I remember sitting at my computer and we (Camille and I) were talking about doing an editorial photoshoot about arranged marriages that are still going on around the world. How or why we got on this topic is beyond me, but it got our creative juices flowing. This is when we called upon one of the models we work with – a natural talent who could give us the “edge” that we were looking for this shoot. She has a unique wing tattooed on her back that covers her whole back, from left to right, and this was the symbolic feature that would make this shoot a success. We went and had some coffee, talked, then decided on how to do this shoot, but the elephant in the room was… is this going to be a happy or sad story that we convey in an editorial shoot?
We decided to create a story of images showing how a bride is getting ready for her arranged marriage, and show how it affects the mindset of someone who is going to spend the rest of their life with someone they’ve never met before. We started to realize that this photography was in danger of becoming depressing if we didn’t do something to change it soon, so we decided to make a last minute change to the story.
We decided to show her coming into her hotel room to prepare; a modern, independent woman thinking about what is going to happen to her life after the wedding. Will she still have her freedom? Still be able to do the things that make up who she was before the wedding? Be the same person that she is now with her new groom? We showed her emotions, her questions, through the photography of each step of wedding preparation, without words; only through her expressions do we see what is going on in her mind and heart. From the pre-fitting of her wedding dress, to the hair and makeup that transformed her into “traditional”, and even to the final reflections of her looking at who she is as she wonders what she will become. What will become of her? You’ll have to watch the slideshow below to see what you think happens – as art is often left to be interpreted by the observer.
How did it go as far as photoshoots? This was a fun project! From preproduction to the post editing of images, this editorial was a labor of love for us. Everyone on the set including our MUA, our model, Camille and I had a great time working on this project. Our model, Suji, even joked about how her mother always wanted to see her in a traditional Indian outfit, and that this would be the closest her mom would ever see, which we had a great laugh from. No worries, we provided pictures for her mother to see as well. So the challenge is this: when you are going through the slideshow, don’t think of it as a sad topic or photoshoot, but more of a young bride knowing that she still has her wings.
As always any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.
Special Thank You to Our Model Suji, and Our MUA Marisa for helping on this shoot!
Here is the video as we promised!