nabila & navid: portraits
July 20, 2011 | Filed Under portraits | Leave a Comment
nabila and navid got married over memorial day weekend in baltimore; we met up a few weeks later, once their wedding festivities had finally calmed down, to take some portraits at the ever-beautiful brookside gardens in wheaton, md. nabila and navid both looked so regal in their red, gold and cream-colored wedding finery set against the garden’s summer greens – and so in love! it was such a pleasure to work with them again, and this time without all the wedding stress. thank you both once again! :)
malak & abdessalaam: wedding portraits
July 20, 2011 | Filed Under portraits, wedding posts | 1 Comment
malak’s mother contacted me about taking some bridal portraits of her daughter and son-in-law on their wedding day… and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening to celebrate and take these portraits! in fact i kind of fell in love with malak when she asked me to shoot into the setting sun :) i don’t get to do outdoor evening-time portraits very often and the light was absolutely a photographer’s dream. it helped that we were located at the beautiful frying pan farm park in herndon, virginia, and of course even more to have such a gorgeous couple!
malak wears a hijab (islamic headscarf) so although we took most of the portraits and images of her without the headscarf, i am only sharing here some of the images she took with her hijab on. thank you malek, abdessalaam and fadwa for the opportunity to meet and work with you all!
rashad & sana: walima
July 7, 2011 | Filed Under wedding posts | 16 Comments
i met rashad and sana at the end of their wedding journey, as the photographer for their walima (the reception given by the groom’s side, and often the final event in a pakistani wedding). but i felt like part of the family by the end of the night… sometimes, weddings in our culture can get so hectic, planned around various rituals and family events, that it’s hard to catch a glimpse of the heart of it all: the love between the bride and groom. not so with rashad and sana. these two are so. freaking. cute. together… i still smile when i’m going through their portraits!
but i have to say, it was more than “just” the couple that made this night so special – everything from the speeches, to the crazy group poses during stage formals, to the incredible organizational and decoration skills of rashad’s sister-in-law, maryam (girl, you have a future in wedding coordination, if you’re interested!) and the jaw-dropping stage setup by the ever-amazing prabha bhambri… everything spoke of the love rashad and sana’s families bore for the couple, and of the families’ and friends’ heartfelt prayers for their new life together. it was such a pleasure to be welcomed so warmly into the midst of all this, not only for myself but my amazing second shooter and dear friend, sara haddad (without whom i would not have made it through the night!)
rashad and sana – looking forward to our upcoming portrait session inshallah, and i pray that God blesses your marriage – that the happiness you shared on june 11 grows every day for the rest of your lives together. i’m so happy to have met you guys!
nabila & navid: wedding
June 25, 2011 | Filed Under wedding posts | 14 Comments
for the two nights of wedding events prior to their actual marriage ceremony and reception, nabila and navid did not see each other at all. so even though i got to know each of them and their families a little bit beforehand… witnessing on the eve of their wedding the real love and emotion between the two of them together was absolutely special. from the heartfelt vows they had written for each other and read aloud after the islamic ceremony, to the hilarious and moving speeches of their friends and family, to the few quiet minutes we had for portraits in the bridal suite at the very end of the evening: nabila and navid, i pray that God always keeps the love between you as strong and beautiful as it was that day. from my heart :). you guys are adorable!
the stately, modern downtown renaissance baltimore harborplace was a fitting hotel for the grand entrances made by the bride and groom. navid came in dancing on an elaborately costumed white horse, and nabila was pulled in on a huge, brightly-colored peacock throne handmade by her brother and sister, echoing the teal and turquoise colors (and the sweet mini-peacocks adorning all the tables!) she chose for her decor and her beautiful bridesmaids’ dresses. she stood out herself like a queen in red against the lavish colors and elegant details.
i could not have made it through the night without the help of two other amazing photographers – amber wilkie, who covered the groom’s horse entrance and “gate” (where he was blocked from coming in by the bride’s family until he agreed to pay up) while i was with the bridesmaids, and helped throughout the night – and zoshia minto, who helped out with the family stage portraits later in the evening. thank you both for all your incredible help!! it was also a pleasure to work with natasha and kris both nights from dolce studio films.
without further ado…
