Shrey Bhagat is an Indian wedding photographer and co-founder of Raabta Studios. With 14 years of experience and 450+ weddings across 30 countries, he shares his approach to Indian wedding photography, destination weddings, storytelling, and building a global creative business.
From the palaces of Rajasthan to the coastlines of Greece, Shrey Bhagat has built a career around capturing weddings as stories rather than staged productions. Named one of *Vogue India's Top 5 Wedding Photographers* and *International Wedding Photographer of the Year (IWPOTY 2025)*, Shrey joins Karan and Shruti to discuss photography, creativity, advertising, entrepreneurship, and the rapidly evolving Indian wedding industry.
Indian weddings are not just cultural celebrations. They are a $130 billion annual industry, with around 8 to 10 million weddings taking place in India every year. Research from Jefferies has estimated that wedding spending is second only to food and groceries among major consumer spending categories in India. Other industry sources rank weddings among India's largest economic sectors.
#ShreyBhagat #IndianWeddingPhotography #WeddingPhotography #RaabtaStudios #IndianWeddings #DestinationWedding #WeddingPhotographer #Photography
In this episode, we discuss:
• What Indian weddings truly represent
• Why pre-production is 60% of a successful wedding shoot
• How wedding photography has evolved across generations
• The origin story of Raabta Studios
• Shrey's approach to authentic emotion and visual storytelling
• The Five Rs of reading a wedding
• Portrait coaching, creative direction, and posing
• Lessons from The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:33 What an Indian Wedding Really Is
00:05:58 From Our Parents' Weddings to Our Own
00:06:55 The Evolution of Indian Weddings
00:09:30 Pre-Production: 60% of the Wedding
00:14:28 From Advertising to Photography
00:15:13 The Sister's Wedding That Started It All
00:15:52 The Grandfather's Camera
00:16:27 Learning From a Master: Jatin Kampani
00:19:34 Creating for Yourself
00:21:38 From Fashion to Wedding Photography
00:29:16 Building Raabta With Manveen (the mirror)
00:34:13 The Five Rs of Reading a Wedding
00:36:45 A Story to Be Honored (His philosophy)
00:39:27 Spill the Tea (rapid-fire)
00:42:07 Pushing Beyond the Comfort Zone
00:44:45 From Culture to Camera
00:49:13 Interactive: Coaching Julia's Poses
00:50:10 Aria Stands In for Julia (portraits)
00:50:15 The Quiet Work Behind Mastery
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Check out Shrey's book, THE CREATIVE ACT BY RICK RUBIN: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+creative+act+by+rick+rubin&adgrpid=185635902199&hvadid=779570267404&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9002126&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=9726273596588737422--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9726273596588737422&hvtargid=kwd-1945215516440&hydadcr=20394_13639531_2283105&mcid=016a54a6ecaf3bf79e7c55ce9ba45e4f&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_9sdaafjqvh_e
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The Learning Lounge content is for educational and informational purposes only. The opinions and experiences shared by hosts and guests are their own and are not medical, legal, financial, mental-health, tax, investment, or other professional advice. Consult a qualified professional regarding your individual circumstances. Results vary, and outcomes are not guaranteed. Guest views do not necessarily reflect those of The Learning Lounge, Dang World, its owners, employees, affiliates, sponsors, or partners.
CONTENT CREDIT:
Any imagery, footage, or references related to the Ambani and Kardashian events are used for editorial and illustrative purposes. Credit belongs to the respective copyright owners.
A DANG World Studios Production
OUR PEOPLE:
Karan Dang — Co-Host & Chief Creative Officer
Shruti Dang — Co-Host & Chief Operating Officer
Utsav Dang — VP Strategic Operations
Missy Hauser — Podcast Producer
Muita Muthee — Podcast Producer
Sydney Dutton — Community and Operations Manager
Josh Lara — Executive Assistant
Leny Balute — Chief of Staff
Rahul Sharma — Long Form Editor
Fahd Sukarno P. Mantukay — Short Form Editor
Nadzmin Lackua — Social Media Graphic Designer
Keith Tan — Shortform Creative Producer
John Mark Galamay — Social Writer
Noah Kugell — Lead AV Technician
Will Mazzola — Original Lighting & Camera Design
Trina Duarte — Hair and Makeup
German Belkin — Original Soundtrack
Jassi Aunty — Head Chef
SPECIAL THANKS:
Late Sidharth Raj Dang, Amrita Dang, Shashi Shukla, Praveen Shukla, Aria Dang, Blue Vir Dang, advisors, mentors, friends, and family.
#IndianWeddingPhotography #WeddingPhotographer #CreativeEntrepreneur
