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Bay Area Indian Wedding Photographer
Spring is in the air! Today we are posting just a few of the beautiful images we took at Sabrina and Mohan’s Engagement Photo Shoot in San Francisco. We had a great time at the Palace of Fine Arts and Baker Beach. We even stopped along the way for some breathtaking scenic shots. I can’t wait for their wedding this upcoming June! It’s going to be awesome!
To schedule an engagement photo shoot in the San Francisco Bay Area give us a call or shoot us an email! We would love to hear from you!
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting up with Sandra and Paul in San Francisco for the Engagement Shoot! Sandra looked amazing and I am so excited for their upcoming wedding in August. We shot at the Palace of Fine Arts, as well as, Baker Beach during sunset. Check out some of our favorite images below!
This was a very special engagement shoot for me! It was the furthest and longest I have ever shot an engagement. We went all the way to UC Davis where Aisha and Raheel’s love story began. While attending UC Davis, Raheel ended up sitting next to Aisha in the computer lab. When he saw her, he instantly knew that was the girl for him. For three years he tried to be connect with her but she never gave him a chance. He would go places she would be, take classes he knew she would take, and ultimately followed her around until one day she said he could have a shot with her.
I could not believe how touching this story was as Raheel and I drove up to UC Davis together. You could really hear in his voice how excited he was for them to be getting married next month. He is marrying the girl of his dreams and he never strayed from achieving his goal of marrying the girl of his dreams.
For me this was a very REAL engagement shoot. Often times he would go to the library because he knew there he would see her. If they were studying together often times Raheel would fall asleep and she would have to wake him up. The photos in this set show how he was longing to one day be with her. To me, this is a really cool idea to really be able to reenact things that actually happened. Since they both went to school at UC Davis it was sentimental to come back to their old school and visit the campus as a couple. They both have advanced in their studies and Aisha is studying to become a dentist, and Raheel, a Chiropractor.
UC Davis has a beautiful campus, with large trees lining the sidewalks and an Arboretum with many species of plants. The library was the main part that I was excited for so we spent most of our time there. After the campus we headed to the Islamic Center of Davis, a place both Aisha and Raheel spent time at. These pictures exemplify their faith and how they will continue to follow the path of Allah and create a positive upbringing for their children just like their parents have for them.
Once we left Davis we headed down to San Francisco to hit various spots including Treasure Island, Palace of Fine Arts, and Baker Beach. After the shoot I got the best compliments ever from them both. They really enjoyed the shoot and I was very happy to spend so much time with them to get to know them better. When you know some one more, you can photograph them better and choose angles and backgrounds that really mean something to them, but also tell the story which can bring back many happy memories for them.
What I loved best is how these two interacted and how loving they are towards one another. They really seem like best friends who want to experience life together. I really felt this when they both got wet by the rising tides at Baker Beach. This shot is so priceless as they did not care to get soaked. They were together and having fun and they took that chance for the experience and I had just happen to get a shot of it. They were more concerned with each other than just trying to “pose” for photos. That was a real moment, a real capture, nothing set up or fake, and the emotions are real. I really love that shot for so many reasons.
We are super excited for Aisha and Raheel’s three day traditional Muslim/Pakistani wedding taking place in San Ramon later on this month. We can’t wait to what the future holds for these two and we can’t wait to share their wedding images later this summer!
I am super excited for our upcoming Summer 2011 weddings! We have a ton and they are all going to be SO beautiful! I am especially looking forward to capturing Anjali and Rakesh’s special day in July! You can tell by checking out these photos from their San Francisco E-Session that they have amazing chemistry and really beautiful smiles. I have shot a few of Anjali’s friends weddings and I know she can rock it on the dance floor and that all her friends definitely know how to have a good time!
What I loved most about the shoot is how easy it was for these two to pose. Once I got them in the right light and gave them a few cues about where to look and what to do, they fell into really natual positions that were a joy to photograph. I try to not “over pose” and with these two, I didn’t have to. That is really cool when the photographer and couple are on the same wavelength and they can really make it beautiful, natural, and fun!
Now for some engagement photo tips to all future brides! I highly recommend getting your hair and makeup trial before your engagement shoot. That way you can see how the makeup photographs, how it feels, how it holds up to sweat and tears, and you don’t waste how pretty you look! Anjali got her makeup trial done before the shoot and it adds to the overall production value of the photographs.
Second engagement photo tip! Color coordinate! You see how her colors do not clash with his? See how the black and white simply goes perfectly with the white architecture? These are all important considerations when choosing your engagement photo clothing and locations. Also, their Indian outfit matches that of the Palace of Fine Arts colors and pops nicely off green backgrounds. When photographed against walls they lose contrast because the walls are closer in color to their clothing but that gives it a more filmic look as well.
My third engagement photo tip is plan for lighting and weather! Want a romantic sunset shot in your engagement photos? Then don’t plan to meet your photographer on a Saturday at 1pm! Not only will the beaches be packed with tourists and there will be nearly no privacy on the beach for you to be romantic with your fiance, the lighting will be directly overhead and will cast heavy shadows below the eyes, nose, and mouth. Always try to plan your engagement shoot during “magic hour” which is usually the hour before the sun goes down. When you have to meet earlier because of scheduling issues, then start at a location with plenty of shade and avoid weekends at all costs when choosing popular tourist destinations during peak season. Weekdays are usually best as there will be more ample parking, less tourists, and even some places that do not allow professional photography, may be more relaxed during slower times since the photographer will not be in the way of people.
Other considerations when setting up your engagement photo shoot should be to discuss style with your photographer. Another wards, make sure your photographer knows what types of photos you are looking for in the engagement shoot. Do you like romantic, fun, candid, posed, cutesy, cuddly, modern, grunge tinted or color, B+W or Sepia, etc. That way your photographer can focus more on what you like and less on what you don’t. If you have no preference then the e-session will be a mixture and will give you an idea of different styles and you can then explain to your photographer what worked best.
Okay, now that I have written an awful lot about engagement photo sessions, why don’t we check out the beautiful photos from Anjali and Rakesh’s wedding! Enjoy and please leave comments if any of my tips were helpful.
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