Wow! What a great experience it was photographing Prutha and Veeral’s Indian wedding in Chesapeake VA! Let me start by thanking all the wonderful folks who made it so much easy for me to photograph this awesome wedding! My special thanks to Nish Barot for giving me the opportunity to photograph this event. During the initial consultation, Nish had told me that this wedding was going to be different from other weddings. And he was right! As a photographer and at a personal level, I saw a very closely knit family and community. Very religious and solid in the beliefs. This event was a proof that you can celebrate special occasions without alcohol and contemporary music. And still have fun! I was also delighted to work with Richard and Andrea of Soulmate Films. We spent long hours working together and worked as a team. Very professional and easy to work with!
The first event I photographed was the Garba. Mica and I drove from Raleigh on Friday. Our hotel room had information packet and a goodie bag with snacks and treats! Right before the scheduled time, the weather turned really bad and caused heavy thunderstorms and traffic jams. So, we had a late start. The Garba was at the Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads. The hall was beautifully decorated. I captured decorations and details. When the bride and groom arrived, I did a mini portrait session. The couple started the Garba by lighting the deepak and with prayers. Once couple initiated the garba, everyone joined in. The action was fast and furious! The dinner was served. All vegan! And delicious! Then it was time for the dandiya! You have to work quickly! I created some images with the ambient light and rest with combination of on-camera/ off-camera speedlights. Garba is a fun social event. And my aim was to capture this fun in a variety of ways.
The ceremony was next morning at the same venue. After capturing some of the dandiya images, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for an early start. Stay tuned!
– Tesh Parekh
IWP Photography
www.IWPphotography.com
919-622-5399
email: tesh@iwpphotography.com
