WallMag: How did you get interested in wedding photography?

My journey of photography was started in college itself, where I used to participate in photography contests in college fest & most of the time, my photos got selected top 3. And, as the day passed, my confidence was getting built up to do more in photography. Then in my post-graduation, one of my friend’s big brother was getting married & my friend asked me that "can you shoot my brother’s wedding". That year was 2013. & at that time, I didn’t have any plans for wedding photography. So, I shot that wedding & the pictures come out really well. And after a few days, I got a call from a guy who attended that wedding & he wanted me to shoot his wedding. At that time, I didn’t have a DSLR, I shot the first two weddings by taking my friend's camera which was Canon 600D. So, after two weddings, I purchased my first camera Canon 7D. This is how my journey towards wedding photography started.

WallMag: How long have you been shooting weddings? How many weddings have you photographed?

I started shooting weddings in late 2013. Initially, I was shooting weddings with my full-time Job & yeah, it was quite hectic to do both things because for a lot of months I never had a single holiday. Because of this, I was packed every weekend for the shoot. For that, I am thankful for my family who supported me in this situation. After this long hustle, I quit my full-time job in 2018. And like this till now, I think I shot around 180 weddings.

Actually, there are a lot, it's hard to tell about one special moment. But, I remember walking on the streets of Mumbai & having interactions with locals & photographing their lives.

WallMag: What are your services offered and where one can order your services?

Most of the time, we work with the client from prewedding to Wedding, Because I believe in delivering the experience. And for that, we do photography as well as wedding Film. So, in photography, there is more than just shooting candid moments, like creating some images that make an impact, and not to miss any moment. We are so focused on the wedding day that everything should go well in photos as well as videos. Because after the wedding the real work starts. And, as this job doesn’t have any location barrier so, we are always open to deliver our work all over India & across the globe.

So, considering this we offer services like :

For prewedding - Prewedding Photoshoot, Prewedding teaser, Prewedding short film.
For Wedding - Candid & Traditional Photos in Wedding, documentary wedding photos, 400-600 edited photos along with all the original soft copies & wedding album.
In Wedding Video – Full-length wedding film, Short Cinematic Video, Wedding trailer & wedding teaser.

WallMag: How would you define your photography style?

Here, I am discussing wedding photography, so we work in a team & a lot is happening at the wedding & we need to shoot all the essentials, so apart from this as an artist, I like to shoot in a more photojournalistic style. You can see on our Instagram handle we posted few photojournalistic wedding photos.

WallMag: The days of editing and manipulating photos in a darkroom are pretty much over, but that doesn't mean the photographs we take today with our digital SLR cameras don't need post-prod work. From the minute the pictures are in your computer after a shoot and the moment they are in the client's hands- what happens? What does your workflow look like? What tools/software/apps do you use?

I believe there is a big responsibility for work to happen after the wedding, and it is the most important & complicated part. Its step by step can be explained as:

After shooting the wedding, we copy all the data from memory cards to hard drives & we make two copies of all photos & keep it in a separate place. Because data is an important thing & it should have one more backup.

After that, We start shortlisting the best 400-500 photos & post-process them in adobe photoshop lightroom, after that we send all the original & shortlisted edited photos to the client in a few days.

So, after giving all the photos, the client can make the photo selection for the photo album, mostly we get the photo selection in 1-3 months. And meanwhile, we work on wedding videos & deliver it in 1-2 months, sometimes if there are any corrections then it takes more time.

And, after delivering the wedding videos, we get the photo selection for the photo album, we edit & design the album in the house, we don’t outsource for video edit & designing wedding album. In our team, we divide the post-work, some work on designing of photo album & some work on the wedding video.

So, after getting the photo selection, we provide a digital copy of the album in 15-20 days. And if everything is fine, then the album gets delivered in 6-10 days after finalizing.

WallMag: How will you elaborate on your memorable experience being a photographer?

Being a photographer means life is a variety of experiences about traveling, food, people & culture. So, I am more fond of the culture of a different place. That’s why we like to shoot different weddings & places.

Wedding Photography itself is a challenging job. It is an activity with a lot of happening around, from the calm to the chaos. So, I believe every wedding is unique & every wedding shoot is challenging for us. Because we have to work with people of different kinds and keeping them happy is our top priority.

WallMag: Are there any projects you'd like to tell us about/ photos that hold an amazing experience/story behind them?

There was one sangeet function which I enjoyed. The love story of the couple was portrayed on stage in the form of a skit, and it was really coming out very well. I still remember that evening.

WallMag: What has been your favorite photo location?

I am not fond of any specific location but, I like to shoot on the beachside & in golden sunlight on streets & rich architectural places.

Since I bought my first DSLR, I am into the canon system. I shoot both photos & videos at the wedding. so, it's very convenient for me to do both with canon. I have one full-frame camera 6d Mark II, along with sigma art lenses & two backup cameras. And additionally, I have a DJI Mavic pro drone & moza air 2 as a stabilizer.

WallMag: As a photographer, how far do you think participating in awards/contests is important for a photography career?

Participating in awards/contests is very important for me, as it is one of a platform to share our work & get honest appreciation, that is helpful in the journey & career also. It is a kind of feedback that we are doing something nice and society is appreciating it. And I quitted my full-time job to pursue a career in photography & film, it is necessary for me to do my best in this field.

WallMag: How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Movies, books, or magazines? Or is it just what's around you?

As I said, I love watching movies that have a great storyline along with great cinematography and Edit. Beyond movies in the wedding industry, I am inspired by the work of the house on the clouds.

WallMag: One thing you always keep in mind while shooting?

Always be ready with your gear to shoot what happening around even there is not happening anything.

WallMag: What do you think is the future of photography? With the rise of camera phones, mirrorless cameras, and other new technologies, where do you think all of this is heading? Will DSLR still have a place in 5 or 10 years?

Let me give you an example, for a great writer the pen, typewriter & computers are only tools to manifest his craft but the important part is he himself and his ideas & his thoughts. The similar thing applies to photography also DSLR, mirrorless cameras & camera phones are just a tool, the important thing is the person behind the machine.

WallMag: Could you please describe your experience of participating in WallMag Wedding photography awards 2020 and marking your presence as top 2nd winner? What tips would you like to give to upcoming participants?

I really appreciate what Wallmag is contributing to photographers. The experience of participating in the WallMag Photography Awards was great. I am very thankful for judging the work based on talent. And for those budding photographers, keep working on yourself & ideas and find good inspiration. Rewards will surely come.

You can follow Abhijit Patil on Instagram to stay updated with his work.

You can also have a look at his Winning Photography Submission at WallMag Wedding Photography Awards 2020.