A picture might be worth a thousand words, but few have the expertise to weave it together to form a memorable narrative. As intimate weddings and close-knit functions take precedence, these wedding photographers have embodied the change to craft surreal frames, capture candid moments, and cement memories with every shutter release. By Bayar Jain
Three Little Words
A baby in the photography world, three-year-old Three Little Words has already captured more than 250 weddings nation-wide. To them, fusing together the charm of couple shots with verdant natural landscapes is a match made-in-heaven. With intimate weddings on the rise, Ashish Langade, founder of Three Little Words, sees this change as advantageous—especially for photographers. “Intimate weddings offer more natural and homely captures, which wasn’t the case with large-scale weddings. Photographers get to be around the to-be-married couple for an extended period, thus offering room for better, unique, and more creative wedding shoots.”
Twogether Studios
As pioneers of modern, candid wedding photography, Twogether Studios are known to capture contemporary and offbeat frames since 2008. With a focus on creating fun, modern, and offbeat stories, founders Arjun and Praerna Kartha have now expanded to train a fully in-house team, each with expertise in shooting Indian marriages. The team now also boasts of having adapted to the weddings of today. “We had to adapt to make visual stories of people in masks, of people “socially distant” from each other, all the while putting on a brave face without letting the paranoia and the very real danger of the pandemic from affecting our work.”
Israni Photography & Films
Backed with over a decade-long experience in the photography industry, Israni Photography & Films treat every wedding akin to a story itching to unraveled. Capturing intricate details is second nature to these photographers, be it small-scale or grand; emotions continue to steal the spotlight. “Especially with a smaller ceremony, guests and families have become even more comfortable and I think we photographers have been able to adapt to this by creating more emotions with stories and vibes that connect with everyone and remain timeless,” says Megha Israni, founder of Israni Photography & Film, “It’s refreshing to see the real essence of weddings coming out with intimate ceremonies.”
WeddingNama
Paired with a penchant to capture portraits, founders Ankita Asthana and Akash Agarwal—along with their in-house team of skilled photographers, cinematographers and editors—have cemented their name in translating human emotions onto celluloid. The couple’s chemistry remains the star in each frame, while customisation weaves each narrative together. Despite the odds, this longing for emotions continues to be their forte. “With a lesser crowd, there is more involvement of guests in the wedding itself which results in more emotions that can be captured,” reveals Asthana.
WhatKnot Wedding Photography
With almost eight years’ experience in the industry, and having shot more than 300 weddings till date, there’s few—if any—moments that WhatKnot Wedding Photography misses. Paired with a keen eye that strives for the ideal non-choreographed shot, founders Aditya Mahagaonkar and Aditya Marathe unravel the couple’s full story with ease. From details to making personal connections, WhatKnot factors it all. With them, professionalism, ethics, and principles precedes creativity; while friendliness underscores their process. Noting the rise in intimate weddings, Mahagaonkar laments, “Our effort on the job has gone up since capturing everything around becomes utmost critical.” He adds, “Having said that, we have loved the transition since we land up getting the happiest faces around!”
Knotting Bells
Founded by Shrey Bhagat, Rajesh Satankar and Sachin Patidar, the story-telling team claim to be hopeless romantics themselves. No wonder, then, the passionate photographers have woven fairytale-like albums for some of India’s high profile clients. Think Rubina Dilaik and Abhinav Shukla, Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain, Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul, Suyyash Rai and Kishwer Merchant, and Gautam Rode and Pankhuri Awasthy, amongst others. Bhagat ponders, “While large, extravagant weddings have their own charm, the smaller intimate weddings are something that bring in so much emotion and love. Capturing such unfiltered, real moments is very surreal.”
Naman Verma
An artistic photographer for whom visualisations are instinctive, Naman Verma is all about shooting not what is seen by the naked eye, but for capturing what a soul feels. A creative expressionist, Verma narrates a tale through photographs and motion pictures, both. For him, weddings transcend ceremonies. Instead, it is an emotional journey wherein wedding albums serve as a visual proof of the union. These emotional journeys, he feels, become more pious when celebrated with a select few. “One can certainly capture genuine emotions and feelings experienced by friends and family present, as it doesn’t get subsided in the extravagance of luxury weddings.”
Chayasutra
Lead by Sougata Mishra, Hyderabad-based Chayasutra believes in capturing emotions, not people and places. A technical know-how of the gear and artistic approaches facilitates the same. The team’s innate ability to resonate with their clientele and constantly strive for excellence has helped them surge into the playing field. Speaking about intimate weddings, Mishra reveals, “Sometimes, I had to cover the entire wedding all by myself due to the COVID-19 restrictions. He continues, “But I am glad that, due to the small [number of] attendees, I could focus on importance of family bonding and their raw emotions during every ceremony.”
Related: Monisha Ajgaonkar Talks About Wedding Photography’s New Rules
