About the photographer
After wasting away in a cubicle in Washington, DC, I decided enough is enough, and went to Paris to study photography. When I returned to India in 2006, it was immediately apparent to me that the Indian wedding photography market needed some ventilation (to put it mildly). Besides, my wife and I still haven't forgiven the anonymous photographer from our own wedding. Taking up wedding photography as a profession seemed like the perfect way to channel my anger into something positive.

What cities do you cover?
I'm a true blue Bangalorean, and The World is Flat, right? One of my main motivations in wedding photography is that I get to travel. If I had to choose between two weddings, it would be the one that promises a new experience, throws up a new challenge.

Your photography Style
Shoot wide, take it all in. Get close—really close—to the action. I'm not very much into overly romantic imagery. Shooting at Indian weddings is like war photography meets street photography. I believe what I'm really hired for is the cerebral act of making keen and positive observations in telling the story of the day.

I use two prime lenses in my work: a sense of humour and a sense of humanity. Rather than industry trends, I draw inspiration from the rich traditions of documentary photography. My influences lie in the work of several Magnum photographers whom I've had the pleasure of meeting, like Martin Parr and Bruce Gilden.

When it comes to portraiture, however, I work slightly differently. Here, I have a free hand to control the situation. I always insist we do portraits on the day after the wedding—the couple's first official day together! We find an interesting location and let spontaniety lead the way.

The need to creatively—and that often means subjectively—tell stories using pictures is the basis of all that I do in life, whether as an artist, photography instructor, or wedding photographer.

Your choice of camera/ lens
I'm ok when people ask this out of curiosity, not when they use it as a decisive factor. Suffice it to say that I've got the best stuff my money can buy!

Black & white Vs. Color photography - your thoughts
If colour photography is done right, it can be perfectly adequate for story-telling from start to finish. I'm not a big fan of switching from colour to b/w for the sake of effect. There's probably a good reason why magazines of repute don't do that within a story.

Indian wedding photos suffer from excessive use of flash - whats your take.
As an India-based photographer, I totally feel the pain. Light equals Mood. When you introduce a new light, you're going to change the mood—not necessarily a bad thing if done properly. However, my best case for not using the flash would be to preserve the mood of the environment. If people are spending serious money on backdrops and lighting, I want to be respectful of that.

By not using the flash, I sometimes find myself working on the edges of photography and getting creative in tricky situations, which makes for exciting photography. Having said that, I have two types of flash systems and will use it when painted to a corner.

Post processing and Album design - whats your style
Super-rich colour is abundant in India. That's great for a real-world festive experience but not necessarily for photography. As a wise man once said, "the best colour photographs are those where there isn't too much colour in the photograph." I apply my signature colour treatment to all images just enough to make colour work. And that's about it. I rarely do b/w and other kinds of toning.

Aside of the actual shooting time, editing and photo book design are two areas where the artist-photographer can deliever much creative value. Again, inspiration for photo book design comes from some of the acclaimed documentary photo books in my personal library. I favour large full-page images to take the narrative forward and avoid the typical embellishments one finds in photo books. There's you, the photos, and nothing inbetween.

Your favourite wedding photos
My favourite wedding photos are the ones where everything—background, middleground, foreground—falls into place and contributes to the story. This is extremely hard to achieve in a chaotic wedding environment where the whole world is continually conspiring against us. When that does happen, however, it's like magic. So deeply satisfying for everybody!

Advice for to-be-wed couples on how to pick venue, lighting, decor, makeup, clothes etc that contribute to beautiful photos.
Nah. I'm from the non-interventionist school of thought. A truly experienced professional should be able to deal with any situation. I convince clients that they can take their minds off the photography and enjoy their big day to the fullest. I only ask for forewarning if they have surprises planned. Surprises are good for guests, not always for the photographer!

A wedding photography experience that you wont forget
Cochin, December 2008. I was on my way to the Taj Malabar hotel for the vows were to be exchanged several hours later. I had visions of relaxing in the bar with an afternoon drink and being comfortably early for work. Suddenly, I was ambushed by a group of fishermen who demanded to see what I had in my bag.

This was barely a month after the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Apparently, I looked liked one of the terrorists (ammunition-laden backpack and all) whose image had been splashed across newspapers and TV channels almost everyday. The police arrived at their leisure. They detained, interrogated, and released me with due apologies. To cut a long story short, I made it to the wedding with minutes left to spare!

Mahesh Shantaram, Bangalore
Web: www.thecontrarian.in
Mobile: (+91) 99801 29770