Today we’d like to introduce you to Bhuvana Dhinesh.
Hi Bhuvana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When it comes to life principles, I always believed in two, one is to have a career that I love to work on every single day without cribbing about it for once and working for yourself or running your own business. Growing up my dad used to take tons of pictures of me and my brother, we literally had a big bag of albums and so there was this photographer in me always, I was the one who organized and took the lead to take camera to school trips, getting them printed and distributing them among friends. I got my first ever digital camera in 2012, coming from the old school I was blown away with everything that I can do with it, especially the picture quality when seen on screen. I slowly started exploring everything that comes along with it, soon I realized editing plays a vital role in photography, it can either make or break a picture. I am this person who wants to master it if I start something, no matter whatever the reason is, so I became Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop and Illustrator followed by working as a Graphic Designer for a brief period of time and pursuing my passion alongside. I slowly established myself as a wedding photographer in 2017, I am now specialized in Multicultural and South Asian Wedding. It was not an easy start, I had lots of difficulties in everything starting from getting the opportunity to assist someone. I recently got a big opportunity to be mentored by Vanessa Joy, one of the top wedding photographers in the world which was sponsored by Canon as a part of their exploration of photography program. This opportunity has leveled up my business and brand, a huge thanks to Vanessa Joy for selecting me to be her mentee and Canon for a great program. A special thanks to my husband who always supported me in my endeavour.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Everything was a struggle at first, talking to strangers, directing them, handling huge crowds, driving to locations where you haven’t before, driving back in odd hours. Becoming photographer is not only learning about the photography itself, it’s more of being an extrovert even though you are not, making people comfortable even when they are tensed, meeting new people, driving to locations that you haven’t explored much, communicating with other vendors and the biggest thing is directing people in a way they don’t get offended. When it comes to challenges, I get reminded of only one thing “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. I worked as a school photographer to meet with new people, increase my directing skills, practiced hours before the mirror for posing, joining every course/read books that were available for wedding photographers. Language was a barrier to me, not because I was not able to communicate, I have to direct people and families and use words cautiously I have one such bad experience, It was in my early years in the wedding industry and I have never ever assisted a photographer before, I was doing the family formals and wanted the brother in law of the groom out of the family picture so I can take their family picture with the couples, I asked the brother in law to step out of the picture for a family shot, groom got offended and he confronted me saying that he is a part of the family and I apologized to the groom saying that I finished taking that picture and I need to do another without him. Of course, I was filled with anxiety being confronted by the groom, a fellow wedding photographer from the family who was a guest calmed me saying I am doing a great job and don’t worry about anything that is happening around. It’s not with Photography, I am sure every career has its own set of challenges at every stage. Face it, acknowledge it, solve it and move forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Bhuvana Dhinesh Photography is based in Austin, Texas and has been operating since 2017. We specialize in Multicultural and South Asian Weddings. We are available to travel across nations to serve lovely couples. Connection with the couples is really important to produce the best results on their most memorable day, it takes time to build up relationships with the couples. We take time to get to know them personally, meet and listen to them if they have questions or concerns, and be there for them anytime they want you throughout the process. For the upcoming year 2022, we are limited to serve only 30 – 35 weddings per year, becoming more of a boutique studio rather than doing a large number of weddings and giving our best to every couple.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
To me, Risk Taking is going out of your comfort zone. I believe every time I push myself out of my comfort zone, I am learning something new and I am one step closer to my goal. I will never forget my first wedding shoot, without any prior wedding shoot experience including as a second shooter, being a lead photographer was very challenging. However, it was only possible because I have looked into Vanessa Joy’s tutoring videos. I had memorized her sentences and practiced in front of the mirror everyday for nearly a month. I owed that credit to Vanessa Joy even before I became her mentee. Couples were extremely happy with the pictures and I booked more weddings that year. When my parents and some of my friends thought I cannot make a living as a woman wedding photographer, I took the risk of investing and believing in myself and accomplishing my goal. A huge thanks to my support system, my husband, who believed/still believes in me when I was knocked off by every obstacle in this journey and to my kids, I was not there for them when they most needed me.
Contact Info:
- Email: bhuvandhinesh@gmail.com
- Website: www.bhuvanadhinesh.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bhuvanadhineshphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bhuvanadhineshphotography
