Today we’d like to introduce you to Urmil Dalal.
Hi Urmil, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I fell in love with connection. Hearing people’s stories, perspectives – expressing emotions. I love it. And photography connects it all together for me.
My name is Urmil and I grew up in a family wedding studio. My mom, a photographer, and my dad, a videographer, created Suvarn Studio together in 1999.
I was 8 when my mom handed me a camera at a wedding. I carried canisters of film in my pockets and adjusted lighting at my father’s direction. I photographed weddings with my parents on the weekends then headed to the local photo lab to develop film on the weekdays, after school of course.
My photography journey continued throughout my childhood as I worked alongside my parents to keep our family studio running. In 2016, I started experimenting with working alongside other photographers to gain experience photographing weddings outside of the South Asian community.
I said yes to almost every opportunity, and I grew quickly. I met vendors that changed my life drastically. Slowly, with the support of my parents, I began building my own clientele, separate from the family studio.
I started attending Rutgers University in fall of 2017, stubbornly determined to cover all my expenses and pursue financial freedom, which became the focal point of all my decision making. So, I photographed weddings – often.
Every week was a constant rush from class to weddings to hours editing then repeat (and fitting in studying whenever I could). Occasionally flying out for a destination wedding in the midst of it.
I filmed my first destination wedding in Aruba during the fall semester of 2017. Then in 2018, with a lot of vendor support and a strong portfolio, I booked my first luxury New York City wedding at the Cipriani on Wall Street at 19 years old.
In 2019, I filmed and photographed almost 60 weddings. This was a combination of my own studio weddings and freelancing for other photographers.
I graduated in 2021, debt free and a cushion strong enough to risk going all in on the wedding business. I rebranded and brought our family studio name back to the forefront. Suvarn Studio, named after my grandmother, showcasing our core values family and tradition.
This year I will be wrapping up my sixth year as a full time wedding photographer and business owner. I started with intimate weddings in Northern New Jersey expanded to lavish ceremonies on the lakesides of Switzerland and Italy to the iconic venues of New York City. I worked alongside the industry’s most recognized planners, photographers, and vendors all of whom have had a significant influence on my work.
And now I find myself focusing solely on connection.
It’s when connection inspires emotion that my love for storytelling comes alive – to create photos and films that will be mused on by future generations, hopefully in the same way I reflect on my own parents’ wedding photos.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No. In 2023, at a time where we were growing aggressively, investing in new equipment and booking the weddings I was dreaming of, I was forced to take a step back. Your health is your number one asset and I did not do enough to protect it. I had to overcome an obstacle I had no control over. My only option was to be patient.
Being a wedding photographer requires more than a financial and time investment in your business. It demands a significant physical and mental commitment. And at that moment in 2023, I was unable to provide either one to a business I had invested so much time and energy in developing.
It has been the hardest obstacle I’ve had to overcome but it forced me to grow. It forced me to trust and grow my team. It forced me to change my perspective on life. I became a better storyteller and photographer because of it. Most importantly, it forced me to prioritize my health.
I started saying no more often. I became selective with the work I accepted. I started to prioritize the reasons why I enjoyed being a photographer – connection. That is what made it fulfilling.
On wedding days, I find myself drawn to the quieter moments. I’ll take a moment to sit down next to the parents or grandparents and ask simple questions. Sometimes, those conversations turn into stories about their own lives or the memories of the couple growing up. Other times, it would be a quick glance at the couple’s vows while they are reading them. These little interactions put into perspective the gravity of what we’re witnessing.
That feeling in that moment is my why.
This obstacle forced me to rediscovered my purpose and intent as a photographer.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in wedding photography, with extensive experience in commercial photography for product- and service-based businesses of all sizes.
One of my favorite challenges about wedding photography is the time constraint. You have to move and think quickly yet perform calmly. Everything is shot with intent. There are no redos. You have to live with it. There’s a charm to that.
But what I’ve become most proud of are the images that I have to sit and think about. The ones I have to actively plan. Photographing the solar eclipse or sunrise in Yosemite Valley or the Milky Way in Colorado. These images require extensive planning and imagination.
I’m naturally observant and can be described as stoic. I love listening to people share their life stories. When I travel, sometimes solo, I seek out conversations with strangers.
It is in those moments – when a bus driver in Australia or a traveling nurse in Yosemite takes more than a few minutes to become vulnerable about their life story – that I feel alive. I think being able to create the space for that interaction is my strongest quality as a photographer.
What matters most to you? Why?
Connection. I find fulfillment in people and their stories, whether its someone at a local park or in a different country. My parents are unwaveringly positive, and I attempt to carry that energy into everything I do, personally and professionally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://urmildalal.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suvarnstudios?xtok=MWZrbGk4aWxsejU4aA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
