Speaking as an Embedded Wedding Photographer

Interview with Nishant Ratnakar
Screenshot of my interview published on the website of AISFM, a leading Film and Media school in India
Interview with Nishant Ratnakar
Screenshot of my interview published on the website of AISFM, a leading Film and Media school in India

Off late, most of my Visual Story-telling projects have been Wedding Photography assignments. Over the years, as I went independent as a photographer, I found wedding photography to be a natural extension of the photography styles that I practiced – Photojournalism and Documentary Photography. Hence, the transition from shooting primarily news and editorial images to taking up wedding  photography assignments was seamless.

While leaving behind the financial security offered by the salaried job of a staff photojournalist and stepping into the uncertain world of freelance photography, wedding photography projects gave me the much-needed financial freedom. But it wasn’t/isn’t the money that keeps me going on with wedding photography. If money was the case, then I’d have never left my job as a software/IT guy and taken the plunge into the world of professional photography.

What keeps me alive as a photographer is the pure love of image making process. And what keeps me going on as wedding photographer, is the professional style of work and approach to wedding projects that I follow. I call it as the Embedded Wedding Photography. I am an embedded documentary wedding photographer in the diverse world of contemporary wedding photography. The contemporary wedding photography is more often wrongly generalized with a sweeping term as candid wedding photography.  The present day wedding photographers come from diverse backgrounds and each brings his/her own style of work. But sadly, the simplified market term of candid photography attempts to project all their work as some tangible units of some commodity market. Of course there is a lot of mediocrity out there with a kind of unprecedented image explosion on social media. But there is a lot of good work, and the beauty comes form the vibrancy in it. Images live in a context. And the context of each photographers body of work and personal beliefs differentiates each other.

I have been interviewed in the past by several publications and  media house with respect to my photography and Visual Storytelling. Some of these interviews were specific to wedding photography. Last week I was interviewed by Ritika Saxena of Annapurna International School of Film + Media (AISFM), a leading film and media school of India. The interview was for their website and the focus was completely about Embedded Wedding Photography.  The interview is now published on their website with the title : “In conversation with a visual storyteller“. Though a lot was discussed that evening, due to the scope of the article only certain questions and answers have been published.  But these few points provide answers to frequent questions I get from aspiring photographers and also prospective clients. Do read the article by clicking the below link.

In conversation with a visual storyteller

To know more about my Wedding Photography, click here.

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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