Kismet

ˈkɪzmɛt,-mɪt,-s-/

destiny/fate 

It's kismet  that Kismet Jewell Nakai and I 'met' each other in the virtual world. Like the face that launched a thousand ships, an absolutely ethereal photograph shot by Kismet, that was part of my diwali inspiration mood boards, launched a full fledged post!

 Kismet and her stylist friend/partner April Sher Bhaika, conceptualize, style, create and capture magical moments via The Unreal Bride. Not limiting themselves to just wedding photography, they have experimented with a bunch of other conceptual shoots and also offer to make any moment that celebrates love and life, into a memorable one.

What I love love about The Unreal Bride was just how thoughtfully styled each shoot is. There is a certain elegance, an old world charm, opulent yet subtle accessories and props, without it being too stuffy. You can see and feel from the pictures that the photographer, the stylist and the subject had fun while shooting! With rich heritage saris and textiles, combination of modern and heirloom jewelry, the would-be and the already brides caught candid in various moods, the color and the lush setting that is so Indian in its mood - each shot is a visual delight!

Take a look at Kismet's photography portfolio here, and take a stroll through the stories and gorgeous imagery from the The Unreal Bride photo shoots right here.

In Kismet's own words:

"I started as a photographer back in 2008 officially. I chanced upon my love for photography rather late in life and went through a number of jobs before actually realizing that I wouldn't mind taking photos all my life. Sitting with a friend, we started talking about the wedding industry and how it would be a fun idea to do different photo shoots of brides - something atypical. You see it a lot in fashion but not with real brides, so we thought the combination of my photography and April's styling - we could do some real fun stuff. The blog - The Unreal Bride, was meant to be a way to advertise what we did, but instead we started blogging a lot more and we enjoyed it! From there we have done loads of fun projects, which have varied from wedding stuff to food photography to all sorts of things!" 

[Kismet and April]

You can connect with The Unreal Bride via email or through their facebook page.

[All Images Copyright: The Unreal Bride. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Martyn Thompson

Sharing some beautiful images from the studio of the prolific New York based photographer Martyn Thompson. Take a look at the rest of his portfolio right here.

 

 

 

[All images: Martyn Thompson Studio]

Color me tender..

Color me true

All my dreams fulfilled

For my darling

I love You

And I always will

[Elvis Presley, just for you]

This, I imagine, is what these rooms and corners must have been singing, as Rikki Snyder photographed them. Such bright colors and hues, straight out of a summer garden. See more of Rikki's brilliant portfolio right here!

Precisely what I needed today. That song, and all this color :)

[All images: Rikki Snyder]

Through the lens of

Thiru S

One of the best things about writing a blog is that you get to know and meet exceptionally creative and interesting people. Thiru and I connected late last year and he shared his impressive portfolio with me. I was thrilled to see many of my favorite images from various residences and boutique design resorts in his portfolio - Thiru has been photographing for some of the top design and travel magazines for years now. His photography portfolio not only covers interiors but a wide array of editorial, travel, food, street and personal photography. Apart from photography, Thiru also runs the creative design agency, White Light Design, that he co-founded in 2004.

 

In Thiru's own words: 

There are certain places and moments in life, which transcend beauty, as we know it. Most of my photos are grounded in these instances. I look for the unguarded moment, the inner beauty. My genre of photography intends to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, and at other times microscopic. I’m excited about life, travel and photography. I have been taking pictures for the past 12 years. In all these years there were times when I thought I had something extraordinary. Sometimes I was fooled that what I thought was great turned out to be not so great and there were other times when the not so great pleasantly surprised me.

Photography has taught me to be patient but more importantly to apply myself. The more I applied myself and interacted with the world around me, the better I got. It has taught me to let go of the preconceptions of what I was expecting to get, or want to get, and just react to the natural world. In other words to let those things that are on the inside come out. To me photography draws upon who we are and the life views that we hold. It’s an interpretation of our sensibilities and our relationship with the world. It is a mirror to what we love and fear, and it provides opportunities to explore subjects one might be too timid to explore without the excuse of a camera.

 

View more of Thiru's beautiful images right here. Also, take a look at the brilliant, The Deconstruction Project, a spatial experiment using photo art installations, designed and curated by Thiru and Vikrant Sharma.

Thanks Thiru, for sharing your work with us! 

[All Images Copyright: Thiru S, Elle Decor India]

~

Coming up later this week and next, showcase posts featuring new designers and stores, and a bunch of lovely giveaways!  

Keep reading An Indian Summer! 

 

What is there to know

 All this is what it is

You and me alone 

(oh, and An Indian Summer)

Sheer simplicity

For your listening pleasure

Kings of Convenience

And

For your viewing pleasure

Enrique Menossi!

Sheer simplicity, is exactly what I love about these rooms and spaces, photographed by the brilliant photographer Enrique Menossi. No grand furniture pieces, no statement art, no rich embroidered textiles or expensive rugs - just plain simple aesthetics of color and texture working together to create beautiful livable spaces.

Ooh...look at all the linen bed furnishing in these bedrooms...
simple, yet so very elegant

 

[All images: Menossi Fotografo]