Nope. This isn’t Cleveland. Although we hail from the land [ local slang for the CLE ] we get to travel a fair amount for our creative endeavors. Natasha and Prashant asked us to bring our creative vision out to the great Salt Lake. We gladly obliged.
Yes. Yes you can walk on water. At least you can seem to at the Bonneville Salt flats.
It was an incredible trip for the 5 Making the Moment staffers who traveled. Keep an eye out for the “behind the scenes” blog I’ll be posting tomorrow on what the trip was like for our team. [ update – click to read the Behind the Scenes Blog ] Enjoy some of my favorites of the artwork we traveled out there to make happen.
Check out this artsy portrait of Prashant. As a bearded man myself, I found myself envious [ and somewhat intimidated? ] by Prashant’s rough and manly beard.
This is why we came. These two fell in love. Not only with each other, but with the landscape of mountains and nature that surround the Salt Lake City area. They invited us [ and more importantly their friends and fam ] to experience this great part of the country.
I loved Natasha’s Mehndi. Maybe my favorite henna art I’ve seen. It’s awesome to see artwork adorn another human being.
The above is one of my favorite portraits of the two of them.
Our trip didn’t just take us to Salt Lake City itself, for this Indian Destination wedding we journeyed across the barren and rough landscape of Utah. For one experimental photo-shoot we went out to the desert itself; I photographed this in the dark from the sky with our drone.
I look for joy when I capture imagery. I LOATHE falsehood [ not just in life, but in imagery ]. When someone isn’t genuinely themselves, it shows through so much in the image. You can see Natasha’s authentic love for Prashant here. The man knows how to make her laugh.
He knows how to hold her tight too 🙂
And how to walk into oncoming traffic with her.
He knows how to be close.
And this man knows how to smile and laugh.
These two; The five of us built such a sweet friendship with them over the course of our week trip out to Utah, that I couldn’t wait to share the finished imagery here.
I’ll jump in from time to time and share the “why” behind the artwork you’re seeing, but for the most part, I’ll let the imagery do the talking.
I wouldn’t say we “talked” Natasha and Prashant into an extra day of creativity at the Salt Flats. I think we simply said “hey, we have an idea. Want to go to one of the places on earth that exist like this, and spend an entire day creating together? “
If memory serves me right, Natasha said “YES OMG YES” like 50 times before I even finished proposing the idea.
Legit; the Salt flats are amazing. They are literally what the name implies, a barren flat landscape of salt. If your timing is right, about an inch of water combs the landscape, and because of the hard packed salt floor, the water stays incredibly clear [ and freaking cold ]. It doesn’t “mud up” like water would if it was a dirt floor, and so provides an incredibly unique place to film and photograph.
Above was Natasha and Prashant’s “Interview” location. We’re crafting their wedding film as well [ stay tuned – it’s currently in production ] and chose to conduct their interviews out on the water itself. Pretty snazzy.
Natasha is a professional artist. Seirously – she is WICKED gifted. Her abstract and thought provoking pieces grace have earned her a reputation outside of Chicago [ where her studio is ], she is known worldwide. Check out her work Natasha Kohli Artist
This is one of the reasons we connected so well with them. We’re not just “Indian wedding photographers who photograph destination weddings”; we at Making the Moment are true artists.
[ Quick aside, did you catch my amazing SEO skills up there? Did you? You’re welcome Google. Just for you. ]
***AHEM*** And Bing. For you as well Bing. SOoooo many people use you. so many.
GAHH. I love her joy 🙂 Natasha’s smile and laughter were contagious.
Here’s another thing I love about Natasha; she is 100% herself. She’s a positive-minded, friend focused, other-centered human being. Even her choice in her wedding shoes showed that. She wanted to make others smile on her wedding day.
I love Indian wedding ceremonies; the Pithi is one of my favorite. After being an Indian wedding photographer for some time now, I’ve noticed that the family sees the ceremony as an opportunity for religious and ceremonially adornment, as well as playful and joyous shenanigans 🙂
Indian wedding jewelry? Amazing. My western couples need to step it up. 🙂
Quick note; all the images you see here are real. “Duh Brett, I know that, I’m looking at them”. What I mean is that the “candids” you see here are actual photjournalistic wedding photography.
I didn’t ask Natasha to nervously hold her hands prior to the ceremony. She was doing that.
From the above thought; I didn’t ask her to peer in the mirror. Natasha was admiring herself. She should to; she carries beauty SO well.
I love this priests joyous smile. This is directly before the Indian wedding ceremony began at the Waldorf Astoria in Park City Utah.
Natasha designed her Mandap herself. Pretty cool right? I told you she was an artist.
I always loved how much rice is ceremonially thrown during Indian weddings.
Rice on rice on rice on rice.
On rice on rice. On rice.
Their wedding reception was at the Natural History Museum of Utah. It was an incredibly unique venue, as it is built directly off the side of a mountain.
Listen; we have some AMAZING wedding venues in Cleveland, but NONE of them [ that I know of? ] are built on the sides of mountains.
Gotta love that sunset. Mountains FTW. [ For the win. FTW means FOR THE WIN. Not F___ the world ]
Wedding reception decor FTW
FTW
Natasha and Prashant had a casual and laid back evening. Friends and family spent the evening casually connecting and enjoying the scenery. It was such a beautiful and fun night.
I always loved the American southwest. It was a JOY to be out their with our team and create. This specific Image I remember capturing while listening for rattlesnakes. Because; well… there were rattlesnakes out there.
Thankful. I’m SO FREAKING thankful we got to do this for a living. It will never be lost on me that I get to travel to take pictures and make films about people.
Natasha. Prashant. Thank you for being you. Thank you for trusting us with your art and your story. Much love friends.
