So here we are, December 2021 and what a roller coaster of a year it has been!
It has been an absolute mental year for everyone working in the wedding industry. So many changes and so much uncertainty has meant that we have had to cram in eighteen months worth of wedding bookings into a 6 month period and it’s has been a challenging and an emotional time for all involved, but we got through it and looking back, what a ride it was. For me, great coffee, masala chai and red wine kept going!
I saw the Asian wedding photography community really came together over the last year. We helped each other out by stepping in when someone was ill, recommending each other when new dates clashed and just being there during the lows and of course celebrated the highs 🙂
Collaboration, not competition is a phrase that comes to mind; there is a lot of love and mutual appreciation amongst photographers and I am proud to be part of this exceptional photography community.
This year, multiple weddings took place almost every single day of the week between April to October and it was great to see what normal life looked like again. Whenever I opened up Instagram, another five weddings would show up on my feed, it was total madness, but it was great to see my industry back up and running. Gotta say, the wedding and photography related memes that kept showing up were brilliant!
My season kicked off in April and I was buzzing and at the same time nervous to get started. I thought to myself, Will I remember what to shoot? How do I pose the couple? Will I get Covid? How shattered will I be after the shoot and…I better book my next massage appointment in soon, LOL. Within 5 mins of my first shoot, I knew I was back in the zone and was ready for more!
Even though the wedding ceremony is a union of two individuals coming together, the day itself is more than that, it’s about the families and friends being part of the day to witness the marriage and being part of the celebration. It’s also the hugs, fist bumps, hi5’s the laughs, tears, it’s the human connection that makes up a wedding day and these are the moments that I loved seeing once again.
My first wedding this year had 15 guests then as the months passed, there were 30 guests and then into the 100s…I loved every single one! The smaller weddings were really intimate and I felt a real honour being part of the celebrations, especially as many friends and family weren’t able to attend, so I guess I was in a very privileged position. Some family members hadn’t seen each other for the past 18 months and it was great to see loved ones coming back together, and to document these special moments, was priceless!
Putting together this years’ ‘Best of 2021’ was REALLY tough…yes I say this every year, but this year it was extra hard as I had double the amount of weddings to showcase. Going through each photo was a lot of fun and it was a great reminder of the special moments that were documented.
I originally started with over 1900 photographs and I’ve managed to cut this down to just over 140 photographs which you’ll shortly see. It was a difficult task and I wanted to share so many more pics but it’s not possible to display all of them. If you do want to see all 1900 photos in 30 seconds, then click here later on. Overall, I am really proud of my final selection and I hope you enjoy looking at them too!
None of this would’ve been possible if it wasn’t for the support of my brother’s that shot with me as they kept me going. We pushed each other to provide the best for our couples so my biggest thanks goes to Tejas, Meheer, Sailesh, Jai and Guv, you guys were fully committed on every shoot which I’m truly grateful for. You guys Rock and I’m looking forward to shooting with you all again soon.
Special thanks goes out to my wife Pinki for supporting me throughout the year even though I wasn’t present that much as I was a little stressed, maybe a little grumpy in my editing cave, thanks for having my back as always x Oh, and how can I forget to mention the freshly prepped meals for shoot days and the cheese on toasts at night after my shoot, they were SO good! x
Ok, time to wrap this up… So here we are, a selection of my favourite wedding moments of 2021 for you to enjoy. To my couples from this year, THANK YOU so much for choosing me to capture your special day, it was an absolute joy and a pleasure, each wedding meant so much to me and I have many many fond memories from your events. I look forward to our continued friendship.
To my 2022 couples, I am looking forward to meeting you and your loved ones and I cannot wait to be part of your celebrations next year. Most importantly, we’re gonna have a lot of fun and on the day, all I want you to do is be present and enjoy the day as it unfolds.
Much love to you all and enjoy the moments below. Stay safe and see you next year.
Sanj
Huge Shoutout to my wedding industry peers for getting through and supporting each other in 2021, we did it and I look forward to seeing you all again next year! I would love to mention names, but there are far too many, but you know who you are!
To see more of my recent Moments, you can see them on my Instagram page @sanjaydgohil, or on my Facebook page.
