I am incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph many Southeast Asian weddings over the past several years.
Southeast Asian weddings can take place over the course of a few days, and the traditions of the culture allow for spectacular photographs while story-telling.
The colors, emotions, traditions, symbolism, and so many other aspects of Southeast Asian weddings inspire me to produce some of my best work. Let's not forget the outfits; these weddings involve some of the most beautiful wedding attire imaginable. The multiple gown changes, the bangles, jewelry, and other colorful accessories that the bride wears accentuate her look and help me create stunning images with impact.
The henna that the bride has applied during the Mende ceremony usually takes place the night before the wedding. The intricate artwork is incredibly detailed, and it makes for some truly amazing photos.
This bride was married at the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey. They had a Barat early in the morning, and then the Hindu Ceremony with reception followed after.
For this photo, I wanted to isolate the henna on the bride’s hands, so I used my AF-S Nikkor 85mm F1.4G wide open at 1.4 in order to achieve sharpness on her hands, while her face went out of focus due to the shallow depth of field.
Location: Somerset, New Jersey.
1/160; f/2.8; ISO 1250; 200.0 mm.