Best of 2012 : Rahul Khona | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Category: Sikh Wedding Photography

Wow! I can’t even begin to describe how fast this year has flown by!! I’ve been shooting weddings in London for a couple of years now, but at the end of last year, something just clicked; something happened; something changed; I can’t quite put my finger on it, but all I know is my photography has grown and so have I.

I’m not really a writer, hence why my blog posts only contain short and sweet paragraphs, and trying to put this year into words is no different. I’ve been extremely fortunate to be a part of some incredible moments, gorgeous locations and in the presence of some truly amazing and inspiring people! If someone had told me that in 2012 I would be shooting my first destination wedding in New York and then capturing amazing moments in Boston, Cyprus, Turkey and India, I would have quickly driven them to the nearest psychiatrist! And yet, that crazy dream became a reality; an almost surreal experience that words cannot define. To think that couples have put their faith and trust in me to capture the most precious moments on one of their milestones in life is the most fulfilling & humbling feeling. And for that, I am eternally grateful to all my clients. It is because of them I have become who I am.

Before I move on to the images, I have to say a huge thank you to my parents, my brother Sachin, our older bro Hetal, all my friends and Shital Gohil for their help and support throughout this year! Last but definitely not the least, I have to thank my gorgeous wife who, despite my being AWOL most weekends, has been the most patient friend and support I could ever have. I am able to do what I do because I know she is by my side which means more to me than she will ever know, and everyday I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart for having you in my life!

I can’t wait to see what 2013 has to offer. I can already feel my creativity bursting with energy and vision expanding beyond the confines of my own limitations. Whatever happens, I know it’s going to be freaking’ awesome year and i’m always striving to be the best asian wedding photographer i can be.

For now, lets roll on to some of my favourite images from this year, so grab yourself a cup of tea and i hope you enjoy them as much i did creating them…..

We really cannot say enough positive comments about you so I will try and keep this short. You really captured the essence of our special day. Rahul quickly became part of the family and the celebration. Early on, Rahul was quick to put us at ease in front of the camera and as well as being a fantastic photographer, he is obviously quite an athlete as not only did he manage to fully document our whole day throughout all the different stages without ever being obstructive, ( and that meant running between the different rooms where the wedding party were all getting ready), he also managed to capture the spirit of the day in the photos! The volume and quality of the images is nothing short of exceptional – we had no idea Rahul had taken so many but are truly grateful!

Our wedding album was priceless, Rahul manages to select the perfect photos to start the album (obviously we can edit) but we didn’t need to do too much editing as the album told the story perfectly. We trusted him immensely with our day. Also, Rahul offers a brilliant aftercare service where he makes sure you are a hundred per cent happy with his service and strives to provide nothing less than the best. His photos are a fantastic keepsake of our special day and we would whole heartedly be happy to recommend Rahul or act as a reference to any couple! To those who may have any slight doubts, we would happily reassure you that you are making a very good decision!

Many thanks again and lots of love,
Vicky and Chris

With so much time, thought and effort gone into planning every detail of our wedding events, it was important for us to choose the perfect photographer to capture those special moments on the day. Rahul Khona did not disappoint. It was his easy going yet fully professional approach that first attracted us to him and this remained consistent throughout. Not only did Rahul elegantly document each part of every event without us even knowing, he also beautifully captured the emotions of our family and friends, which we would never have otherwise fully seen. We also had a lot of fun with the couple photos, feeding off Rahul’s enthusiasm and passion to get the perfect shots. In particular, the ‘1930’s throwback’ style photos made us feel like superstars! Rahul was also very accommodative to taking the group/posed shots as and when required. Truly amazing photos, from the bottom of our hearts thank you!
Sheenal and Andriy

From the first time we met Rahul, he was friendly, professional and went out of his way to meet our needs. He is extremely easy to deal with and his enthusiasm for photography is clear when working with him. Rahul is always very prompt at replying to queries and was able to give us good suggestions on how to go about things where we were unsure. During our events Rahul got on with his photography without disturbing us and integrated with the other wedding suppliers easily. He got to know our family and friends and used this to take more relevant photos but also got on with everyone involved. By then end, he felt like part of our family.

Rahul’s post wedding service is excellent. We chose to include an album on the basis that Rahul showed us his past clients beautiful albums. In addition, Rahul prepares a first cut of the album as he sees it and then allowed us to submit our views and changes.

Overall, Rahul delivered beautiful images while having a laugh with us – we couldn’t ask for more in our photographer!
Hanisha & Rikki

When we first met Rahul, yes we were inevitably impressed by his photography, as we’d seen his work online before-hand, however what we realised when we met him in person was that he’s such a down to earth guy and we instantly knew we wanted to book him! Our consultation covered all questions we had and wasn’t rushed at all. He also had beautifully crafted storybook albums to show us, which he designed himself and we were really impressed with the quality and end result. From the consultation to the continuous communication by email and phone, right through to the engagement shoot, we saw and experienced how passionate Rahul is with his photography and work and how talented and skilled he really is, and that’s exactly what we were looking for in our photographer. We had a fantastic time during the engagement shoot and spent the day with him as if we had spent the day with an old friend! Even though it was cold and rained later that evening, Rahul really made it a really fun experience and we were incredibly excited and happy to see the results of the shoot. We love the engagement shoot pictures and are now really looking forward to Rahul shooting the wedding, reception and registry! Can’t wait! 🙂
Snehal & Rimmel

Rahul was an absolute pleasure to work with. His constant professionalism throughout the entire process was second to none. It is isn’t easy to capture all of the key events and traditions of a really big Turkish Cypriot wedding, especially if it was your first time at such a wedding however, Rahul managed it with no problem. His was extremely polite and made us both feel at ease in front of the camera which is really important.

Before we eventually booked Rahul, we had seen and spoke with over 10 other wedding photographers so we had a good idea of what we wanted. To begin with, Rahul made a conscious effort to initially meet up with us at a location that was suitable so we could meet him and view his work. We were both taken back by not only the quality of his photography but also by the warmth of his character. At that point we had made our minds up and called him the next day to book.

The tailor made package he offered covered everything we wanted and he even organised a ‘pre-wedding’ photo shoot at a location, which he chose. We found it quite hard to come up with a suitable location however Rahul suggested a coastal town called Sussex. The location was perfect and he knew exactly what time of the day to shoot to capture the best light & sunset. Even though this location is miles away from where he is based, he went that extra mile to ensure we captured the perfect photograph.

Another attractive quality to working with him, is his ‘post wedding’ after service. He kept us fully updated with when the wedding photos would be ready to view online and informed us when the deadline was to choose our final images to ensure we got our album before Christmas. He even reminded us a few times to ensure we got back to him in time as he really wanted us to have the album as soon as possible. It seemed like he took as much pride in delivering the photos as he did in taking them and that is where a lot of other photographers fall short.

We would recommend Rahul to anyone who is interested in having a professional photograph taken not just for their wedding but for any occasion!
Koray & Hacer Fuat

Rahul is simply the best photographer I have ever worked with – his passion for both life and photography is inspiring and he knows just how to capture the moments you want to hang on to forever. Rahul flew out to Cyprus for our Anniversary photo shoot in May and truly impressed us with his passion, positivity and vision. He spotted the best locations for our shoot, made us feel really comfortable and worked his magic to produce photography we will cherish for years to come. The photos were beautiful and we received them in less than 2 weeks! I will continue to recommend Rahul to all of my friends and family.
Anthea & Costas

It is clearly obvious that Rahul has an amazing talent, but what distinguishes him from others in his industry is his passion, creativity, and his personality. His excitement and energy are inspiring, especially when he finds the perfect light, angle, or background. He also takes the time and energy to really get to know the couple. In doing so, he doesn’t just take generic pictures, but instead, captures special moments that truly reflect and capture the couple he is photographing. We were also really fortunate that Rahul collaborated so dynamically with our videographer. Together with their creative energies, they were able to uniquely capture and portray moments from our engagement session to the entire wedding week’s festivities. Some of Rahul’s images were shown to our guests during our wedding reception, and every single guest was in awe of his work. Many of our guests said they had never seen such beautiful and artistic pictures. We are so grateful to Rahul and feel very fortunate that he was present at our wedding not only as a photographer but also as a friend.
Shreya & Jay

From the first time we met Rahul, we loved not only his work but his passion for his craft and the wedding industry as a whole. During the year he helped us with all aspects of our wedding and on the day itself made us feel comfortable when we were so nervous. He knew that we had a specific idea over the type of pictures we wanted and he worked tirelessly to ensure the photos captured our moments perfectly. His friendly and confident nature also meant that he worked brilliantly with the rest of our suppliers, talking to with them constantly throughout the day ensuring that our events flowed smoothly. It’s credit to Rahul that he worked so well with a team of suppliers, most of whom he had never met before. If we could do it all over again, the first thing we would do is book Rahul.
Karishma & Pritesh