Helping make memories

You would wonder what an engineering-student-turned-equity-trader would have in common with a man having spent 12 years working in film visual effects. Well, not much apart from a love for weddings so deeply etched that it led to Anand Rathi and Abhinav Sah quitting their day jobs and taking a leap of faith by devising Knot In Focus, a wedding photography company. “A natural progression,” they call it, given their innate love for flash and flutter.

Here is a clearer picture of the knotty status quo–pun intended. We all have that DSLR-brandishing hobbyist friend, who turned his weekend photography into more of a second income opportunity, churning out sub-standard pictures at weddings. Add to that, the fact that many of these amateur photographers have added videography as a seeming credential to their curriculum vitae and you have a muddled situation, where photographers like Rathi and Sah have to constantly innovate to step out of these murky waters.

Tempestuous situation for the men, you would think. ‘Knot’ really! “We position ourselves on top of that much-too saturated pyramid,” says Rathi. “Given our backgrounds, mine in engineering and Abhinav’s in special effects and our logistical as well as financial bandwidth, there are literally no holds barred in the opportunities we can allow ourselves to delve into,” explains Sah.

Couples want their big day to be documented just like any other newsworthy event, with a few set-up shots of ‘a plump, jalebi-loving aunt’ or ‘an uncle guzzling down champagne on an empty stomach’, thrown in for good measure, of course. Knot In Focus, however, believes in doing it differently. “Of course, we look to capture serene and so-called candid moments in chaotic wedding environments but we also want each couple to have a customised album that will ignite a feeling, an emotion, and a memory known only to them,” share the duo. “From understanding the couple’s story to getting to know their personalities and attitude, we put together a compilation of visuals that we know will be just theirs—not anyone else’s,” explains Sah.  

Kirti and Aman Sharma can vouch for their good work. “The entire wedding movie was weaved together by Knot In Focus in a way that is hard to imagine; they would end up pulling us up at the most unexpected moments for photographs. From running around and posing for pictures, in the pre-wedding phase to the entire crazy ‘big fat wedding’ pictures that were clicked, we ended up with an original and innovative wedding album.” On their part, the Knot In Focus duo says, “We love to immortalise some of the poignant moments that couples go through before their big day, even if that means having to backtrack and recreate them, we will.” From underwater photography in a tuxedo and a white wedding gown to having flown all the way to New York City to recreate some of the pre-wedding magical moments of a couple, Knot in Focus have done all that and more. “With over 15 employees deployed at each wedding, we make sure that every single emotion is photographed to perfection,” adds Rathi. From covering the snobbery and one-upmanship that many weddings are known for to adding that vintage touch of fashion to some of the moments shared by the couple, their pictures speak for themselves—literally!

Timelessness at its best. Innovation with a personal touch. Perhaps now is the time to step away from that clichéd visual mediocrity and stay in focus, the knotty way.