Suggestions for finding a photographer abroad?

RKA

This is mildly off topic, but I'm getting frustrated, so I'll give it a shot. I will be getting married in Mumbai this December, and I'm looking for a wedding photographer. I do wedding/event photography in the US myself, and I am horrified at what passes for wedding photography in India. On top of that, most photographers seem to get hired through event management type agencies, with little to zero information provided about their work or qualifications. The sample work I've seen resembles crime scene photography more than wedding photography. Does anyone have any suggestions on places I can go to find a wedding photographer (google is the proverbial needle in a haystack, and I haven't found much on SM either)?

klphoto

RKA wrote:

This is mildly off topic, but I'm getting frustrated, so I'll give it a shot. I will be getting married in Mumbai this December, and I'm looking for a wedding photographer. I do wedding/event photography in the US myself, and I am horrified at what passes for wedding photography in India. On top of that, most photographers seem to get hired through event management type agencies, with little to zero information provided about their work or qualifications. The sample work I've seen resembles crime scene photography more than wedding photography. Does anyone have any suggestions on places I can go to find a wedding photographer (google is the proverbial needle in a haystack, and I haven't found much on SM either)?

I don't know of any sites...but I would be happy to travel to mumbai to shoot your wedding I traveled all over India about a year ago and it was an amazing time.

Agnieszka

+1 I'm up for any destination weddings. & loooooove India, been in there for a month last November (will probably not help me much, will it? ).

Otherwise try www.photographik.org :cry

Good luck

RKA

Haha, thanks Kyle! I'm afraid I couldn't cover the expenses, but if you happen to be in Mumbai on Dec 27th, definitely hit me up!

BTW, I enjoyed your pictures! I can't say I miss India that much. Between the poor air quality and the health issues that food and water can cause, it's so difficult for me to travel there. I remember visiting my grandparents for a summer and being sick for a month straight as a child! Now Australia...I truly love! In your pics I saw everything I missed on my trip (too little time).

http://rajashar.smugmug.com/gallery/3342675_cqRfv

RKA

Agnieszka wrote:

+1 I'm up for any destination weddings. & loooooove India, been in there for a month last November (will probably not help me much, will it? ).

Otherwise try www.photographik.org :cry

Good luck

Thanks Agnieszka! I'm not sure whether you were suggesting I look at destination photographers there or local photographers. The search doesn't have India in the drop down, and unfortunately, destination photographers are well out of my budget. I'd rather fly one of my partners and his wife out for the week (if I could afford it).

Agnieszka

Yeah, thought you were looking for a destination wedding photographer ... sorry

Def. think flying one of your friends over to India and have him / her shoot your wedding is probably the way to go. You'll feel comfortable in front of the camera AND he / she will have a fab time in India (when do you get a chance to do something fun like that)?? + they might give you a lower rate as it will be something fun for their portfolio and flights from Australia are probably not *that* expensive, right?

Hope you'll find somebody fun to shoot your event.

RKA

Agnieszka wrote:

Yeah, thought you were looking for a destination wedding photographer ... sorry

Def. think flying one of your friends over to India and have him / her shoot your wedding is probably the way to go. You'll feel comfortable in front of the camera AND he / she will have a fab time in India (when do you get a chance to do something fun like that)?? + they might give you a lower rate as it will be something fun for their portfolio and flights from Australia are probably not *that* expensive, right?

Hope you'll find somebody fun to shoot your event.

, no, $5K for flights (from the US) and hotels for 2 isn't *that* expensive!

Agnieszka

Oh sorry, I misread your post ... thought you live in Australia right now

Sorry ...

Pretty sure there are some cool local photographers! There *must* be. I guess you might also look into countries nearby? Hmm ...

klphoto

RKA wrote:

Haha, thanks Kyle! I'm afraid I couldn't cover the expenses, but if you happen to be in Mumbai on Dec 27th, definitely hit me up!

BTW, I enjoyed your pictures! I can't say I miss India that much. Between the poor air quality and the health issues that food and water can cause, it's so difficult for me to travel there. I remember visiting my grandparents for a summer and being sick for a month straight as a child! Now Australia...I truly love! In your pics I saw everything I missed on my trip (too little time).

http://rajashar.smugmug.com/gallery/3342675_cqRfv

Ahhh thats too bad..I never did make it over to Mumbai when I was in india. If by some crazy circumstance I end up in Mumbai on Dec 27th I will definitely let you know.

Thanks for taking a look at my pics. I was sick for a week straight while in India...I don't think I could have taken a month of sickness! I was in Australia for about a 1.5 months and that gave me a fair amount of time to travel around...of course one could always use more time as I didn't make it to sydney.

FedererPhoto

Wow, I did a quick search as well... and, huh, your right.



Kinda weird and perhaps inapporpriate, but I actually have a decent chance of being in the area at the end of December.


Edit: Not too bad: http://www.aspirationsphotography.co.uk/

DsrtVW

Only one I know of in the area is Awais Yaqub he is a member in Islamabad Pakistan. I do not know if he does wedding or if it is possible for him to go there to shoot.

But he definitely has talent, I have always enjoyed his perspective

http://www.awaisyaqub.com/galleries

RKA

FedererPhoto wrote:

Wow, I did a quick search as well... and, huh, your right.



Kinda weird and perhaps inapporpriate, but I actually have a decent chance of being in the area at the end of December.


Edit: Not too bad: http://www.aspirationsphotography.co.uk/

I guess I didn't make this clear, but bringing in a destination photographer isn't a possibility due to cost (travel, expense, and in some cases the rates a western photographer would charge). Aspirations is based in the UK, so I'll rule them out right off the bat. Joe, I appreciate the personal plug, and it's not inappropriate (to me at least). I'm not sure your pricing would fit within our budget, but that aside for a moment, may I ask what brings you to India in Dec and when you might be in Mumbai?
Thanks!
Raj

RKA

DsrtVW wrote:

Only one I know of in the area is Awais Yaqub he is a member in Islamabad Pakistan. I do not know if he does wedding or if it is possible for him to go there to shoot.

But he definitely has talent, I have always enjoyed his perspective

http://www.awaisyaqub.com/galleries

Interesting suggestion Chris! Thank you! His work is fantastic! His style of shooting is very different from event coverage, but even if he's feeling it out for the first time he could surpass the sample images I've seen from the local "professionals". I've got some reservations about his limited equipment list and lack of flash usage on his website, but I'll email him and see if this leads anywhere. The former can be solved by hauling my equipment over there, the later...well, 5 months is a lot of time to learn! Pakistan is probably a 1-2 flight to Mumbai I suspect.

Moogle Pepper

Yeah definitely get in touch with Awais! He's a great guy! I am sure he would be happy to try out new gear if you bring yours!

Richard

You might want to try putting an ad on Craigslist. Doesn´t cost anything and they have a Mumbai site.

RKA

Richard, that's a good idea! I browsed over there and unlike here, their services section is dead. As you said, nothing to lose. Thank you.

Ted, thanks for that vote of confidence. I had a talk with my fiance this morning. Putting aside her political views on Pakistan (sigh), she raised one good point. Getting a visa to travel from Pakistan to India for a 24 year old male may not be easy, and even if granted, there is no guarantee he gets past immigration in Mumbai. Security has always been an issue, but after the events that transpired last Nov. in Mumbai, they are even more careful. My wedding hall informed me that I would not be able to ride a horse to the wedding hall, which is commonplace in Indian weddings (they cited some security regulations being imposed upon them). Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself...first I'll contact Awais and see if it's even something he would be interested in. Thank you!

FedererPhoto

RKA wrote:

...may I ask what brings you to India in Dec and when you might be in Mumbai?

I do one longer trip per year to bolster my stock portfolio. This year I was thinking of traveling at the end of December. Current plans point towards Australia / New Zealand but if some wedding work could be picked up, I might be willing to take advantage of the fact I haven't reserved or planned anything yet.

Awais Yaqub

RKA wrote:

Interesting suggestion Chris! Thank you! His work is fantastic! His style of shooting is very different from event coverage, but even if he's feeling it out for the first time he could surpass the sample images I've seen from the local "professionals". I've got some reservations about his limited equipment list and lack of flash usage on his website, but I'll email him and see if this leads anywhere. The former can be solved by hauling my equipment over there, the later...well, 5 months is a lot of time to learn! Pakistan is probably a 1-2 flight to Mumbai I suspect.

Thanks for looking into my photos, and kind words. I have to agree i have absolutely no experience of event photos. I only pick assignments which i feel i can do with my current gear ( i don't have flashes etc).

On the other hand i cannot say anything without knowing date, because of my university. And i wonder what hurdles i have to face for Indian Visa !

Anyways congrats on your wedding !

Awais Yaqub

Oh man i just read your email. The date you mentioned is impossible for me, because in that week i will be busy in Final exams !

Moogle Pepper

Finals Smainals!

RKA

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Oh man i just read your email. The date you mentioned is impossible for me, because in that week i will be busy in Final exams !

Thats too bad! Thank you for taking the time to respond Awais! I really appreciate it!