When 47-year-old Mangalurean photographer Vivek Sequeira was asked to cover a wedding saying ‘Zindagi ban jayegi’ (You’ll be set for life), he had no idea who the client was. Turns out he had been chosen to cover one of the most talked about weddings in probably decades – that of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal.
In a span of 15 days starting December 1, Vivek and his team of photographers claim to have captured over 1.2 lakh photographs, ranging from housewarming, wedding related ceremonies, to an array of entertainment by domestic and international celebrities who graced the fairy-tale gala. For Vivek, this was by far the biggest wedding he had covered and it was no less than a dream.
The winner of Better Photography’s ‘Best Wedding Photographer’ in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, Vivek bagged the contract through the acquaintance of a common friend of the Ambanis and the Piramals.
Initially Vivek was not even told whose wedding it was. In June 2018, he was asked to block dates between December 1-15, and send samples of his work. Soon after, he was confirmed for the event but the client’s name was kept confidential.
It was not until October that Vivek realised that he was going to cover the Ambani-Piramal wedding. An ecstatic Vivek wondered why him, when there were so many celebrity photographers but he felt thrilled that he was selected based on talent.
After signing several confidentiality agreements on photos and remuneration awarded, which does not allow him to share any of those details publicly, Vivek quickly raised a squad of his trusted aides to cover the event.
A team of 17 from Luxe Captures, the company started by Vivek and his partner Shankar Katwe, left to cover the event. While Vivek, Shankar and four others covered the photography at multiple venues in Mumbai and Udaipur, seven others managed videography and drone with others assisting the team.
Apart from Luxe Captures, there was another Indian photography team and celebrity photographers from the UK, Italy and other countries hired to cover the wedding.
Note: The Instagram photos embedded in the story are not clicked by Vivek Sequeira.
Due to the presence of Z plus security, there was limited access. Shankar and Vivek were given special ID cards as they were official photographers. This allowed them to access different venues as well as be in close proximity to the couple, family and celebrity guests. At one point Vivek found himself standing right between Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, both stars he idolised, and he could not help but bend and touch their feet.
In a span of a fortnight, the ace photographer says that 30 TB of hard disks were filled with photos in no time. Now the team has a one-month deadline to submit the pictures and work on that has begun in full swing.
Interestingly, Vivek, who had to drop out of college due to financial difficulties, had started his career as a petrol pump attendant. After a friend suggested that he take up photography, Vivek withdrew the security deposit from the petrol pump manager and bought a camera worth Rs 7,000. But to withdraw the deposit, he had to quit the job. It was a risk, but retrospectively it turned out to be the right move.
After starting his studio in 1997 in Mangaluru, Vivek became a popular wedding photographer, especially among the members of the Catholic community. He has even covered weddings abroad. Overall, he has covered over 1,300 weddings and travelled to 15 plus countries.
While his brother Vinay manages his first venture Vivek Studio, Vivek decided to start Luxe Captures in June this year and explore the niche luxury weddings market. Starting Luxe Captures proved lucky for him as the Ambani-Piramal wedding was the first contract the firm bagged.
About covering the upcoming Akash Ambani - Shloka Mehta wedding, Vivek has not been contacted so far, but would be glad to take it up if given a chance.
Story by www.storyinfinity.com (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP).