lately? :)

We actually shot Anju & Rajeev's engagement session quite some time ago, but we're only getting around to blogging about it now. This was a great session since the couple wanted to experiment a bit for themselves and we had been looking for a pair who wanted to push the boundaries of what most Indian couples want for their portraits. Not to say these shots are out in left field or anything, but they were up for a lot of fun during the shoot.

Anyways, on to the photos!

From a photography perspective, this was one of the first shoots where we limited ourselves with the lenses we used. Why would we limit ourselves, you ask? Well, by human nature, when there are limits placed, we find a way :) For me, when I challenge myself with situations that I don't normally face, especially when it comes to photography, my mind races with the possibilities and I come up with things which I normally wouldn't.

And so with Anju & Rajeev's buy-in, we purposely challenged ourselves photographically...



Especially this calendar year, we've really been going to locations with interesting angles & lots of energy. Regardless of how crowded the location is, we've found this energy really adds to the results. Not just in terms of cool features, but also on the faces of our clients.








One of the few basic poses we did with Anju & Rajeev...


Mixing up this Stalker shot, it was interesting finding something which would be rather different than the usual columns or trees.

Gigantic chess board? Of course!





Now a storefront that's under construction doesn't usually lend itself to portraits, but I just loved the designs on this walls and they so nicely with Anju's dress. What's more, I just loved her expression.










Rajeev had a little fun with the metal gratings. We didn't want to break them so we only did this one once and then ran for it :)

Personally, I found this shoot really opened up a new world of ideas for me. Asad has pretty much said the same of his portraiture too. I think taking this calculated chance with Anju & Rajeev is a no-brainer in retrospect, but I'm glad we actually made it happen!

What's more, they loved their photos :) A few words from Anju after she saw her photos...

Asad and Jigar,
We wanted to thank you guys for doing our engagement portait. We really had a lot of fun doing it - even Rajeev did and he HATES taking pcitures. It gave me a feel of what models do, and believe me having two guys capture your every move on camera is a lot of fun!! Thanks for doing this for us and making it so enjoyable.

Look forward to seeing you guys soon!

Take care,
Anju

The happy couple are actually already married now so congrats to both of you!

Labels: Engagements, Portraits

  Permanent Link 9:37 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Daisy & Gary Engagement Portraits I recently took Daisy & Gary out to Stanford for their portraits. They wanted something unique in this area so they came all the way out from Sacramento & Yuba City for this session!

We used to do portraits at Stanford all of the time, but I haven't done any on campus in quite a while. So it was a cool little challenge for me to take my learnings from the last 18 months since I shot there and mix them into a setting which I know oh so well. Daisy & Gary obviously had a good time there so I think it all worked out ;)

Onto to the photos!
Over the years, Asad and I have come up with names for the basic poses we take our couples through. Simple poses take up very little of the session, but the names definitely make things a bit smoother. And they also add a little bit of levity to shoot since we pick pretty random names. The shot above is called The Stalker Pose :) And funny enough...we didn't name it, one of our brides did! So she gets credit for bringing a smile to every one of our clients who want to do this shot. Thanks Sharmila!


I just like the relaxed smiles on their faces here...


Bringing sexy back! The touch of setting sun on Daisy's hair really completes this photo for me.




As usual...I loves me some glare. With the setting sun no less!



Now what does one do with a spot that's so commonly used in portraits? For one, don't pose the couple. For two, get funky with the processing. Textures are in the house at Samay Studio.

Okay, so this one's posed, but hardly :)

Near the end of our shoot, it was getting way too dark to do anything in natural light. Daisy & Gary were just chillin' talking to each other when Daisy looked over to see if we were going to do any more shots. And when I saw this look, I just had to stop her and save the moment. Sometimes, these "poses" just come so perfectly and the light is just so yummy, that I'm glad that I have the privilege of taking photos!

Hey guys, it was a pleasure spending a few hours with you on your portraits. Thanks for driving all the way out to the Peninsula and congrats on your engagement!

Labels: Engagements, Portraits

  Permanent Link 9:35 PM  3 Comments Links to this post

  Shweta & David Engagement Portraits Wedding season is upon us and, as usual, we're finding it tough to keep posting here on the blog since we're wrapped up in events & post-production. Anyways, we'll certainly try to do better with keeping things fresh here ;)

So onto Shweta & David's engagement portraits. The happy couple is actually getting married today! So in advance of that, we went out to San Francisco. North Beach and Baker Beach were the neighborhoods of choice on this shoot.

Washington Square is always a nice little spot to start off the afternoon with. Since the weather was great, it was actually pretty crowded and finding sight lines without sunbathers was a challenge!


Look at David all dapper in his suit!

We found this closed down cafe/restaurant that still had a bench outside. The wierd thing is that the restaurant still had all of the tables with ready place settings..glasses, napkins, silverware, etc. It was like they had set everything up for the next day and then just decided to not open up! Anyways, we got this great little spot just off of the street.



Can ya say GLARE! Lovin' it!

Oooh, textures. Couldn't help adding some with this shot.

A private moment as we pretended to change lenses :) No matter how much our couples want to get candids, we still try and mix it up to give them something they don't expect...
Can you believe Baker Beach was packed with sunbathers and kids playing in the water? We still found a few angles where we had a clear view all the way to Golden Gate Bridge. Beautiful day!

I love how the light bounces off David's shirt back onto Shweta. Talk about sun kissed.

And finally...kissing in the sun :)

Congrats guys! Can't wait to see what you guys have planned for today!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 8:04 AM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Rina & Amit Engagement Portraits As wedding season has been ramping up, we've been doing some engagement portrait sessions for couple with upcoming ceremonies. So we'll be posting a few of these before posting another wedding...

Starting off with a wonderfully cute couple we shot in the North Beach and Embarcadero areas of San Francisco. They were up for anything and even got a bit wet while posing in a fountain at the Embarcadero....

In the last post, I mentioned that the programs during wedding receptions have changed over the years. What our clients want out of their engagement portraits has changed quite a bit too. We still capture the more standard posed portraits which the couple's parents will want, but in the three or four hours we spend with our couples, we're really trying to show their personalities and express something unique through these portraits...So you'll see a lot of stuff which may not fly at a wedding reception, but it's a direction that we just love and hope our clients continue to ask for more of!



Love the texture on this shot from Washington Square.



And as you head off into married life, what's wrong with a little playing on a playground slide?!


The funny thing with this shot is that Rina & Amit didn't know this graffiti actually spelled out North Beach until after we took the shots.




We spent a little time getting to know the couple over some coffee. And we ended up with some awesome-tacular light at this sidewalk cafe. Just gotta love unplanned stuff.


Ahem...can you say romantic?
Or would that be steamy?!





I just love that little bit of sun peeking through on Rina's neck.


And my fave shot of the afternoon...of course it has to involve glare. Meanwhile, Rina was getting her legs soaked from the fountain right behind them. They could only hold this look for so long until they both cracked up from how wet they were. Gamers, I tell you...our clients are gamers!

Congrats on your engagement guys. I can't wait to capture your ceremony!

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 7:57 PM  0 Comments Links to this post

  Chanden & Val's Engagement Portraits Getting back on track since the beginning of the year, we've got quite a few events which we've neglected to include on the blog.

Starting off with Chanden & Valery's engagement portraits. What's great about our clients is that we seem to be on the same page about adding creativity and unique elements to something as common as couple's portraits. In this case, instead of going with something like the Palace of Fine Arts or the Golden Gate Bridge as a setting, we finalized on the Ferry Building/ Embarcadero area in San Francisco. It fit their desire for an urban feel with lots of things to interact with. We had talked about doing something in the Mission District, but they wanted a little different and this area really clicked with them as soon as I mentioned it. With such a bubbly couple, we definitely didn't want to stick them in the middle of a lonely park...walking the streets of San Francisco is definitely more their style.

If you haven't been there, the first thing you'd notice on the weekends is that there's a lot going on in the area. We actually took these portraits before Christmas, so not only did we have the hub-bub of the farmer's market, we also had the crowds looking to skate on the ice rink behind the Embarcadero. So much action is not usually what a photographer wants during engagement portraits, but we took it as a challenge and ended up working in the crowds where possible.

Anyways, onto the portraits!


Many photographers try to stay away from the sun when it's so high in the sky...Our philosophy? Work it! Getting that glare can be something really unique with little extra attention. Chanden & Val were definitely up for it.


What better way to show off The Rock?! This shot was actually pretty organic in the sense that I worked it out with the couple on the spot and it ended up being something none of us planned in advance. I love it when we can brainstorm ideas with our couples. It's something that we always encourage, but rarely do we have clients who listen to our idea and then very quickly respond back with a variation. Gotta love it!


San Francisco always guarantees a great variety of shots and well known landmarks. What's more is that it's a bit different every time we shoot there. If you're wondering..that's the Bay Bridge in the background. Visitors to the Bay Area always think it's the Golden Gate Bridge for some reason....

Central Park? Well, that's the look Chanden wanted to go for. Just scoping out the area around North Beach and the Embarcadero, we found a little park nestled in between the taller buildings. Perfect fall/winter feel.

Talk about glare! Walking along Market Street, I thought the sun was just something we had to include in this shot.


At the end of our shoot, most couples are usually pretty tired. Taking pictures isn't an easy thing! At this point in our shoots, we usually have to slow down and give really specific directions to our couples. In this case, Chanden & Val were indeed tired, but more than anything else, they were just so relaxed. We had gotten the exact types settings we had talked about and they knew any extra shots were just gravy. So I let them relax and just stood back. This candid shot is something I just love getting since it's all on them and without further direction from behind the camera. All in all, a fun shoot.

Labels: Engagements, Portfolio, Portraits

  Permanent Link 4:22 PM  0 Comments Links to this post