We had the privilege to speak to founders of Lightbucket Productions; the award-winning team of spirited photographers and cinematographers who are focused on making exquisite, heartfelt pictures and visuals while shooting every wedding. Read the interview to find out more.
HOW DID YOU GUYS END UP STARTING LIGHT BUCKET PRODUCTIONS?LightBucket Productions was founded by Amit Pandey, Sumanth Shetty & Vinay Kumar in April 2015.
Amit, a graduate of computer science engineering, says “We have been taking pictures for about eight years, and professionally for six. We were super poor when we were growing up, but photos and videos were always important to our parents, and we were always was drawn to imagery. Today, Lightbucket Productions is one of the leading Wedding Photography & Films Website in India with over 1000+ Weddings and 100+ films under the belt. Ligthbucket is a 32 people strong team with two offices in Bangalore & New Delhi
Sumanth says “When I was 22, I got my first phone with a camera on it. I think it was probably .2 megapixels, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I took pictures of everything – it was the camera I always had with me, and it gave me instant gratification. I took 5,000 images on that phone and my love for photography was stronger than ever. At that point, I decided that I wanted to be a photographer. I interned with multiple photographers and learned over a course of 2-3 years. I still feel learning is a never-ending process and I learn every day at Ligthbucket Productions.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
Vinay says: “We believe in storytelling” In fact everyone at Lightbucket Productions does. Storytelling makes our clients connected to them by looking at their images or film. We like to know and be immersed in the back-story so that we can bring it full circle when we photograph the main event. we are genuinely interested in our clients and who they are.”
“It is important to us that we represent them properly – at the end of the day, a photoshoot is a collaboration of many people and creative minds, and a wedding is no different. What sets us apart, perhaps, is that we approach each wedding as if it is a fashion job, wanting each wedding to look different, even if it was at a venue we had worked at before. Another thing that we see as strength is that I can be comfortable in most situations, and can really think on my feet. We actually specialize in traditional & destination weddings, so the change of scenery is a great challenge and gets us really excited – We love learning about and celebrating other cultures.”
WHO OR WHAT GOT YOU INTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?
Sumanth Shetty says: “Interestingly enough, we never thought we would do weddings – like, EVER. We always felt like it was too great a responsibility and we were actually afraid to try it for a long time. We would hate the thought of ruining someone’s wedding because we couldn’t handle it. Just because you are a photographer, does not mean you can shoot weddings well, too. It is its own world, and you must understand and respect the pace and have the right personality to handle the pressure. In fashion, I can stop time and re-do a shot until it’s perfect. With weddings, you get one chance, and it better be right.”
“It was Vinay & Amit who suggested that we start shooting weddings, and we all fell in love with it. How amazing to work with people who are so happy and grateful?! Wedding photography feeds our soul, where fashion sometimes sucks it. Don’t get me wrong, fashion will always be my first love, but I can apply my fashion aesthetic to weddings and that keeps me artistically satisfied.”
WHERE DO YOU FIND IDEAS FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WORK?
Amit says: “Everywhere. Our world is so saturated with imagery now; We don’t think people even realize how much we see every day. It is near impossible to re-invent the wheel anymore, but we like to try and find inspiration from things that are right in front of me. Sounds obvious, but art is a huge inspiration – different mediums, painting, illustrations, and even comics. Sumanth and I love to collect art and love to find obscure, interesting pieces for our home. Of course, I use amazing tools like Pinterest, blogs, and magazines to see what people are doing and how we can all take our art to the next level.’
WHAT’S THE MOST MEMORABLE WEDDING YOU’VE SHOT?
Vinay Says. “How hard is this question?! It has to be a tie, but for different reasons. The first wedding we shot together – I think somewhere in Bangalore – was very memorable. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and the couple rented out the entire resort for their guests for the week. It was a fiesta theme, so a lot of bright colors, their flowers were incredible, and the fashion at this wedding was show-stopping. “
To know more about Lightbucket Productions visit: www.lightbucketproductions.com
