Yes, we specialize in Indian wedding photography with dozens of San Francisco Bay Area marriages to our credit. We have photographed both Hindu and Sikh wedding ceremonies and all of the other events that come with it. Our experience includes photographing the traditional Indian wedding events including the Mehndi, Sangeet and Garba. The variety of marriage coverage requires a wedding photographer who will offer flexible packages and adjust them to the needs of their brides and grooms.
Not every Indian wedding client needs coverage for all of these traditional activities. Let us know what you need and we will create a package that best fits your specific plans. Due to budget restrictions, many of our Indian wedding couples only want 3 days coverage or less for their San Francisco Marriage ceremony. We will work with you and help meet your budget and still provide you with amazing and colorful Indian Wedding Photography while keeping it affordable. We understand that even if all of the traditional Indian marriage events are occurring, you may not need photographic coverage for all of them. We know how to work with our clients to design a custom made package that fits their specific needs.
Our experience with Indian weddings ranges from Sikh to Hindu and a few other kinds. This background helps us recognize and be ready for all of the important events and rituals. We try hard not to miss any details and our Indian Wedding experience helps. Once the Baraat starts, we know how to get some amazing shots despite the fact that many people will be in our way. Of course there is nothing like capturing the excitement of the Indian Groom riding in on a horse accompanied by all of his friends and family. You really need 2 wedding photographers to adequately capture this part of the day. I usually position one person higher up to get a birds eye view. This prevents the inevitable issue where we get blocked out by the crowd. I would never expect people having fun at a wedding to stay out of my way, so you just have to work around it.
During Hindu and Sikh wedding ceremonies there are special moments that must be captured. Indian weddings are full of tradition and are also very moving. The best Indian wedding photographers must be able to anticipate these moments and capture them when they happen. Experience and knowledge with each of these events is vital to being an effective wedding photographer for San Francisco Bay Area weddings. I can remember back to our first Indian wedding photography coverage and the fact that the family assigned a specific person to let us know what was coming next. We found out that this was very necessary to be effective as a top Indian wedding photographer. Now I understand and don't need this same level of coaching. But it helps remind me how far we have come, but also how very important it is to stay vigilant and involved in this ceremony. Check out our Indian galleries and see how we do it. We want you to feel like you are right there and watching the colors and the pageantry.
The Indian culture probably values professional wedding photography more than any other. This is why it is so important as a Indian wedding photographer to make sure we record every moment and detail. It's always a given that we need to capture beautiful formal shots of the bride and groom, but with Indian weddings, there is so much more. As you can see from the above examples there are many other aspects that need to be photographed. The decorations are amazing so it's important to get beautiful detail shots. In addition, many important rituals are included in the Indian wedding ceremony so this needs to be a priority as well.
If we have learned one thing from all of the Indian weddings we have covered, it's that the client really wants the various rituals covered very carefully and thoroughly. They do not want any details missed. So many fun things occur at Indian weddings whether it is skits put on by the wedding party or the ribbon ceremony shown above. Another very important factor in Indian Wedding Photography coverage is Video. We make sure that we work seamlessly with your professional videographer because we know how important this is to you! Lastly, the Indian culture values friends and family above all else. It's not uncommon for wedding parties to go well beyond 20 in number! As a San Francisco Bay Area Indian Wedding Photographer, it is so important to make sure you make plenty of time to photograph all of the group/family portraits needed. In addition, we try to make our packages affordable and full of the types of products most of our clients desire.
The Sangeet is an evening of celebration, dancing and performances and are typically more elaborate than your average wedding reception. We arrive beforehand to creatively photograph the decorations and wedding party members as they assist in the set up. Some of our clients will create a photography backdrop and ask us to take pictures of each group or family as they arrive at the Sangeet. We are happy to do this and also skilled in setting up these types of formal portrait images. We set up our professional lighting to make sure that these very important pictures are captured accurately and with great lighting. We never aim an on camera flash directly at our subjects! Beyond that, much of the Sangeet coverage is catching candid moments and showing the fun. There are a number of Indian rituals that take place and we are there to capture every detail. At some point during the celebration, we will usually take the couple out to get some nice formal shots of the 2 of them. They won't want to wander too far off, so this photo session is usually at the same location as the Sangeet, depending upon what's available.
Also included in most of our best Bay Area Indian wedding photographers coverage is the Mehndi party. This is a great opportunity to spend time with the bride's family as this particular celebration is much more about the bride as she gets her Henna applied. This celebration often occurs in the bride's home accompanied by her closest family and friends. A relative of the bride or a Henna artist will usually apply the Henna and the groom's name is frequently hidden in the bride's design. This event is also marked by colorful celebration and rituals and we enjoy photographing it all! From the wedding photographers standpoint, we find this a great opportunity develop rapport with the family and friends involved. In some cases, the Sangeet and the Mehndi are combined into one evening and we are certainly capable of handling this as well. For those of you interested in learning more, this Wikipedia page has some great information. We have photographed many such events in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been doing it for years! Check out our galleries that display some recent events in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Hayward, Concord and Fremont.
1. Ganesh Pooja - Indian Weddings usually start with this ritual, but we are not asked to photograph it too often. It's a small ceremony usually performed in the home. Only the engaged couple, wedding party and close family attend. On the rare occasions we are asked to photograph the Ganesh Pooja, we do it in a very unobtrusive way. No flash photography and no posing of the subjects, mostly just candid shots with an emphasis on simply documenting this important event. A few shots of the couple follow with family portraits and wedding party shots. This photography often happens in the backyard of the home. I believe we only been asked to cover this type of event a couple of times in the San Francisco area.
2. The Mehndi Ceremony - A festive occasion hosted by the bride's family, the Mehndi brings together family and friends to have intricate Henna applied to the lady's hands and feet. The family will celebrate with songs and follow up with a meal. As an Indian wedding photographer, it's important to show the process that takes place during the Henna application. This is a fun and celebratory occasion and our photographs need to display that. We make sure we capture laughter, fun and friendship. Of course, close up photography of the beautiful Henna designs are very important. We have the proper lighting equipment and close up lenses to make sure we create dramatic photos during the Mehndi. Definitely challenging to make sure that all aspects are covered as it seems like many things are happening at once, especially when you have more than one Henna station. This is why we always bring 2 wedding photographers to these events, but still try to keep our coverage inexpensive.
3. Sangeet - The Sangeet is a large event and everyone attending the wedding is usually invited. It's marked by dance, song and special performances. This is truly an Indian wedding celebration at it's best! A light supper is included in this great night of fun. As wedding photographers, we treat the Sangeet pretty much like a wedding reception. We bring light stands and other equipment to help us capture the dancing and festivities. Many couples will set up a backdrop and ask us to do a semi formal photo of each family or group as they arrive. This requires more of our professional lighting equipment including soft boxes or umbrellas. The main goal is to capture the fun of the evening and also make sure we take portraits of as many of the guests as possible! We have covered a very large number of San Francisco, Bay Area Sangeet celebrations and would love to photograph yours. We have also done these in Fremont, San Jose and other parts of the South Bay. Also included in our recent coverage are events in Concord, Milpitas and Pittsburg.
4. Baraat - This is probably the most important part of the Indian matrimonial ceremony. The groom arrives either on a horse or on foot surrounded by family and friends celebrating his impending marriage. Drums sound, people dance and sing as the groom enters like a King. This procession depicts that the groom is coming in to win his bride and be with her for the rest of their lives. We treat this like a sporting event in terms of photographic coverage. We want to capture all of the action so we bring our fastest lenses and cameras. Any lighting we bring, needs to be portable. We always cover this with both wedding photographers to make sure we don't miss a thing! My background in Sports photography at the University of San Francisco helps with this type of coverage!
5. Wedding Day! - The Indian Wedding day needs no special explanation. Our affordable wedding coverage begins with bridal preparation and the groom getting ready as well. On the groom's side there are often other special rituals to be performed. We make sure to cover everything that happens in the best way possible! It's often a long day of Indian wedding photography coverage which includes the ceremony and reception. However, depending upon the wedding, these events can also sometimes occur on separate days. It is not uncommon for our Indian brides and grooms to ask us to cover the days events from morning until night. we may employ 3 wedding photographers in this situation. The important thing is that we provide you with the best Indian wedding photography possible. One thing that sets Indian wedding photography apart from other wedding is the Groom takes on a more important role. So while we still pay close attention to the bride, we will make sure that we devote our resources to the groom getting ready also!
The Indian culture values professional photography more than many others. So we realize how important wedding photography is when we cover Indian weddings. In addition, it's a given that we need to capture amazing images of the happy couple, but with Indian weddings, there is even more at stake. Check out the above gallery images and you will how many other aspects of Indian celebrations that need to be photographed. The decor is incredible so it makes beautiful detail shots even more important. Also the fact that many rituals are included in the typical Indian wedding ceremony so this needs to be a huge priority. We love the fun activities that occur at Bay Area Indian weddings whether it is skits put on by family and the wedding party or fun ribbon ceremonies. It's not surprising to see Bridal Parties that go well beyond 20 in number! As an experienced San Francisco Indian Wedding Photographer, it is so important to make sure we cover all of this in great detail. In our humble opinion, it takes a professional to do this effectively. We have been covering San Francisco Bay Area Indian weddings for close to 20 years. Let us cover yours!
Besides this Indian wedding photography focus, we also photograph many San Francisco City Hall Weddings. Check out our other pages to see our Low Priced City Hall Specialty. There you will be able to view our packages and prices. To see Examples of San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographers galleries please click the link.