Selecting a photographer to document all the moments of your Big Day is like nominating an outsider to become part of the family.
Not only are they there to capture the tiny details of the most special day of your lives, they are likely to be the one constant figure as your emotions tumble from excited nerves, tearful goodbyes to the jubilation of finally tying the knot. A wedding photographer has to be someone you trust implicitly, someone you can build a bond with, who will capture forever all those exquisite moments of your Big Day. This is something UK and Midland-based photographer Gurvir Johal understands completely.
With a background in graphic design and five years as a working photographer under his belt, Gurvir has documented Asian weddings across the United Kingdom for three years, using a photojournalistic approach in his work. A client once described his timeless photographs as ‘fairytale romance, fused with fashion’.
This year, Gurvir decided to push himself further and submitted work to the prestigious photography governing bodies, WPPI and SWPP. He has already secured eight awards in a variety of categories including contemporary wedding, traditional wedding, portraits and wedding photojournalism.
Gurvir recognises the importance of catching those intimate moments, as well as co-ordinating traditional family photos and wedding portraits. He places great importance on storytelling, carefully considering lighting, composition, pose and using landmarks for awe-inspring backdrops.
He says, ‘Ninety per cent of the wedding day is beyond my control. Being in the right place at the right time, anticipating and poised to capture a look, a touch, that fleeting moment; that’s my job as the photographer. After years of observing wedding celebrations, you know when things build up to create a picture-perfect moment, and you have to be there to catch it because it may not happen again. It’s all about telling the story’.
The majority of client enquiries are drawn through Gurvir’s website or via his various social media outposts. Clients can also contact Gurvir directly, after which he can offer a quotation for his services.
He prefers meeting couples face to face, in a relaxed setting, to get an idea of their personalities and unique style. Gurvir ensures that the ambience and atmosphere during the consultation is balanced to allow couples to be at ease with each other, and with him. Being open encourages the formation of that all important bond - which will prove invaluable as the Big Day approaches.
After all, Gurvir is the one person who will see and hear everything on the special day, who will bear witness to almost all parts of the wedding so forging a connection on both sides makes perfect sense and results in treasured photographs.
‘If I have a strong connection with the couple, their wedding day is going to be very powerful for me,’ he explains. ‘I learn about my clients, take into account their personalities as well as their outfits and physical attributes and coax them into poses or settings that compliment, rather than overwhelm them. A pose that works for one couple or bride won’t necessarily work for another. My inspiration comes from fashion, film and music.’
In order to provide the highest level of service and quality for each client, Gurvir limits the number of wedding projects he undertakes every year.
Simply photographing the wedding is far from the only service he provides. Post-wedding, Gurvir sifts through the photographs of your Big Day, carefully selecting images for the wedding album and digitally enhances those shots. ‘Clients come to me to see the entire project through. I design the album, recount the story of their wedding day and present this to the couple, after which shots are reordered if need be. The service I provide is complete; everything is tailored to the needs of the client.’
Bound in an exquisite cover manufactured by an Italian firm, who count Bentley and Rolls Royce as well as members of European royal families amongst their client base, this wedding album or storybook is much more than a collection of pictures. It is an investment.
‘It’s this wedding album that will be passed onto future generations and will remain intact,’ Gurvir confirms.
Many of his colleagues offer the option of images straight to disc, a process Gurvir feels greatly undermines the quality of once-in-a-lifetime photographs.
Printed images make stronger, more powerful statements and become treasured keepsakes to hand down the family line. They will be there through the years, becoming timeless classics to pore through at family gatherings and golden anniversaries. Beautifully printed in professional photolabs, painstakingly retouched and mounted, these images are there to be treasured in a gorgeous storybook to look back upon in the Happily Ever After years of married life.
• Gurvir Johal Photography: 07782 38 43 68