London Fashion Weekend 2013

Wow, I haven't posted a blog in a very...  very long time.

I have had a busy summer and over the next few weeks I will blog about the things I got up to.  :)

So, as you all know I enjoy taking pictures, and not just taking wedding or lifestyle shoots, but very keen in getting involved with other types of gigs away from the wedding scene.  In September, I was invited by Fixation to come along to London Fashion Weekend to shoot in the photographers pit.  Without hesitation I said Yes!  Fixation offer some of the best services to us photographers, everything from new sales through to camera and lens repair.  Lucky for me, none of my equipment has needed any repair.  Touch wood.

"Gigs away from the wedding scene."

I had not shot fashion before and this would have been some experience, being in the pit with other photographers, photographing models walking down the catwalk during one of fashions most coveted events.

"One of fashions most coveted events."

My day started being briefed by Canon at One Aldwych Hotel of the etiquette involved and what to expect.  I was raring to go hoping to get a good spot to shoot from.  I was told the space would be limited and could possibly shoot the back of someones head if I didn't have a good location.  Lucky for me, I managed to get a good spot just off centre of the catwalk.  My spot was literally a 2 feet by 2 feet square for the following 2 hours.

My day ended with a stroll around Somerset House, checking out the several events taking place and stands placed around the venue.  Below are some of the images I managed to get from the day which I hope you enjoy viewing as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Jay Dhokia Photography

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog.  Make sure you visit my Facebook Page to stay updated with what I have been up to.  :)

Jay Dhokia Photography

#Photography #Fashion #LFW #London #SomersetHouse #Photographer

Namaste India - After 12 years.

When people go on a holiday, we tend to remember certain aspects of the holiday which stick out like a sore thumb.  It also depends on where you go, who you go with and why you are going.  I tend to go on holiday to catch some sun, to relax and in most cases.... Party!  There is always that holiday song that you hear everywhere you go and follows you back here to her majesties kingdom.  I always tend to have a set of images that I remember the holiday by.  I am extremely trigger happy when it comes to travel.  I like to think it as not because I don't know what I am doing but I am trying to capture as many images of the place to remember as much detail and embrace the place I am in.

"Trigger happy when it comes to travel."

It has been 12 years since I had been back to India, a very long time in my family.  My parents had been back a few times and I now felt it was ready to go back and see how much India had changed and oh my, how much it has changed.  My Grandmother still resides in India and was extremely keen to see the old dear.  I will be writing a separate blog on my travel to India and Thailand later on after I decide to sift through the hundreds of pictures and recover from my jet lag.

"India has changed."

Back to my original point of this post.  It was to just share one image that I had taken while in India.  An image that has stayed in my mind throughout the holiday and upon my return, one which I was happy I took.  This picture depicts to me how some people can be happy with so little and value what they have.

"Value what they have."

Let me tell you how this image came about.  We had finished visiting my Grandfather's farm in Gujarat.  The driver had parked the vehicle further up the road and had to walk a fair bit back.  We came across a family of five.  A father, mother, child and the fathers two younger brothers.  They were from Rajasthan and had traveled down for work.  Luckily for me I can speak Hindi and could converse with them comfortably and discovered they were working on a farm that had discovered black granite.  The child was the most intriguing of them all.  He was silent and looked extremely petrified of the aliens in front of him.

"Aliens in front of him."

The boy held onto a remote control truck and didn't seem to want to let it go when asked if I could see it.  He pretty much refused.  Good on him.  I wanted to take a picture of the boy before I left and did.  There were 3 images I had taken, the last image of the boy finally smiling with his father working in the background.  

This is the image...

Keep a look out for my posts on my travel to India and Thailand.  To stay updated with my work, make sure you "LIKE" my page on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/jaydhokia.photography

Jay Dhokia Photography

Don't Take My Sister! (Ok you can... But you got to pay up!)

Anyone that has been to an Indian Wedding will tell you that it is an occasion of colour, celebration and emotion.  People gather together to celebrate the joyous occasion of two people coming together as one.  Different parts of the wedding stick out in people's minds and people will talk about them for years to come.

"Joyous occasion of two people coming together as one."

The one part that always sticks out for me is when the new bride departs with her new found partner in crime and all of sudden the car comes to a halt.  The reason this happens is because the sisters of the bride stand in front of the car not allowing it to go.  You would think that they are stopping the car, so that they can reclaim their sister.  But no, thats not it.  It is pay day.

"All of sudden the car comes to a halt."

Now, if you are the groom you would have already planned for this and had a budget in mind to pay off the sisters.  The groom works with his best man to negotiate to allow the car to leave.  It is a fun moment for all parties as all true negotiation skills come in hand and one party generally always loses out.  In most cases, it is the groom's side.

"Negotiation skills."

Here are some of my favourite frames that I captured of when the "business deal" is happening.

Make sure you check out my Facebook Page and "LIKE" the page to stay updated with what I am up to.

 - Jay Dhokia 

Nice to be back!

Hello Everyone!

Sooooo, I did have a few blogs up previously but then I decided to revamp my website, change the look slightly, upload some new pics and I thought I would start fresh, being 2013 and everything.  New year, new beginnings! 

"New Year, New Beginnings!"

I decided to transfer to Blogger.  Seems easy, pretty straightforward and here I will post as much as I can from my world of photography.  Most of it will be the crazy times I have with my friends and family, in particular my travels.  Whether that be in the sunny United Kingdom or abroad.  

If you have not already done so then please do check out my website and my Facebook page where you can see my work which is all mainly wedding and event related, and time to time you will see the odd photos of something amazing pop up from my travel to share with people who may only follow my work through Facebook.

"Photos of Something Amazing!"

There will be a few posts up in the next few weeks from 2012 coming up that I do want to share.  2012 was an amazing year for me, pretty much life changing as well as experiencing some great moments and places.  

I have been scribbling down some ideas and projects that I have had in my mind.  Projects that hopefully keep me busy on a day off and let me switch on my camera rather than it gathering dust.  I can't wait to do them and share these with you all.  Something I like to call... Jaytography!  

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you look out for my blogs and images in the future.

 - Jay Dhokia

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