Elephant
Posted Sun, 2007-10-07 16:56 by Nick
Last weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph a most amazing wedding. Sara and Deepak, the bride and groom, hired Joe Photo to photograph the wedding, and I was there at Joe's invitation as a second shooter, along with Marc Weisberg and David Tosti. Please see Joe's Blog for more images from the event.
This was an Indian (Hindu) wedding. It was held over several days at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with over 650 guests. Everything was meticulously planned: there was a multi-camera live video feed projecting images on giant screens during the events; the TV show Platinum Weddings was there filming for their show; the event rooms and decorations were accented by lighting design; there were several big-name performers from India playing live music; there were indoor and outdoor fireworks and pyrotechnics; there were Le Cirque performers suspended over the red and gold enameled dance floor, entertaining the guests; and there was a fleet of buses to transfer guests to the wedding ceremony site, held at the exclusive Stirling Club because the Bellagio could not accommodate the elephant.
What? The Elephant?!? Yes, the groom, surrounded by hundreds of family, friends and guests, rode an elephant in a music-and-dance filled procession.
While the extravagance, attention to detail, and monumental scale of the event was mind-boggling, there were some things that really stood out to me:
-- First, everyone was really nice, even when things didn't go exactly right (which was not often -- this event was nearly perfect, amazing given the scope of it). The bride and groom and their family and friends were just great to be around, and really enjoyed being photographed. We felt so welcomed.
-- Second, I loved the ceremony. This was my first Hindu wedding, but I have photographed many other weddings with a variety of religious and secular ceremonies. And I have been married long enough to know what things are important in a marriage -- these truths are often spoken of in weddings, and hearing them repeated in different ways across different cultures is one of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer. The Hindu rituals and their expression of these truths are very beautiful.
-- Third, it was just a great party with lots of food, singing, dancing and entertainment -- just what a celebration ought to be. Everyone, young and old, eastern or western, were partying, laughing, smiling and dancing together. And believe me, the guests were very tired at the end of it all.
-- Fourth, I made some great friends shooting for 22+ hours over two days. I've known Joe for a while, but it was very special to be able to work alongside him. I hadn't previously met Marc or David, or (videographer, working independently of Joe) Alex at Elysium Productions, but they were great to work with and super nice guys. Very talented. Joe keeps good company!
Lastly, it was an interesting experience to second-shoot. From my days as a newspaper photographer my instinct is to get in close and compete with photographers from other agencies for "the shot." But here Joe was the main guy, and I was there to support him. So I found myself hanging back a bit, using longer lenses and looking for side stories away from the bride and groom. It was fun. It was also great to watch Joe work -- he is a master.
