IMPRESSIONS
“Nirav is present, he is truthful, he is generous, and there’s a calm that literally lives in his photos.”
Sitting to write this review is a joyful challenge. I have been at a loss at how to fully capture our experience with Nirav through the course of our wedding planning. The emotion is so present that my eyes become teary as I reflect on our experience. But there is also lightness as I think about the hilarious fun moments that we shared with Nirav and those amazing moments that he captured.
There was a moment during our cultural engagement ceremony when my husband’s almost three year old nephew was lazily strolling past us in the ceremony tent. My mother, who was sitting close to me, reached out to his exposed tummy and gave him a little pinch. He immediately exhorted her with a “stop it” and kept on his way to gaze at the object of his affection, a young family friend. We of course were laughing at his swagger and wit. It was a moment that I repeated many times to friends and a memory that stands out. Well I was blown away that the entire interaction had been captured in the photos. I couldn’t even believe it. This moment that maybe was all of 5 seconds was immortalized. And that is what is so amazing about Nirav. There are layers to his photos. Each viewing is a different experience-noticing the Hollywood sign fuzzily in the background – seeing an interaction between friends that I hadn’t previously noticed-seeing a picture of an outside wall of my mom’s house that is a quiet reflection of our immigrant family’s American dream. Nirav’s photos tell the stories of your wedding, but his gift is his ability to capture the narrative about everything else- friendships, relationships, pride, achievement, resilience. Those are all of the things that I see and feel when I look at photos of our wedding weekend. Upon viewing the photos for the first time, my mom just kept on saying, wow…wow…wow. She was in awe, she was speechless and she said something that resonated so deeply for me I had to write it down. Of the photos she said, “the ‘silence’ is penetrating… I don’t know what to say, I just have to let the emotion wash over me.” Nirav’s photos are powerful; powerful in their depth, playfulness, richness. To me the power of the photos are not that I have an exact retelling of everything that happened, but that I have an experience that I can continue to build in my thoughts, imagination.
When I first spoke with Nirav, I was struck by the similarity in our family stories/trajectories. I immediately was so happy for this person that I had never met; that he had the incredible courage and support to choose the path that was truly his purpose. Nirav is present, he is truthful, he is generous, and there’s a calm that literally lives in his photos. Nirav was such a joy to be around. Our friends raved about him. They understood what we hoped our wedding weekend to be and they made it possible. We are forever indebted to Nirav; he truly honors the ritual of weddings.
IAN & KEMI
“Nirav is able to capture life’s celebration in the most artful way”
For those on the search for their wedding photographer, look no further. Nirav is a true gem both in talent and energy. When partnering with photographers we always value those who are kind, prepared, communicative, adaptable, easy-going and most of all, provide our couples with a sense of comfort and calm throughout the day. Nirav exceeds expectations in each of these areas, though that’s just the beginning.
Nirav is able to capture life’s celebration in the most artful way. The use of light, color, movement and frame transport you back to not just the day, but the feeling of being there in its most aesthetic form or “golden ratio”. His work is often reminiscent of timeless still life paintings and portraiture – upon viewing a recently received gallery, I felt many of the images shared belong hanging on the walls in the company of other master artists.
SOPHIA GOFF EVENTS
“The way he captured all the most important looks, gestures, and moments… you would think he had known us for years”
By the time we booked Nirav for our wedding in Yosemite, we had loved his work for several years. We were so excited he was going to document our story and knew the photos would be incredible. What we didn’t realize was how Nirav would capture everything every detail and collectively, the essence of the day — with such kindness and grace.
Since ours was a destination wedding, we’d only exchanged emails and Skyped once with Nirav before we met him in person at our rehearsal dinner. The first thing that struck us about Nirav was his calm, kind, quiet demeanor. He seemed completely at ease while remaining a true professional, and he put us at ease too.
Tyler and I (ok, just me) had the idea of doing portraits in Yosemite National Park the morning of the wedding, and Nirav was totally game for this. Even though it meant him waking up at 3 am and staying up for nearly 24 hours. We had the best morning with him shooting portraits at sunrise and stopping at multiple locations throughout the park to capture absolutely breathtaking images. He let us be us — offering helpful direction when necessary, but mostly just quietly capturing. And the results were gorgeous, authentic photos of Tyler and me, showing all the joy we were feeling that day. We adore these photos — every single one!
We are perhaps most thankful for Nirav’s attention to detail throughout the day. The way he captured all the most important looks, gestures, and moments, you would think he had known us for years. It was as if he could sense the most important relationships and most meaningful moments — down to the smallest detail. My sister slipping me a tissue in the middle of the ceremony, Tyler’s dad wiping his eyes, my mom holding my hand as she opened my gift to her, our flower girl eying her reflection, a single tear on my bridesmaid’s cheek. Plus, all the big, glorious moments. Nirav captured them all. And meticulously edited them. Collectively, these photos somehow capture the un-capturable — the feeling of the day. They do justice to our joy.
We could keep going, but we will end with Nirav’s thoughtfulness. When we received our photos, Nirav also sent a slideshow of his favorites — complete with carefully selected music that matched the rhythm of the day. We immediately watched it twice through and were in awe. It is not every photographer who would make the effort to create this. Plus, at the time Nirav delivered our photos, he and his family had been evacuated from their home due to wildfires. And he still sent our photos.
In short, Nirav is a joy to work with! We admire his kindness and lovely spirit — my whole family wants to be his best friend — and his work is unparalleled. Every photo was a work of art that we will forever cherish. Thank you, Nirav!
TYLER & ELLE
“These photos, like Nirav, are precious treasures.”
Phenomenal. My daughter and her fiancé scrutinized photographers for their wedding more than any other vendor. A passionate hobby photographer, she looked for someone who shared her aesthetic and crafted beautiful, unique, and interesting photos that could tell a visual story of relationships and personalities with light, shapes, color, movement, touches, and nearly imperceptible details more than just capture great shots or posed portraits. After being recommended by a friend, reviewing Nirav’s website, and then meeting with him, J & R were completely convinced that Nirav was the photographer for their wedding. My daughter was impressed that he communicated what he does and how he does it extremely well, discussing certain guidelines and expectations well ahead of time, and asking them great questions when they met together over a casual meal. J mentioned that Nirav was very personable and open, and shared about his background, life, and family. J & R walked away from their meeting feeling like they were the only couple in the world that mattered to Nirav, their wedding was the most important event of the century to him, and that they had really made a friend.
I met him the first time when he and his assistant were performing their magic by taking photos of the girls prepping the morning of the wedding. He was warm, friendly, witty, kind, flexible, and purely enjoyable to be around. Someone in a previous review described him as a Ninja, and I concur. He and his assistant were part of the ambience of the wedding preparation and dressing (boys and girls), ceremony, games & cocktails, dinner, and reception. They seemed to be everywhere and capturing the most intimate, hilarious, touching, and incredible moments with the backdrop of an absolutely beautiful venue, but never in the way or prominent. Working with him was very easy – he knows his stuff, knew the venue, has a great eye, and is efficient. The posed shots took very little time because he was very clear in his direction and ultra organized. He worked incredibly well with our venue coordinator, caterers, and videographer.
The confirmation of his technical expertise, artistry, innate talent, and professionalism is in the resulting photos. He compiled a collection of his photos which he put to music commemorating the day (from beginning to end) that simply took our (collective) breath away. Every person who has seen it is awestruck and, in most cases, moved to tears – between unbridled belly laughs to intense tenderness.
How Nirav is able to use every available element to tell the story of this couple’s lives and values and love and devotion and humor and joy and craziness and passions and friendships and families and sensibilities is mind-boggling. He GOT them. That’s really the best that can be said of a photographer. In the short time he had to get to know them and understand what they wanted, he nailed it unconditionally and resoundingly.
My daughter and her husband have now been able to see their entire wedding day, and especially the two of them, as their guests, family, and bridal party experienced, but with much greater depth, breadth, and intimacy. These photos, like Nirav, are precious treasures. I cannot recommend Nirav more highly with absolutely no reservation, and I want him to be part of our family. He just makes you feel that way.
CASEY M.
“We will forever be grateful to Nirav for going above and beyond for us”
My husband and I got married recently, and before we had even picked our date, we made sure Nirav would be available to shoot our wedding. He was a critical piece, and we would’ve moved our date around 20 times to ensure he was able to come. Nirav had previously shot my sister-in-law’s wedding, and the photos were absolutely jaw-dropping.
Leading up to our wedding, my husband kept telling me, “Wait until you see what a great presence Nirav is on the day.” He was so right. Your wedding day is one of (if not the) biggest days of your life, and you want to be surrounded by people who light you up. Nirav does just that. He might start out as your wedding photographer, but he very quickly becomes your friend. He has such a wonderful personality, kindness and ease to him. I had so much fun getting ready with my gals and Nirav .
Of course, the greatest anticipation following your wedding day is waiting for the photos. My husband and I were on pins and needles. And while we knew that Nirav would do an incredible job, I’m not sure either of us could’ve expected what we saw when the “Your Wedding Photos” email came through.
Wow. Nirav completely blew us away.
To see life through Nirav’s camera lens is a truly extraordinary thing. To see something you personally experienced through Nirav’s lens is even more extraordinary. My husband and I felt instantly overwhelmed by how easy it was to relive the abundant joy we’d felt that day, just scrolling through Nirav’s images. He captured literally every moment – and in a beautiful way that really told the story of the weekend.
We will forever be grateful to Nirav for going above and beyond for us. And we know he does that for all of his clients, because that’s just the kind of person he is. Nirav, thank you so much for everything you did to ensure we had meaningful, perfect souvenirs from our special day. Because of you, we’ll get to relive it over and over again in the years to come.
From one bride to another, I could not more highly recommend a photographer OR human. He’s the best there is.
ANNE & GEORGE
“No other photographer had me crying over strangers, so I knew Nirav had to be the one.”
While planning our wedding, I was so excited, but also anxious, about choosing the right photographer. I knew that the day would fly by, and we’d be unlikely to remember everything. Finding a photographer that we could trust to tell our story was so important. We interviewed dozens of photographers and scrutinized countless albums before we came across Nirav. His work is obviously beautiful; there’s a richness in color and texture, and the way he uses light is cinematic. However, what really sets him apart is the authenticity in which he captures the human experience.
While looking at the full galleries he shared with me, I was moved to tears by a photo he captured of a bride and her mother. There was so much love and tenderness in the way they held each other, and I could see decades of their relationship in just a few images. While we saw a lot of beautiful albums, no other photographer had me crying over strangers, so I knew Nirav had to be the one.
Now, over a year later, with my own wedding album in hand, my husband and I get the privilege of reliving our day, with all of the emotions, over and over again – thanks to Nirav. With a photographer of Nirav’s skill and caliber, it goes without saying that the photos of my husband and I were phenomenal. However, there were a couple of other highlights from our album that truly set Nirav apart.
When reviewing our album, I was so surprised to see the formals of my parents that he captured. Being Chinese immigrants of a certain generation, my parents don’t tend to show a lot of emotion, especially in public. Most photos I have of them include demure smiles at most. But somehow, Nirav worked his magic on them, and I now have these beautiful photos of them laughing, joking, and (do I dare say) even flirting with each other. I can’t believe he was able to bring out this side of them, and I will treasure these photos forever.
He also caught incredible moments with our beloved nieces and nephew. One of my favorite photos of the whole album is of my “niece” (my best friend’s daughter) who was grumpy from standing in the heat. Somehow, he turned a toddler meltdown moment into a sassy, cool girl photo with her sunglasses on and arms crossed. As she gets older, we’ll be able to look back to this picture of her and remember what a spunky, hilarious 3-year-old she was.
After the wedding, a friend of mine mentioned how fun and funny Nirav was and how comfortable it was having him around. I think that really encapsulates the story of who Nirav is as a photographer. He puts you at ease. He’s someone you want to spend time with. He’s quick to see the truth and beauty in people and relationships, which is what makes him so talented as a photographer.
Outside of his artistry, I also want to mention that Nirav is just incredibly professional. We spent the most time with him, and since our planner was busy getting the event set up, Nirav kept us on schedule the whole day. He was incredibly detail-oriented, did his due diligence on the venue, and worked so well with our other vendors. Some of my vendors proactively told me how much they enjoyed working with Nirav. He and his second shooter, Zach, really went above and beyond for us, and we’re truly grateful for their talent and contribution to our special day.
Linda & ralph
“Your talent and dedication have provided us with priceless memories that we will cherish for a lifetime”
Nirav! Wow! We feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards you and your amazing team as we reminisce on our wedding day through these beautiful photos. Your talent and dedication have provided us with priceless memories that we will cherish for a lifetime. We are beyond thrilled with the beautiful collection of photographs you captured on our special day.
Each image tells a story, not just of the events but of the emotions, love, and joy that filled the air. The way you and your team seamlessly navigated through the day blending into the background yet managing to capture every significant moment, was nothing short of magic.
Your professionalism and expertise were evident from our first meeting. You made us feel so comfortable, allowing us to be ourselves while you worked your artistry behind the lens. Your calming presence and friendly demeanor added an extra layer of joy to the entire experience. It’s rare to find someone who not only excels in their craft but also connects with their clients on a personal level. That’s why, beyond considering you our photographer, we now proudly call you a friend.
The attention to detail in every shot, the way you encapsulated the emotions, and the care you took in understanding our vision truly amazed us. You and your team managed to not just capture photos but also preserve the essence of our love. Looking at the photos, we’re transported back to those beautiful moments, feeling the same warmth and happiness all over again.
We’ve lost count of the number of compliments we’ve received on the photographs. They’ve not only impressed us but also everyone who has seen them. It’s an incredible feeling to be able to share these moments with our family and friends and watch them relive the day as well. Nirav, we cannot thank you enough for your talent, your hard work, and the passion you put into what you do. These photographs will forever hold a special place in our hearts, allowing us to relive the joy of our wedding day for years to come.
MADDIE & SHANE
“From the moment we saw his photographs, we knew that Nirav was the right person to capture our wedding weekend”
It is hard to find words that are expansive enough and complementary enough to describe Nirav and his work. From the moment we saw his photographs, we knew that Nirav was the right person to capture our wedding weekend. When we met Nirav, we instantly felt at ease and confident that all of the special moments, no matter big or small, would be honored. There is something incredibly authentic about Nirav- not just his work, but also his character and energy.
Being in front of a camera can feel a little awkward at times, but Nirav knew exactly how to disarm and soothe these anxieties. Spending the weekend together, we got to know each other, share our stories and learn about our families, and very quickly it felt like spending a few days with a friend. This wasn’t just felt by Jake and I, but also every single family member and friend. Nirav just has that special something, being around him feels safe, fun, and easy.
In the days after the wedding, we received endless compliments about Nirav. They noted that he was somehow present during all of the most intimate moments, but he did it in a way that felt so natural. People wanted to be his friend!
Once we received the photo album, we were overwhelmed with emotion (and tears). We magically got transported back to our wedding weekend. Not only did Nirav capture the weekend beautifully, but he was also able to tell our story with these snapshots in time. Having these photographs allows us to relive our wedding weekend over and over again. Nirav gave us the most special gift with his talent- something tangible to hold on to and look back at over the years.
SOLO & JAKE
“Working with Nirav has been hands down one of the best onsite vendor experiences we’ve ever had”
Working with Nirav has been hands down one of the best onsite vendor experiences we’ve ever had. He is polished, poised, prepared, and was so warm to our clients. He made them feel so comfortable and cared for. Nirav is communicative, extremely polished, and the gallery he delivered blew us away. We sing Nirav’s praises everywhere we go. He is truly exceptional in every facet of his business. And most importantly – he is so kind.
SMITH & JAMES EVENTS
“There is a Caravaggio-esque chiaroscuro to his lighting and editing that transcends photography into fine art.”
What initially set Nirav apart is how he captures moments of time in a timeless way, from the overall story of the day to the intimate, in-between moments shared between friends and family. There is a Caravaggio-esque chiaroscuro to his lighting and editing that transcends photography into fine art.
What truly sets him apart after working with him is how he made us feel at ease on our wedding day. His kindness, grace, decisiveness and steadfastness was the glue when things didn’t go according to plan due to weather, but in large part because of him, unfolded even more beautifully than the original plan. He was truly the unsung hero of the day.
All of this is reflected in our gallery (and memory) – he exceeded our already high expectations. Nirav is truly a master of light – a spectrum of moody and dramatic to dripping in golden light, everything comes together in a cohesive and gorgeous narrative. He was a dream to work with and we cannot express enough how meaningful, elevated, timeless, and beautiful our photos are and how excellent our experience was with him.
Nirav is more than worth the investment and we cannot recommend him enough.
KELLY & JULIANA
“Nirav is on a spectacular path and I cannot wait to see where that journey takes him!”
Where to begin….
I had spent weeks researching for someone who was more than just a wedding photographer. I wanted a photographer who could capture depth and the genuine emotions piercing through each person photographed. I wanted the scenery to sing like a sweet song behind the complicated features of my husband and I. I wanted my wedding photos to be a work of art. I wanted the photos to say I love you, I needed them to tell our love story.
Nirav is one of the most talented photographers I had ever seen, we were determined to have this man photograph our wedding. He was the one, I actually based my wedding date on his availability. As a bride my wedding day took so much time to create, on the day of I was nervous and busy, I was on a true roller coaster of emotions and just like that, it was over in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t really go back and savor those moments in my mind, everything was a blur. it all happened so fast.
After the wedding our days went back to normal, it had already began feeling like a distant memory. One day while skimming through my mailbox an email popped up from Nirav; our photos were ready and he prepared a beautiful slide show with warm music to really re-live those moments. My husband and I sat together in bed and watched the clip, tears began flowing, we held each other tight, time traveling back to our wedding day. He surpassed our expectations, I honestly didn’t know it was possible to create something so beautiful. The small details I had forgotten about came back to life, each photo had a story that shined through his subtle and perfectly timed snaps.After the wedding our days went back to normal, it had already began feeling like a distant memory. One day while skimming through my mailbox an email popped up from Nirav; our photos were ready and he prepared a beautiful slide show with warm music to really re-live those moments. My husband and I sat together in bed and watched the clip, tears began flowing, we held each other tight, time traveling back to our wedding day. He surpassed our expectations, I honestly didn’t know it was possible to create something so beautiful. The small details I had forgotten about came back to life, each photo had a story that shined through his subtle and perfectly timed snaps.
Nirav is a gentle soul, an honest, kind person. His presence was warm and we felt so comfortable being ourselves while he did his job. His rates if you ask me are below what he should be charging haha. Nirav is on a spectacular path and I cannot wait to see where that journey takes him! If you’re so fortunate to have this talented young man photograph your wedding, you’re in great hands.
