Muslim Indian Wedding

simplelogik

Preview of a recent wedding. At the meeting, the couple asked if I had ever done an Indian Wedding and know much about their tradition. Had to be honest and told them "no", especially Muslim Indian but there's always a first time . Luckily they gave us a chance and this turned out to be the most interesting and colourful wedding we've shot so far.

The blog entry is now live you can see it here ... Indian Wedding

Can I please ask if you could also leave a comment on the blog ??



Thanks
Richard.

Shima

I like the teasers, show us more when you edit the rest!

FlyNavy

Very nice work!

MammaPaparazza

Very, very nice! I just think in the second one her eyes look fake...like they don't belong with her face...maybe I'd describe it as cartoonish maybe too much LSD in my teenage years...lol

ssimmonsphoto

MammaPaparazza wrote: »

Very, very nice! I just think in the second one her eyes look fake...like they don't belong with her face...maybe I'd describe it as cartoonish maybe too much LSD in my teenage years...lol

I think it is an illusion of her makeup.

She is stunning! It is definitely a teaser set so far. Share more, please!

tenoverthenose

Of these, I find the first to be the strongest. In #2 & #3 I feel that your post production takes away from the images. They look over sharpened and smoothed to me - the contrast between the super soft bokeh, skin softening, and crisp eyes is a too much and leaves an unnatural look, not the enhanced for beauty look you were going for. #2 forces the viewer to go to the eyes, mouth, & jewels almost tracing an invisible cross on her face.

MammaPaparazza

tenoverthenose wrote: »

Of these, I find the first to be the strongest. In #2 & #3 I feel that your post production takes away from the images. They look over sharpened and smoothed to me - the contrast between the super soft bokeh, skin softening, and crisp eyes is a too much and leaves an unnatural look, not the enhanced for beauty look you were going for. #2 forces the viewer to go to the eyes, mouth, & jewels almost tracing an invisible cross on her face.

+1 yep thats what I meant

NeilL

#1

Maybe these don't have the same kind of context as the "usual". In my experience, Indians love a look which has references to the temple, to the gods in them, the statues and paintings. That wouldn't be how Muslim clients would express it, of course, but their eyes might not necessarily be in line with orthodoxy. India is a visual education independent of belief.

I see these photos in two ways: as representations of the divinity of female beauty, and so god-icon-like, worshiped with jewels; and as exaggerations of enhancements, like smoothing, sharpening, and glow, commonly done by Western photographers on brides. Both are artificial, and each is acceptable in the context of their own culture. (Poses are another example of this kind of difference. Keeping the bride and groom physically separate - not touching - throughout the public ceremony and for photographs, and a photograph of the groom bending over a near horizontal bride, with her foot in the air, to smack his lips on hers - these are likely ridiculous out of their own context.)

Laxmi, classical South Indian


Looking forward eagerly to see some more of this wedding! Thanks.

Neil

Llywellyn

The first image took my breath away. I love everything about it: her serene, joyful expression; the colors; the composition; the light; the processing. Spot on, all the way around, on that one.

Art Scott

Shima wrote: »

I like the teasers, show us more when you edit the rest!

well done.....

simplelogik

NeilL wrote: »

#1

Maybe these don't have the same kind of context as the "usual". In my experience, Indians love a look which has references to the temple, to the gods in them, the statues and paintings. That wouldn't be how Muslim clients would express it, of course, but their eyes might not necessarily be in line with orthodoxy. India is a visual education independent of belief.

I see these photos in two ways: as representations of the divinity of female beauty, and so god-icon-like, worshiped with jewels; and as exaggerations of enhancements, like smoothing, sharpening, and glow, commonly done by Western photographers on brides. Both are artificial, and each is acceptable in the context of their own culture. (Poses are another example of this kind of difference. Keeping the bride and groom physically separate - not touching - throughout the public ceremony and for photographs, and a photograph of the groom bending over a near horizontal bride, with her foot in the air, to smack his lips on hers - these are likely ridiculous out of their own context.)

Laxmi, classical South Indian


Looking forward eagerly to see some more of this wedding! Thanks.

Neil

WOW Neil .. I wished I actually saw what you described but unfortunately, I just turn up direct the bride and groom a little bit and then take the photos. There were no in depth analysis as such .. pretty much point and shoot ..

simplelogik

Some more post processed size for the blog, with full detail of the dress without ubber DOF ..

#4


#5


#6

Moogle Pepper

Holy...moly!

NeilL

simplelogik wrote: »

WOW Neil .. I wished I actually saw what you described but unfortunately, I just turn up direct the bride and groom a little bit and then take the photos. There were no in depth analysis as such .. pretty much point and shoot ..

Well, you know, I was talking about how I saw these.

But anyway, no need for you to come so much the raw prawn about them! 90% of what we do is determined by what is happening subconsciously and unconsciously in us. You cannot really suggest that your very first meeting with these people, and what that stirred up in your own visual education experience, did not put you on a tack very different than if these clients had been freckled ockers from the bush! Isn't that right. Point and shoot? Hardly! And robotic wedding photographers, certainly not!

You responded differently to this different context, and I suggested what the difference might have involved. You saw Laxmi in the bride in your first reaction to her, just as you now quite certainly do looking at the image I posted!

Neil

Nasser Radi

great capture
in fact, the greatest thing is you transferred the Indian tradition.
if you have any more. I would like to see

NeilL

Nasser Radi wrote: »

great capture
in fact, the greatest thing is you transferred the Indian tradition.
if you have any more. I would like to see

:lurk:D

But yes, I agree. I wonder if the OP's P&S has an "Indian tradition transfer" mode?

Neil

simplelogik

NeilL wrote: »

Well, you know, I was talking about how I saw these.

But anyway, no need for you to come so much the raw prawn about them! 90% of what we do is determined by what is happening subconsciously and unconsciously in us. You cannot really suggest that your very first meeting with these people, and what that stirred up in your own visual education experience, did not put you on a tack very different than if these clients had been freckled ockers from the bush! Isn't that right. Point and shoot? Hardly! And robotic wedding photographers, certainly not!

You responded differently to this different context, and I suggested what the difference might have involved. You saw Laxmi in the bride in your first reaction to her, just as you now quite certainly do looking at the image I posted!

Neil

Hi Neil,

I really appreciate your feedback, but I'm not sure what you mean by "raw prawn" ? I've only started doing wedding photography as a hobby last year and this wedding was about the 11th wedding that I've shot. At the initial consultation the client asked us if we've ever shot or had experience with an Indian wedding ? We were very upfront and admitted that we had no so experience. They then proceed to show us an album of their sibling's wedding which as taken by a fellow Indian photographer, we had to tell them that we do not shoot in the same style as in the album, I didn't want to say that it was "horrible" because it was all under exposed with a heavy yellow colour cast, with so many badly composed, tacky posing images etc .. The album had bright red and pink in the background so it was so horrible to look at .. but the weird thing was that they seem to liked it! I mentioned that our style (if we had one) is influenced by fashion so it'll be very different than what they like and it won't be the same as their sibling's album. Anyway, in the end they choose us because I think we were "affordable", actually ridiculously cheap , as we were starting off and advertised off Gumtree, which is equivalent to Craiglist in the US.

So to be honest I have no idea who or what Laxmi is. But what I've learnt from this wedding is that it's rich in culture and tradition and I should read up on it more !!! For me the interesting thing was that they were Indian, practicing Islam and came from Kenya, which I thought was very unusual but apparently it's very common!?

As for the P&S, it's a partial joke .. we do have the "Indian tradition transfer" :P. To be honest I do have a slight idea of what good light is, but at this stage it's very experimental. My girlfriend mentioned that I'm not consistent because the processing for this wedding doesn't match my previous weddings and the answer to that is that I have no style and still at a stage where I'm still learning and testing, so every wedding will look different from one another.

Once again thanks again for the feedback, I do appreciate it even though I'm struggling to see what you're saying, this is probably because of my lack of knowledge in Indian culture or wedding photography at this stage. But I'm fascinated by it .. Hopefully we'll get some more Indian clients in the future!!


Cheers
Richard.

simplelogik

Nasser Radi wrote: »

great capture
in fact, the greatest thing is you transferred the Indian tradition.
if you have any more. I would like to see

Thanks Nasser, as mentioned in the previous reply I do not have much experience with Indian culture but I'm fascinated by it . I'm about to finish my blog entry tonight and will send the link with the full wedding.

NeilL

simplelogik wrote: »

Hi Neil,

I really appreciate your feedback, but I'm not sure what you mean by "raw prawn" ? I've only started doing wedding photography as a hobby last year and this wedding was about the 11th wedding that I've shot. At the initial consultation the client asked us if we've ever shot or had experience with an Indian wedding ? We were very upfront and admitted that we had no so experience. They then proceed to show us an album of their sibling's wedding which as taken by a fellow Indian photographer, we had to tell them that we do not shoot in the same style as in the album, I didn't want to say that it was "horrible" because it was all under exposed with a heavy yellow colour cast, with so many badly composed, tacky posing images etc .. The album had bright red and pink in the background so it was so horrible to look at .. but the weird thing was that they seem to liked it! I mentioned that our style (if we had one) is influenced by fashion so it'll be very different than what they like and it won't be the same as their sibling's album. Anyway, in the end they choose us because I think we were "affordable", actually ridiculously cheap , as we were starting off and advertised off Gumtree, which is equivalent to Craiglist in the US.

So to be honest I have no idea who or what Laxmi is. But what I've learnt from this wedding is that it's rich in culture and tradition and I should read up on it more !!! For me the interesting thing was that they were Indian, practicing Islam and came from Kenya, which I thought was very unusual but apparently it's very common!?

As for the P&S, it's a partial joke .. we do have the "Indian tradition transfer" :P. To be honest I do have a slight idea of what good light is, but at this stage it's very experimental. My girlfriend mentioned that I'm not consistent because the processing for this wedding doesn't match my previous weddings and the answer to that is that I have no style and still at a stage where I'm still learning and testing, so every wedding will look different from one another.

Once again thanks again for the feedback, I do appreciate it even though I'm struggling to see what you're saying, this is probably because of my lack of knowledge in Indian culture or wedding photography at this stage. But I'm fascinated by it .. Hopefully we'll get some more Indian clients in the future!!


Cheers
Richard.

Fair enough mate!

What we're talking about is "crossover". Both Nasser and I remarked on it. And it has to be there. There is going to be no horizontal bride with a foot up, under a groom with his mouth on hers. Why? Because it's a crossover. There is going to be more formal, more stylised, visuals, what you see in the traditional art, which in Indian culture has been mainly linked to the temple. Why? Because it's a crossover. Whether you were conscious of it or not, it had to be there and it is. That's it.

But you can see the significance of being aware now of that crossover for properly seeing these photos, and commenting on them, can't you?

There is a huge Indian diaspora, from Africa to East Asia and the Pacific. To a lesser degree in USA and UK. Originally during the Raj as cheap labour, then import-export and retailing (Indian traders have a long history), and more recently in the professions. Gandhi's career, both legal and political, started in South Africa.

Thanks for the conversation.

Neil

VayCayMom

stunning couple, nice capture, clean and pure!

Qarik

#1 is portfolio material. #2 works and is great great image..but perhaps not for the album. As others have said it is rather stylized and over sharpened for thye purposes of flattering the bride but it does have a great feel to it for the purposes of a stylized portrait.

simplelogik

The blog entry is now live, you can see it here ... Indian Wedding

Can I please ask if you could leave a comment on the blog ??

rpcrowe

Your Coverage Is Awesome
You did a spectacular job on the entire wedding. I love the shot you posted here. I would never have thought to crop it like this but, it works really well!

Antonlm

Wow!!

Agnieszka

Oh man, THAT is pretty!!! I'm a big sucker when it comes to Indian weddings, but those photos are outstanding!

Thanks for sharing & hope to see more of your work on here!