Hello!

I am now sitting in Bangalore airport waiting for my return flight to Toronto. (Free Wifi here, a pleasant surprise).

So I thought I would take this time to update you all on my two month Journey through South India and my third visit.

After my wedding in Bangalore I decided to take some time out while I was in India.I had so much fun last April that I decided to explore more of this incredible Country.

There is so much history, culture, and fascinating things to see and photograph I don’t think I could ever tire of it.

I met up with a Tamil friend from Toronto in Chennai, and we began our journey through the South.

For him, a return to his cultural heritage, and for me a nice added bonus (a translator/traveling buddy).

We explored many beautiful historical sites, including ancient caves, stunning temples, and quaint little villages.

So many images were captured I had a hard time narrowing my selection down, so I will start with Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

About an hour south of Chennai is Mamallapuram.Once the ancient port of the Pallavas, Mamallapuram plays host to a vibrant festival of Dance.Exponents of Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak and Kathakali performed against the magnificent backdrop of the Pallava Rock Sculpture From there we continued South to the quaint town of Pondicherry.Were we spend a festive New Years Eve strolling along the cobble stone streets and visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Famous for it’s spiritual leader by the same name, and his particular method of spiritual practice, which he called the Integral Yoga. It was a very peaceful, serence environment, unfortunately photography was not allowed in the Ashram. But I did manage to capture this interesting cluster of women along the sea wall in Pondicherry.The New year started off right with a visit to the one of Asha for Educations project sites Srividyasram school in a small village near Thanjuvar, Tamil Nadu.

This was a great experience!  The staff and students were so kind they even put us up for one night. I have so many great images from this part of the trip that I have decided to post them later on their own, so do check back soon!

 Then it was onto see some magnificent temples in Thanjuvar and Madurai, typically south Indian temples are very colorful.

While staying at the Srividyasram School, which is on the banks of the Kaveri River, I woke up quite early one morning and headed down to the river to catch the warm morning light. What I did not realize is that early morning on the river is where many of the villagers start their daily rituals. Prayers, Bathing, laundry, a beautiful site to witness.

From Thanjuvar we took a 4 hour bus ride to Velankanni Town. The site of an important Roman Catholic Shrine dedicated to Our lady of Good health, And a Major Pilgrimage site in India for Catholics. Vailankanni was also one of the worst hit areas in the 2004 Tsunami. After we finished our temple tours of Tamil Nadu we continued to the very Southern Tip of India; Kanyakumari.Here is where you have three bodys of water that meet, the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Manar, and the Arabian Sea.It is also one of the few places in the world where you can witness the sunrise and sunset over two Oceans.

From the Southern Tip we made our way up the western coastline into Beautiful Kerala. Or as it is commonly known “Gods own Country”I feel so blessed to say I have now been there twice. this place is just paradise!Beautiful backwaters, rich fertile soil, the warmest, friendliest people in all of India, amazing food, and some great little beaches, unspoiled by tourism, (Yet) likes it’s nieghbour to the North;  Goa.These stunning red cliffs are the backdrop of one of my favorite places, Varkala.If you go to Kerala, you must absolutely book a backwaters cruise on a house boat!National Geographic Magazine has listed this as one of their top 10 trips of a lifetime.(Just make sure you book through a reputable tour company as the house boats vary drastically in price and comfort.)Daily life in Kerala is focused around the water.  Children are even transported to school via the backwaters.Well this is just half my trip so far.  Still to come; Wild Elephants in Tamil Nadu’s protected national forest, tea plantations in Ooty. Goa and the insanely mind boggling weekly Anjuna Beach Market, Udaipur, the stunning Rajasthani city of lakes and Palaces.And my new favorite city, Mumbai! Stay tuned and Namaskar/Namastay!

So I’ve had a few days now to recoup from the wedding, a week in Delhi not so relaxing, too much to do here, but thats a whole other story!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Tina and Ashok’s wedding was a FULL week of festivities!

I’ve done several multi day, Indian events but not quite like this one.

The big day, and my final day in Bangalore consisted of a Barrat,  as Ashok rode in on Horseback as his family danced and marched along the roadside enroute to the Incredibly Beautiful Leela Palace in Bangalore,  where they were greeted by Tina’s family.

A Milni ceremony then followed, where both sides of the family exchange beautiful floral garlands, and then it was on to the poolside for the Main Hindu ceremony under the Mandap.

 Tina looked STUNNING! as she made her entrance!

Guests were then treated to a beautiful display of culinary treats while Tina and Ashok and their families proceeded with the Hindu ceremony. Finally about 2 hours later the ceremony culminated with an amazing fire works display over the pool.

As Tina and Ashok went to their rooms to change for the evening reception I was able to capture some of the GORGEOUS  decor in the Ballroom at the Leela Palace.  Nafisa and her team from Crosscraft Events did a fantastic Job for the entire week in Bangalore.

Then on with the reception, and a massive spread of mouth watering international foods for the guest to choose from, of course the Indian food was my favorite!

So the big day was finally over, but the festivities were NOT!!! Believe it or not Tina and Ashok still have a few more family receptions, I was able to join them in Delhi for a smaller, more intimate gathering with some family and friends in Delhi who were not able to attend the Bangalore wedding.

So it was certainly an experience I will never forget! I’ve heard about these week long weddings in India and now I can actually say I have attended one!  I must to say thank you to Tina and Ashok for having me there to document this very important event in their lives,  and to their entire family for treating me with such kindness.

I felt like I was part of the family and not just some photographer taking snaps.  They really went all out in making sure all their guests were taken care of, with that warm genuine Indian hospitality I have grown to know and love so much!

Congratulations Tina and Ashok!

All the best for a long and happy life together!

And now for the pics!

So many favorites I had a really hard time culling them down to this selection.

I’ve just finished the most beautiful week long wedding in Bangalore, India.It started on my first day in India, the jet lag would have to hold off!I did manage a couple days after that too rest up and get into the groove of IST. (Indian Stretchable Time).There were so many great moments captured over this week long marathon that I decided to blog them in two posts.So here is a sneak peak, of the first couple days, which include a party for Tina and Ashok’s closest friends, then a Pooja ceremony at Tina’s home. The engagement ceremony, and Sangeet which took place at the Taj Residency, bangalore.Stay tuned more images to follow from the wedding day and 2 more receptions!

I met Seshu a few years back at a photographers convention in Las Vegas.

After recently joining twitter, (yes I finally gave in!) We connected again

and I learned about this amazing new venture he has started.

OpenShade; A website designed to bring together photographers with a common goal.

Using their visual talents to give back to society.

I was so pleased when he asked me to join this amazing pool of creative, and compassionate visual story tellers.

Please take a moment and check out the site.

Written by: Bernard Johnpulle, Photos by: Andrew Adams.

Little hands, little hearts
Dream small, dream big
Compassion, less confrontation
Images of hope, honored moment
Heart softened, mind focused
Perfect view, click, click, snap
Capture the lasting visuals
Hope rising, anxiously awaiting……..

My Journey continues…..

On a cold winter day I commenced my joyful journey across the oceans.
I vividly remember it was a warm evening in December, 2007 I arrived in India.

For the first time I witnessed colorful parade of people, rich cultural events, and intense aroma of culinary delights.
I found myself completely immersed in the rich culture of this incredible country.

My memory of India is what I have seen in the movies and the magazines. All I remember is the colorful sarees, breath taking sceneries, never ending architectural treats, rich and deep rooted religious landmarks and many other images.

The moment I landed I could not take my eyes off.  All I see and experience is a country full of images I could never get tired of, a visual feast!

I also had the good fortune to meet with some wonderful little people.  This experience touched my heart and awakened my soul.

A school for blind Children in Bangalore, and several day care centers in Tamil Nadu.

I feel I have been enriched from these journeys and showered with good fortune.
I promised my self that I would take every step to share these precious lives with the people I cared for.

You will be happy to know that I have found a way to cherish and share my experience through a wonderful organization.

I have teamed up with Asha Canada, the Canadian arm of Asha for Education.
Their mission is “to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of underprivileged children.”

With 98.7% of their funds going directly to projects in India, Asha has consistently rated among the top 10 charities by Charity Navigator.

To view and purchase my fine art, giclee printed images from both North and South India,

visit the fine art gallery

One hundred percentage of revenue generated from the sale of these fine art prints is returned to Asha for Education.

As we approach this festive season of Joy, and good spirit,

I am hoping you will join hands with me in making a difference in someone’s precious life.

Asian Bride Magazine (London) has just published this spread of my images.

I had a ball working with Sabreena from Surma, who did a great job with Styling, Make-up and Hair,

and all the models; Natasha, Asim, Nina, and Monika.

Special thanks to Duhlan Toronto for providing the Beautiful Bridal Fashions.

 Today Brenda and Jitesh’s beautiful Multicultural wedding I had the pleasure to photograph

in Toronto this past October was featured on Maharaniweddings.com

If your planning a South Asian wedding, check out this site for great inspirational ideas!

One thing I love about Toronto is the diverse cultures we have here, and how as Canadians we are encouraged to celebrate and be proud of our cultural background.  I also love being a wedding photographer for this reason.

 I get to see so many different cultures and traditions, it really keeps my job interesting and fresh.

Indian Weddings have long been a favorite of mine to photograph,  and Chinese weddings are a close second.

Both these cultures celebrate with such colorful, rich traditions.

For example; The Indian Baraat when the groom arrives at the wedding ceremony with his family,  he is often on horseback or sometimes an elephant, this is a very colorful, festive atmosphere with lots of dancing and drummers.

 The Chinese have a beautiful way of paying respect to their elders with a traditional tea ceremony, where the bride and groom serve tea to their family.

So when Brenda and Jitesh asked me to photograph their two day’s of  festivities,  I was honored, and I knew it would be a great opportunity to capture some wonderful moments  It didn’t hurt either that Brenda and Jitesh have such magical chemisty between them!

 It was such a pleasure to be there to witness and document the blending of these two rich cultures.

Congratulations Brenda and Jitesh!

I wish you both many years of happiness (double Happiness!)

And a special shout out to Jodie from The Social Butterfly!

Event Planner and soon to be Mommie!!! Great job Jodie!

Here’s a few of my favs from the two days!

Wishing all my Indian friends, Clients, and blog visitors a very happy and a prosperous Diwali.

My favorite time of year for weddings is the Fall.

The beautiful warm colors, and clean crisp air, make for stunning images!

And what a place to have it; Jennifer’s family farm in Terra Cotta, Ontario,

which provided the perfect setting!

However the weather looked iffy before the ceremony,

Jennifer and Ryan lucked out and were able to say their vows

against this picturesque background.  Soon after the rain came down,

but the light was beautiful, and so was this wedding!

Congratulations Jennifer and Ryan!!!