Ankit Goel

Since the time I can remember, I’ve been chasing chaos, or love, or love in chaos, or chaos in love, or simply, Love & Chaos. The more weddings I’ve documented, the more I’ve realised: You can’t document love from the outside. (slide 2 & 3) I often find myself (and my camera) right in the middle of it — sometimes on top, sometimes sitting, often lying flat on the floor. (slide 4) You must enter the moment, surrender to it, become one with it, to tell the truth of it. There is no other way. Even when it’s your own wedding, even when it’s your own baraat. (slide 5) P.S. Often, the moment doesn’t end when the picture does. So I shake it off. Ridiculous, maybe. Happy, definitely. (slide 6) Over the years, I’ve also learnt that the most powerful moments are rarely the prettiest. They’re the ones that hit you long after the wedding lights fade: in a message from a bride who lost her brother, telling me that a photograph I took of him is now everything. (slide 7) Or when someone writes to say they cried looking at their own portraits, because they’d never seen their love like that before. (slide 8) Or when the groom’s mother finds me in the middle of a busy event just to tell me how much she appreciates and values the work we do. (slide 9) These are my real awards.
Not trophies, not titles, but these little echoes of what it means to be human. Maybe that’s what Love & Chaos really is, the space where stories stop being perfect, and start being true. These slides are fragments of warmth, madness, chai breaks, tight hugs, and the strange, beautiful mess that holds it all together, reminding me that the chaos is rarely the problem, often the whole point. From Dilli to wherever Love & Chaos take me. . . . #documentaryweddingphotography #fearlessphotographers #weddingphotojournalist #destinationweddingphotographer #weddingmoments #realmoments [documentary wedding photography, real moments, love and chaos]

The best photos aren’t taken. They happen. Somewhere between the laughter that spills too loud, the hugs that last too long, the tears that show up when you least expect them, and the chaos no planner could predict. My people, the ones in front of my camera, don’t perform for it. They live for the moment. They’re busy feeling, crying, dancing, falling, and in doing so, they look effortlessly, heartbreakingly beautiful. 100% Shudh Desi Candid. Made with real people, real emotions, and zero preservatives. Because real > perfect. . . . . #documentaryweddingphotography #fearlessphotographers #weddingphotojournalist #destinationweddingphotographer #weddingmoments #realmoments

I believe that the most real moments happen when no one is watching, or when you think no one is watching. 
And a wedding album without such honest and unfiltered moments feels hollow, and meaningless. 
Whenever we sit down at home and browse through old photographs, the ones that we unanimously enjoy the most are the raw, unadulterated moments, where you cannot even feel a photographer’s presence. For me, the beauty of a photograph isn’t in how perfect it looks. It’s in how real it dares to be. Over the years, I have realized that my real job is not to make photographs, it is to turn invisible. So I hide, I dissolve, I disappear, like a fly on the wall, or a monkey on a tree (with a camera) in a bid to catch my subjects off-guard, in their element. 
You feel a million things on your wedding day and “perfect” is not one of them. There’s too much pressure today to look flawless, to get ‘featured’, to win that validation; and often, you forget that your wedding is ONLY about you and your people. Years from now, there won’t be Instagram, or these magazines, there will probably be a small family around an album (and not a screen, I hope) laughing at a moment, or wiping a tear. Of course, I’m here to make you look perfect. But I’m mainly here to catch you as you are: brutally, beautifully, unapologetically yourselves. Keh Ke Nahi Lunga. Because the best moments don’t wait. . . . #documentaryweddingphotography #fearlessphotographers #weddingphotojournalist #destinationweddingphotographer #weddingmoments #realmoments [documentary wedding photography, real moments, love and chaos]

Waiting for @levis to cast me already 👀 @levis @levis_in #denim #effortlessstyle #fun

Throwback to this gorgeous morning when Jayati & Jagan got married. I still remember everything so clearly - the balmy winter sun, the soulful Carnatic melodies in the air, the seamless merging of two cultures, and a love so raw you could almost touch it. Six years on, this morning still feels as warm as it looks. [documentary wedding photography, fearless photographers, wedding photojournalist, destination wedding photographer, wedding moments, real moments, tamil wedding]

Tell me you are a cutie without telling me you are a cutie. Also, what’s the minimum number of cheek pulls (and, pushes 🥲) required to qualify as the most loved person in the group? Anirudh, forever ambushed in love. . . . #documentaryweddingphotography #fearlessphotographers #weddingphotojournalist #destinationweddingphotographers #junebugweddings #weddingmoments #realmoments #cuteweddingmoments #sonyalphacommunityindia #rajputwedding [documentary wedding photography, fearless photographers, wedding photojournalist, destination wedding photographer, wedding moments, real moments, cute moments]

A little sparkle from the weddings I’ve documented over the years, may your Diwali shine just as bright. #happydiwali

It took me more than a week to post these. Every time I would start putting these together, I would yawn so much that I would just go to bed. And that’s all the motivation I have to offer for your Tuesday morning. Also, wedding season is just around the corner. Please hire me for such unfiltered, and unadulterated moments. I promise I won’t sleep at your wedding, even if you do.. [real moments, sleepy at weddings, documentary wedding photography, wedding photojournalism]

Throwback to this gorgeous wedding from three years ago. It was a rather radient morning in Jim Corbett when Harneet, a Sikh, married Abhishek, a Tamilian, in the presence of their closest loved ones and the conspicuous golden sun. It was a full but deeply rewarding day at work for me as shortly after the Tamil ceremony, they had their Anand Karaj. What made it all so special was the way both families embraced traditions & cultures so new to them, with such sincerity and joy. I found myself just as curious and excited as everyone else in the room. :) Harneet & Abhishek | Jim Corbett, 2022 [documentary wedding photography, fearless photographers, wedding photojournalist, destination wedding photographer, wedding moments, real moments, jim corbett, tamil wedding]

Weddings are often a blur of checklists, planning, and endless responsibilities. Fathers, especially, are known to be the ones running around, making sure everything is in place. But what made Kamakshi’s father so special was the way he balanced it all. He chose to be there, not just in spirit or from the sidelines, but in the very moments that mattered. Whether it was being by her side as she got ready, walking her down the aisle, or dancing with her like no one’s watching; from heartfelt laughter to proud, quiet smiles, he made sure his presence was her greatest gift. Here’s presenting some of my absolute favourite moments between them. Planned by the best @palkanbadlaniweddingsandevents HMU @glamazonbyjyo Venue: @jwmussoorie DJ: @djprasadmumbai #kamiele #documentaryweddingphotography #fearlessphotographers #weddingphotojournalist #destinationweddingphotographers #jwmarriottmussoorie #weddinginthehimalayas #junebugweddings #weddingmoments #realmoments #sonyalphacommunityindia [kamiele, documentary wedding photography, fearless photographers, wedding photojournalist, destination wedding photographer, jw marriott mussoorie, wedding in the himalayas, wedding moments, real moments, fathers at wedding]

और क्या देखने को बाक़ी है आपसे दिल लगा के देख लिया 📸: @insideankitgoel

Photographed @ojas.xx for @vikasa.co . #fashionstreet #fashionphotography #makeportraits #delhi