Wedding photography by an embedded journalist

Wedding Photography by Nishant Ratnakar
A bride reaching out to her mother, while the latter is slowly being pulled away from her by their relatives. A Bidaai Scene, Bangalore, 2010. © Nishant Ratnakar
Wedding Photography by Nishant Ratnakar
A bride reaching out to her mother, while the latter is slowly being pulled away from her by their relatives. A Bidaai Scene, Bangalore, 2010. © Nishant Ratnakar

There is one particular moment during Hindu weddings that can get emotionally charged. It is the time of Bidaai, or the ritualistic farewell given to the bride by her family. If most rituals of Indian marriages are about joy and celebration, then Bidaai is about shedding tears, and more tears. This is especially true in the case of North Indian Weddings, where no stone is left unturned to put up a gala Wedding show.

My embedded eyes, and my camera, have been witness to many situations where the bride breaks down to a background chorus of her relatives singing songs of farewell. The toughest man during an Indian wedding, they say, is a bride’s father. But, I have seen this tough man melt like chocolate in these situations.

Wedding is a personal affair, and camera they say is an intrusive device. To capture the highs and lows, and every fleeting moment of this personal affair in its intimate, unscripted and candid form, the photographer cannot be an outsider. A photographer has to transform from being a stranger to a trusted friend, whose responsibility in the wedding is to freeze memories to last a lifetime.

To achieve this, I extend the idea of embedded journalism  and documentary photography into wedding photography. I embed myself into the lives of the couple whose wedding I document. Their friends become my friends, their relatives become my friends, and in this process of building trust and relationship, I finally become an insider. I am always welcome in any moment during the wedding. But I’ll be one guest who shall remain invisible in the wedding photographs:).

This is my philosophy in documenting every wedding as visual storyteller. And here’s a video to take you deeper into what I see at Weddings from the perspective of Visual Storyteller. Do watch the video at the below link to view my 2013 wedding photography portfolio in a format where you just click play and sit back to be taken into my world when I am on an assignment 🙂 .

Best of Indian Wedding Photography 2013 – A Visual Storyteller’s Perspective

Yes, I am a story-teller. Feel free to share this story of mine.

To know more about the weddings that I am commissioned to shoot, please click here.

If you need a Visual Storyteller to photograph your big day in life, then do write to me using this contact form.

If you like my work then I request you to share this video with your friends and family by using any of the sharing links shown below.

Cheers!
Nishant

Nishant Ratnakar
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By Nishant Ratnakar

Nishant is a Bangalore, India based Wedding, Portrait & Editorial Photographer. He is available for assignments across India. He also conducts photography workshops and offers personal photography mentorship.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Beautiful capture!!!

tamil matrimony

matrimonial

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