Photography and Bridal Preparations@ Lakme Salon, Allahabad

Apr 23, 2012 Fashion & Bridal Wear

Lakme Salon conceptualised an exciting bridal contest wherein brides-to-be had to upload a stylish picture of themselves and get maximum votes to win a bridal outfit worth Rs One lakh and other wow prizes- a wedding photography package from Naina Redhu and a complete bridal makeover from Lakme Salon. Sanya from Allahabad won the contest.

Naina Redhu shares her experience of shooting the getting ready moments.

Sanya arrives at Lakme Salon in Civil Lines, Allahabad

The red Garaara that Sanya would be wearing for the wedding, presented to her by her mother-in-law. The makeup was based around the color of the outfit as well as the particular look that Sanya wanted. Sanya’s toes getting dried while her fingernails are being painted

The staff at Lakme Salon started prepping Sanya up with the basics. Red nail paint being applied to her toes

She giggles nervously as I try to get her to relax, typical wedding day nerves!

The Lakme staff then proceeded to fix Sanya’s hair the way she wanted them and also helped her wear the jewelry. It’s a rare opportunity to do a self-portrait when shooting a wedding assignment- when I do get a chance, I take it.

Her bare eyelashes as she relaxes on the chair while the make-up artist preps her kit

The eyelashes are now with mascara and a stick lash that was Sanya’s favorite

Those are Jaya’s hands as she prepares just the right shade of lipstick for Sanya- her hands were the palette and she worked like a painter

Sanya gets up from the chair for a first look at her makeup and she loved it!  Once the makeup was done, Sanya proceeded to wear more of her jewelry. In this case, her ear rings


And here, the ‘payal’ given to her by her mother-in-law

The Lakme staff helped her put on the nose ring as well and Sanya is now starting to look like a really really beautiful bride.

A closer look at the nose ring and the gorgeous red lipstick

She looks all set but there’s one thing missing- the jhumar. Sanya looks at herself in the mirror while waiting

The jhumar is here and the Lakme staff fix it for her.  After this, we headed to the venue to hopefully catch some portraits of the bride before the guests and the groom arrive.  At the venue, finally, a full length portrait of the bride just as twilight sets in

And we end with a closer look of Sanya just as we hear about the groom’s arrival

Photographs courtesy- www.knottytales.com

Tags: Ahmedabad, Bridal Preparation, Bride, Getting Ready Moments, Lakme Salon, Naina Redhu, Photography

Announcing the winners of Judges Choice – Women’s Day Contest for Women Photographers

Mar 14, 2012 Wedding Photographers

In honor of Women’s Day earlier this month, WeddingSutra held a contest for Women Wedding Photographers. Participants were required to send candid wedding photographs and we received overwhelming number of entries. Our readers have already picked the photos for popular choice awards and you can view the winning entries here.

For the Judge’s Choice, photos were judged by the very talented, Dina Douglass, one of the most influential wedding photographers in the US (she also specializes in Indian weddings). We asked Dina to share her thoughts on the entries and how she picked the winning photos from the phenomenal entries.

Says Dina, “One of the things that makes great candid photography is the ability to capture moments, and to capture them in a new and unique way. Or in a way that isn’t immediately obvious. Everyone did a wonderful job, and I’m so happy to see so many female photographers doing such great work in India. A few of the images were not candid, so even though I liked them very much, I could not consider them, as they did not meet the criteria for the contest. I am sure there will be other contests in the future that focus on creative portraits or different types of moments that involve photographer direction, and I hope those photographers will consider resubmitting some of their work that might fit better with another set of contest criteria”.

“I have looked at these images many times in the past few days, and keep coming back to these. So these are my winners. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as a judge in honor of Women’s Day, and congratulations to all of you for creating such beautiful work,” says Dina.

A big shout out to Dina from the WeddingSutra team for giving her time and expertise to this very special contest. And I’d personally like to thank all the talented women who were part of this contest. Thank you for getting behind the lens and telling the stories in your own unique ways. Here’s to the women in wedding photography.

And now, presenting the winners of the Judge’s Choice Awards.

1st Place:
Photo by Shreya Sen

Dina: “The composition of this image is outstanding. It is a truly candid moment, but the inclusion of the groom makes the image much more powerful. It is a little bit too red, but I am not judging on color. I am judging on candid photography. So with that in mind, I think this is a great image that does a wonderful job of showcasing the photographer’s vision. It would not be as powerful if the groom was not included.”

2nd Place:
Photo by Sneha Kar

Dina: “A gorgeous image. I initially thought that this must have been set up by the photographer, but when I realized it was taken during the garland exchange, I thought that the photographer did a wonderful job using the videographer’s light to create this dramatic image.”

Tie: 3rd Place:
Photo by Sowmya

Dina: “It is very difficult to get a ceremony shot where both the bride and groom are laughing. I always feel like people are sometimes so overwhelmed that they forget to smile. So this is a wonderful and very genuine moment that captures the essence of what “candid” photography should be.”

Tie: 3rd Place
Photo by Naina Redhu

Dina: “I have shot this moment many times, and it is very hard to get such a wonderful shot of the bride. The photographer’s choice to blur and darken some of the other girls helps keep the focus on the bride. I love this image.”

Honorable Mentions

Photo by Shreya Sen

Dina: “I love the moment, and I love her eyes. I can’t tell if the image would be stronger if I could see the entire face, or it’s better with just the eyes showing. Still, it is a wonderful image.”

Photo by Bhumi Ahluwalia

Dina: “I really like that the photographer saw the beauty of this image.”

Tags: Bhumi Ahluwalia, Dina Douglass, Naina Redhu, Shreya Sen, Sneha Kar, Sowmya, Wedding Photographers, Women

Women in Wedding Photography

Apr 12, 2011 Wedding Photographers

Wedding photography, traditionally a male bastion is now seeing more women. This year, Kodak presents Better Photography Wedding Photographer of the Year (WPOY) 2010, received many entries from women photographers. Not surprising, since a wedding is a lot about the bride, the emotions, minute details and so many candid moments!

Suchita Sitani, Naina Redhu

Richa Kashelkar, Deepa Netto

‘Easier Access to the Bride’
Says Gurgaon-based Naina Redhu who participated in WPOY 2010: “Difficult to generalise what advantages or disadvantages women photographers have but sometimes it’s easier when the other photographers don’t come in your way.” When Redhu has a free moment between the shots, she loves observing the flowers and decor, and jewellery that everyone is wearing. “And mingling with the guests is great fun”, she quips. Richa Kashelkar, a qualified architect who started photographing weddings by a chance event, and now pursues it as a full-time career says: “As a woman you have easier access to the bride and women guests, so you can click some really nice ‘getting ready’ moments.” Navi Mumbai based Deepa Netto, states: “At the end of the day it makes no difference whether you’re a man or woman—because every client requires quality work for the money they have spent.”

Financially Rewarding and Emotionally Satisfying
Suchita Sitani who graduated from Ooty Light and Life Academy last year, participated in the Bridal Portraiture category for WPOY 2010. “I specialised in Fashion Photography, and while initially I was interested in Portraitures only, I’m now keen to capture the wedding ceremony too” says Sitani. “Of course there are a host of challenges there—different and sometimes tough lighting conditions, the need to be perfect with timing and not miss a single opportunity. But from what I hear, it’s financially rewarding and emotionally satisfying.”

Photographs by Deepa Netto

“At a wedding—in wet and mud stained jeans”.
Says Naina Redhu: “I love dressing up for weddings, so if I’m going as a guest, I enjoy figuring out the what-to wear bit and spend an hour at the salon. But on the job, I have to run around, and kneel and lie down quite a bit, so my dress is highly functional. I try to put on minimal makeup so I don’t stick out like an eye-sore. Deepa Netto adds: “I ensure I wear comfortable footwear since I have to stand upto 10 hours. At one weddng I fell down on a mucky football ground and then I had shoot the entire wedding in wet and mud stained jeans– since then I always carry an extra set of clothes.”

And then there’s the new decision-maker on wedding photography—the bride. Web evangelist and gadget geek Madhulika Mathur explains: “Unlike earlier, when families chose the wedding photographer, today the bride plays an important role in deciding who should click the wedding ceremonies; and she wants to be photographed by someone she is comfortable with. I’m not a professional photographer but interestingly, at some family and friends weddings, I’ve had the bride tell me to get click-happy since she’s confident I’ll do a good job with capturing those candid and ‘getting ready’ moments.”

Tags: Better Photography, Deepa Netto, Getting Ready Moments, india, Kodak, Naina Redhu, Photography, Richa Kashelkar, Suchita Sitani, Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photographer of the Year, Women, WPOY

‘Being Comfortable with the Family adds to the Magic’

Jan 31, 2011 Wedding Photographers

Naina Redhu always knew she had a keen eye for moments. Dexterous results in portraiture and event photography led to wedding photography- a fantastic combination of both. Says Naina on her new work space: “Tough lighting conditions, moments without warnings, long hours, and just one shot to get it right. It’s also about appreciating eccentricities and telling a beautiful story in the process.”

The trick believes Naina, is to get personally involved with the family as a member during the functions, and get to know the bride and the groom before the wedding. Says Naina: “Being invisible is not always easy, but being comfortable with the family adds to the magic.” She adds: “As a wedding photographer, what gives me incredible satisfaction is that not only do I get to capture the moments, I also get to influence those moments- if the couple and their family is comfortable, they can help produce magic, and the most traditional or formal ceremony can be made personal and memorable. And I love that. My personal favourite part of photographing a wedding is the candid couple shoot before or after the traditional ceremonies – it’s remarkable how much love one can capture in each image.”

From large-scale destination weddings to weddings for couples on a shoestring budget, there’s always something that can be done by Naina at Delhi based www.studioaside.com

Tags: Delhi, Destination Weddings, Naina Redhu, Wedding Photography