Amrit, co-founder of ShaadiGraPher is one of the best wedding photographers Delhi has – hope this picture story helps you agree!

Picture story from one of the top wedding photographers in Delhi

Sumit & Shelly’s wedding story by Amrit – Day 1

Shelly is a doctor and she knew about our work through some of her other doctor-friends whose weddings Ankit and I had shot over the last year. Sumit is an IITD grad who then did his MBA from IIMC and is now a consultant (like I was). The wedding was an arranged one, but they had been talking and meeting each other since a long time and by the wedding day, the chemistry between them was as good as between those go for love marriages.

This was a 2 day affair that I shot in Gurgaon. I had had a Skype chat with Sumit and Shelly earlier. Met them for the first time in Crown Plaza. Sumit arrived first, with his sister (who I would later get to know is also in IIMC presently), parents and other close family members and was soon part of a small pooja (tilak) on stage.

Once the tilak was over, everyone waited for Shelly to come down. In the mean time, I left the hall to find Shelly in her room.

As I entered her room, I told Shelly that Sumit was looking kind of nervous back there in the banquet hall. She told me he had been messaging her to ask if she remembered all the steps properly for their dance performance (that was to follow). I wished them all the best. ‘Is he the better dancer or you’? I then asked her. Out of plain curiosity.

‘No, I am better, of course’, she assured.

Once Shelly arrived in the hall, it was time for some group photos (they had another photographer for that purpose). Everyone told her how for the first time she was not looking like a doctor! :) That’s an awesome thing about your wedding – whatever you are, a lawyer, a consultant, a doctor, an artists, an ad-industry professional, when it’s your wedding, you are simply a bride (and a groom).

A small solo ceremony for Shelly was followed by ring-exchange, before everyone settled down for the start of dance performances. And believe me, there were 20+ choreographed performances! Shelly and Sumit patiently waited for all the performances to get over before they hit the stage with their number.

   

Finally it was the couple’s turn to perform and they enjoyed what they did. So did everyone else!

 

Sumit & Shelly’s wedding story by Amrit – Day 2

The wedding next evening was held in a very big plot called Nitesh Kunj. Sumit arrived and was welcomed by Chhavi, Shelly’s gorgeous cousin. And then it was time for some pooja again, before Shelly arrived and then the jaymaal happened.

 

And then began that long reception session that most couples dread. All the thousands of guests come to you, stand with you and get their pictures clicked. And you have to keep smiling. All those thousand times. Thankfully, I don’t shoot such group pictures and I could roam around throughout the venue to capture candid moments whenever I could.

The reception was over by about midnight and once everyone had their dinner, the pheras began in the presence of just the closest family members and friends.

Though Sumit’s shoes where in sight for a while, at some point they disappeared. As always. :) While the family was in lookout for shoes, some uncle asked me if I knew where they where. I told him I didn’t. ‘Kya yaar, puri IIT waste gayi teri’, he joked. I was surprised to know that he was aware I was from IIT myself. And guess what, even Shelly’s own brother (as I later found out) was an IITD Comp sci graduate. The IIT / IIM factor at this wedding was really high I must say! :)

As we approached wee hours of morning, some guests dozed off, but the wedding was over on time I must say.

 

We had the vidaai at about 0330 in the morning (the precise time scheduled for it) and thus got over the wedding on an emotional note. As always. With the aid of Google Maps, I drove Ankit’s Civic back home, crashed for about 4 hrs and got up to rush to the airport for my flight back to Goa. With memories of this sweet simple wedding full of IITians and IIM junta.

Before I end this story, let me also share some technical bit for those who are into photography themselves. They might find this information useful. I don’t usually use flash to shoot pictures. But this time I tried two off-camera speedlights at very low power. I had to constantly change the power of both flashes (thankfully I can do that wirelessly without the need to physically go to the flashes). I must say this added an extra dimension to a lot of pics. The reason you don’t notice flash is because I made sure they didn’t emit way more light than the existing ambient lighting (and of course, they were never from the same angle as that of camera). I had two bodies – a 5d mii and a 6d. Majority of pics are from 50mm f1.4 and almost everything else from a 135mm f2 (and then some very few by a 24 f1.4). Almost always, I clicked at widest aperture.