Engagement Photography | Orlando, FL — Indian Style Engagement Shoot

by Yuliya Panchenko Photography

Engagement photography is not just about showing a couple holding hands and kissing, but it is about telling their love story with visuals. A storytelling engagement shoot will always remind the couple of why and how they met at the first place, and it will forever save those memories. In addition, a storytelling photoshoot builds a positive, fun, memorable experience for the couple. In contrast, a traditional engagement shoot is boring, forgettable, and fades the good memories.

When I do my engagement shoots, my primary goal is to tell the couple’s story. Every couple has a story and every story is unique. If the couple met online, at the coffee shop, or on an airplane, the story is unique to them. As an engagement photographer, I rather photograph the couple’s story and memory, which we can not put a price on, rather than that $30K diamond ring on her finger.

In Jeanine and Deep’s story, they met in a very unique way which is only comparable to a fairy tale. When Jeanine met Deep, she saw him as an Indian Prince coming to America and finding his Queen. That was how Jeanine saw Deep, and that is how I should capture their image.

To bring Jeanine’s vision and imagination of Deep in a storytelling photo, I needed to add my own vision and imagination to create a stunning photograph. I asked Jeanine to send me a photo of their outfits, so I can start looking for the right location. After seeing their outfits, I realized I need some sort of a palace, golden colors, a garden to match their unique look.

I thought to myself that this is not gonna be an easy shoot. I was not able to find the right location in my area, so I had to search outside of my radius and get my team on it. I brought in a Makeup artist (Briana De Bengson), a stylist (Guzal Komilova) an event Planner (Evgeniya Palta), and a videographer (Eliar Tabrizi) to brainstorm and make this shoot happen. Eventually, we found Bok Tower and Gardens that was about 100 miles away. My team prepared all the necessary props and I thought, we were fully ready for the shoot. However, something was still missing…

I’ve already told Jeanine’s story, but what about Deep’s vision of Jeanine? When Deep first saw Jeanine, she just returned from London, and she wore a unique European high-fashion dress that immediately separated her from the crowd and got Deep’s attention. So, I needed a high fashion dress and look to create Deep’s story. I had to work with a traditional Indian prince and a high-fashion model visions in one photoshoot.

My next step was to bring in a fashion designer. I needed a purple dress to match the purple flowers in Bok Tower and Gardens, and I needed the dress to be high fashion, sexy, and unique. I just knew the right designer for that. I contacted Inna Rudenko at Inna’s Design and visited her boutique. She had a perfect purple dress with gold patterns in it, which is what I exactly wanted.

We had one last issue… At Bok Tower and Gardens, there was a long walk from the parking lot to the tower, so I had to minimize my equipment. We already had lots of props, clothing, and equipment to carry. Luckily, Elinchrom just came out with new soft-boxes called Snaplux that are small, light, and easy to use. I was among the first ones to test and use these soft-boxes, but because I worked with Elinchrom products for many years, I was positive that I will love the quality of light using these new soft-boxes. In fact, the Snaplux soft-boxes became my go-to soft-boxes for destination photography.

With the collaboration of this amazing team, I was able to capture Deep and Jeanine’s love story and highlight their unique culture and personalities.

Photographer: Yuliya Panchenko

Couple: Jeanine Singh & Deep Singh

Makeup artist: Briana De Bengson

Dress Designer: Inna Rudenko

Stylist: Guzal Komilova

Event Planner: Evgeniya Palta

Videographer: Eliar Tabrizi

Engagement Photo Session at Bok Tower and Gardens | Florida