Archive: ‘Wedding & Events’



Amar & Parveen

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Colors. Rich, Amazing Colors.

That’s about all Asad and I could say upon first looking through the photos from this wedding. It was the first Sikh wedding we had done in a while and the first one in Sacramento. It was so hot out there my main flash failed at 11am from the heat! And that was just after the milni! Thankfully we always have back ups though :) Not to mention that it was such a wonderful day and so much natural light streamed in that flash-less shots were so much easier than with the usual hotel banquet hall wedding.

Anyways, onto some photos…


The colors that the couple chose were rather different than what’s we’ve seen, especially during a Sikh wedding. Obviously though, this unique pink went so well with the gold.


You know what I love the most about this shot? Parveen’s cousin looking through the window. Doing weddings, people are almost always aware there’s a photographer with a big camera around or they’re completely trying to ignore the guy with the big black camera. So it’s hard to get a shot which is some where in between that “Take a photo of me!” and “Oh, pretend like he’s not taking a photo”. Anyways, this time, I feel like we got one of those rare in betweens.



During one of my first Sikh weddings I took a shot similar to this and it’s still one of my faves for it’s meaning. In Hindu culture, the bride and groom have their dupattas tied to each other. In Sikh tradition, the couple hold their ends of the dupatta. Actively holding the dupatta throughout the ceremony just seems to hold so much meaning where the couple if confirming that they are indeed entering their marriage of their own accord.

And regardless of the meaning, I just love the shallow depth of field :)


Another big difference with Sikh tradition is that the couple does their darndest to keep looking down and not smile throughout the entire Anand Karaj. No matter how much in love they are, it’s so rare to see the couple smile. Very different than most Hindu ceremonies where the couple is smiling & talking while on the mandap.


The Guru Granth Sahib is such a work of art. Something about the Punjabi script in this format just looks great.

And besides, I love the shallow depth of field…again :)



The West Sacramento Gurdwara was so large and spacious that it offered wonderful opportunities to get really interesting angles. And again, the mish-mash of colors really just adds to the depth. These are gonna look great in a nice big wedding album!


Though more sparsely decorated than the Fremont Gurdwara, this location, again, offered so many cool angles.


And the reception. Man, what details. Though it was definitely over the top, the decorations were just so…amazing to look at? Monograms are nothing new for couples nowadays, but in this case, they were interspersed throughout the hall and looked really nice.

Not to mention the custom made cookies :)



Note for people planning their wedding decorations: Really colorful floodlights shining up on the walls look awesome. In this case, the gold lights really added wonderful accents to the red which both the bride & groom wore that evening. A little extra ambient backlight lead to these deeply colorful shots.

And so…with the end of the summer season, we’re still catching up on posting to the blog, but we’ll continue to provide tidbits into the work we’re doing. Thanks everyone for continuing to read. And please post comments! We’d love to hear more about your thoughts on our work.

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Sharmila & Suneel

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

Woah…a month just passes by like that. Catching up on the blogging, here’s some tidbits from Sharmila & Suneel’s big day.

Starting the day off with hair, make-up, and a little champagne. Can’t say that it’s a bad thing :)


A beautiful location at the house of a relative. We’ve done outdoor weddings before, but this one seemed to cover every little detail. The more I see these bright colors, the more I like them for such festive affairs and Indian weddings.




Just as the bride was getting ready to arrive, there was a little drama with one of the flowergirls. To be honest, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often. It’s not surprising that a five year old who has been standing in the heat for an hour would get tired or nervous when she’s about to be the center of attention. In any case, the flower petals made their way to the aisle and the ring was delivered to the mandap!


The day just ended up being one of those perfect balances of warmth & breeze.


One of the great things about most Hindu weddings (in our perspective) is all the little details with items on the mandap. Some times it’s a Ganesh carving or the priest’s prayer books. In this case, the mandap was very empty. It was a very modern wedding and the details were in every aspect of the decorations, but the ceremony itself was quite simple. Totally different challenge from a photography perspective since we really love capturing all the details. So here’s just one of those details of the couple holding hands.


The traditional exit shots you get at Western weddings just don’t always happen with Indian weddings. In fact, the bride almost always leaves crying since the Vidaii (the bride finally leaving her parents’ family for her new family) is just part of the tradition. So it’s a nice change to see such elation on the bride’s face as she leaves the mandap!


Not have a traditional type of hall for the reception really let the couple dream up an awesome look for the evening. A tent with open doorways on such a nice day led to such a nice warmth as the sun set.


I love getting candid moments like these…almost like I had posed them, but hey, they just kissed spontaneously! As a photographer, finding these moments without being intrusive can be tough, especially with Indian weddings when the couple just doesn’t get much time to themselves or to just think for a moment.


And, of course, the couple having a little fun with their speech. Good stuff!

And as a Bruin, how could I forget the 8-clap! The bride’s friend busted out the cheer to the chagrin of the groom’s Trojan buddies.


Somehow lifting the groom (and sometimes the bride) onto your shoulders has become a tradition. I really can’t say why, but hey, it’s a moment to themselves :)

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Deepa & Neel’s Wedding

Monday, July 16th, 2007

We mentioned Deepa & Neel before when they sent a sweet thank you note after their wedding. Well, here finally are some of their photos….

With so many people coming from out of town, this wedding party was ready to dance! The day turned out just perfect outside and these photographers were definitely not complaining :)
After several smaller weddings, it was a nice change to have such a big event. It’s also nice when they all line up for a nice photo-op and we don’t even have to ask :)
One of the toughest things regardless of the wedding size, is any ceremony where everyone wants to look. Hindu ceremonies are notorious for being events that come and go without the guests taking notice, but one part where everyone cranes their neck to see is the milni – literally “the meeting”. Amongst the crowd, the bride’s mother greets the groom and conducts a short prayer. After a wild baraat, this is considered to be the start of the wedding ceremony. And so your friendly neighborhood photographer has to make himself invisible, yet be right next to the action. Lest the photos are of people’s backs, rather than the bride’s mother welcoming her new son-in-law. With several hundred people pushing and on tip-toes, photography “on the ground” takes on a new meaning…just ask our knees :)
Check out Deepa’s mendhi…she was concerned it wouldn’t turn out dark enough…the color came out to be such a nice match with her outfit and jewelry.


I think of the sindoordara to be one of the bollywood moments. It is when the groom places the sindoor (vermillion) on his new bride’s forehead (well, the part in her hair actually). So why is it a bollywood moment? Well, it’s something that’s a very common part of Indian film and TV, but it’s not really something which means anything to the couples…it’s just another part of the ceremony, for all intents and purposes. But of course, it leads to nice photos :)
Okay, okay, my cake snobbery is quickly fading. Just look at it! So pretty!

Now here’s a cool idea..instead of flowers for the centerpieces, edible arrangements! Yum! The funniest thing was that the guests had to be reminded several times throughout the night that the centerpieces were actually edibles. Ha!
I’m always supportive of guests bringing their own cameras to these events. Especially when it results in a nice coincidence like this….amazingly, it’s quite rare to catch another flash in our own photos.


And finally…just a little trickery with shutters and extended exposures.

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Keya & Jiggar’s Wedding

Saturday, June 23rd, 2007

As we start posting recent work, we’ll have a lot of stuff from weeks and months ago going online. Not sure what’ll work in terms of the number of photos posted, but feel free to leave some comments about this…we’re definitely looking for feedback as this blog evolves.

Let’s start with Keya & Jiggar who had just about the smallest Hindu ceremony we’ve covered.

For those who haven’t been to an Indian wedding, most have at least 300 guests. A venue topping out for 150 guests is tiny by comparison. Except for the maad wind, The Sunol Valley Gold Club worked out perfectly. Who knew this place existed so close to Fremont & Pleasanton! Memorial Day weekend had awesome weather so no complaints on that part….

Always trying new things…here I’m getting the lensbaby some work. Rich colors and refracting light? Lensbaby likes.


Palm trees & clear skies? You’d think we’re in SoCal….

Most grooms tend to be a bit nervous and therefore quiet before the ceremony starts and it takes them a while to get into dancing with the baraat. Not in the this case. As soon as Jiggar got off the horse, he we at it with the rest of his family & friends.


Just love getting into the crowd. Photojournalism is one thing, but we’ve really been trying to take photos to show what’s it’s like to be there. This is generally not a problem since the guys with the big cameras usually get right of way, but it’s definitely a challenge trying to convince people that, yes, they really can ignore us and do their thing.

Looking over the shoulder is one of those ways to let people do their thing. Of course, an 8 pound camera kit can be a little disconcerting in the corner of your eye :)


Every wedding is a new training session letting people know that they don’t need to hold out gifts just so the camera guys can take a picture. In most cases, we’ve already gotten the reaction shot before they even think to hold it out for a photo :) In this case, Jiggar’s obviously bought into the whole concept of “ignore the photographer” so it’s nice to get some shots as he straightens out the mangal sutra before he put it on Keya.

With so many ceremonies and everyone’s eyes on her, it can be tough to get shots of the bride just pausing for a moment…and…thinking.

Oh…and if you haven’t noticed yet, I’m loving this bleached look for outdoor photos…hope they like the high-key, washed out look :)


Even harder to capture? The bride and groom just spending a moment in their own world….

Good game! The videographer wanted the couple to give each other a high five. They were as surprised as I was by the request. Well…at least they had fun with it :)

Amazingly…you rarely see the couple just hug each other. I suppose it’s just Indian tradition, but the couple is usually pretty hands off. Nice to see them share another moment.

Just LOVED the colors at the reception…burnt orange may be a really popular color, but it’s pretty hard to get it to work with many colors and even tougher to make it look elegant.

Nice cake too. Okay, okay, I’ve been accused of being a cake snob :) I think that’s because I don’t like cakes that are too over-done or flamboyant in the old-skool way. A well made cake that’s not too ornate? That works for me.

A little lensbaby action to focus on the roses and the top tier.

Who can complain about such a wonderful backdrop? We took these shots about 15 minutes later than I would have liked so the sun had already set. Pretty decent light anyways.


Yes…another moment. You figure these two love each other? :)


We just started giving this perspective to entrances when both Asad and I are covering events. We tend to love this, but I guess the proof will be in the pudding when our couples give us their feedback.

The mother of the bride tends to make the call on technical details surrounding ceremonies and which uncles and aunties to thank. In this case, the mother actually tended to every detail since the couple don’t live in the area. Great job by all accounts…and without being overbearing!

Garba-raas at a wedding reception?! Now that’s a first!

A little salsa by the couple doesn’t hurt either :) Congrats you two!

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