California Indian
Wedding Photographer
From the desert light of Palm Springs to the bay and the city of San Francisco. Available throughout California.
California
I am based in Chicago and travel to California regularly for weddings, portrait sessions, and editorial work. California has one of the largest South Asian communities in the world the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire together represent a wedding market with a scale and budget that is rarely matched elsewhere in the country.
For couples in California, working with a Chicago-based photographer is often more affordable. The cost of flying me out and covering accommodation is frequently comparable to the day rate of a locally-based photographer at the same level without the compromise on quality or experience.
I have photographed Indian and South Asian weddings and celebrations in San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles, and I have worked at portrait and pre-wedding sessions across the Bay Area and Southern California.
Venues & Locations
San Francisco
The Clancy Hotel, Autograph Collection in SoMa is a beautifully contemporary venue in the heart of San Francisco — modern interiors, strong natural light, and a ceremony space well-suited to traditional Indian ceremonies including the mandap setup. I photographed Elisabeth and Vivek's Tamil Hindu ceremony here, with a Christian ceremony and reception the same day.
San Francisco's geography gives every portrait and pre-wedding session immediate drama. Baker Beach, directly below the Golden Gate Bridge, gives you the bridge in the background and the Pacific at your feet. The Presidio offers forested headlands, open meadows, and some of the best light in the city. The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District is one of the most distinctive architectural backdrops in California — its rotunda and reflecting pool are extraordinary at golden hour. I have photographed portrait sessions across all three of these locations.
Point Bonita Lighthouse and Battery Spencer across the bay in Marin offer elevated views of the bridge and the city that are hard to match anywhere else on the West Coast.
Palm Springs & Southern California
The Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage is one of the finest resort venues in the California desert for a multi-day Indian wedding celebration. I photographed Sheena and Julio's Venezuelan and Indian fusion wedding here across three days, mehndi, haldi, ceremony, and reception, in the warm, directional desert light that Palm Springs is famous for. The resort's scale, outdoor spaces, and mountain backdrop make it an outstanding setting for South Asian weddings.
In San Diego and Carlsbad, I photographed Sangeeta and Shailu's Maharashtrian Hindu multi-day wedding celebration, graha shanti and sangeet at home in San Diego, and the vyahi bhojan at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa. The San Diego coastline and North County's relaxed, open landscape are a strong setting for Indian weddings that want something different from a city hotel ballroom.
In Los Angeles, I have worked at Dume Cove in Malibu, LACMA, and across downtown LA for portrait and pre-wedding sessions. Los Angeles's range of environments, ocean, city, desert edge, gives enormous flexibility for portrait work alongside a wedding.
Stories
A few California weddings and sessions.
Sheena and Julio — Venezuelan and Indian fusion, three days at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Palm Springs. View story →
Elisabeth and Vivek — Tamil Hindu ceremony and Christian ceremony at The Clancy Hotel, San Francisco. View journal →
Jaymine and Jigar — San Francisco pre-wedding session at Baker Beach, the Presidio, and the Palace of Fine Arts. View session →
Sonam and Harpreet — San Francisco pre-wedding session at Point Bonita Lighthouse and Battery Spencer. View session →
Sangeeta and Shailu — Maharashtrian & Gujarati, graha shanti and sangeet in San Diego, vyahi bhojan at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa. View journal →
Shwayta and Gaurav — Los Angeles portrait session at Dume Cove Malibu, LACMA, and downtown LA. View session →
I am available for weddings throughout California, San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, and the wine country of Napa and Sonoma. If you are planning an Indian or South Asian wedding in California and want a photographer who has worked in the state and knows its light, I would love to hear about your celebration.
