The Garden of Love
To most of us, Delhi is the symbol of power. To many of us, Delhi is a symbol of the long historical legacy that India has. Capital of the country since the early medieval period, Delhi has enjoyed continuous importance as the status symbol even as the governments of the country changed.
Bring born and brought up here, I also saw Delhi as a tourist spot. But over the years, I have realised that there’s more to Delhi than these monuments. While Delhi doesn’t have an identity of its own in terms of cultural roots, Delhi is host to a variety of cultures that have blended together to give Delhi the identity it enjoys today.
In a city like Delhi, where the hustle and bustle on the roads sounds like melody once you’ve lived here long enough, the silence and peace that Lodi gardens has to offer to the city dwellers can be scaring. But when enough time is spent in this place every morning, the gardens turn out to be the perfect place for peace and solitude seekers.
My Interest in Lodi Garden started young when I would be out with my camera. The place had more to offer than one could imagine. I started with photographing the structures around- their old rustic aura attracting you like a magnet. The uneven stairs, the brown walls, the rounded rooftops, the eerie windows and the green bushes that complimented the monuments were my favourite.
Today, the park is more than just a weekend getaway for me. As a professional wedding photographer I often get requests to do a pre wedding shoot. Unless my clients have a preference, I suggest that we shoot at Lodi Garden! Here are the top reasons on why to do your pre wedding shoot at Lodi Garden
1) The Rustic Scene
The Gardens have so many monuments that their brown uneven stone walls make the perfect backdrop for a couple’s picture. The guards at the Garden are quite hesitant to let you shoot inside the monuments so one needs to be happy with having the monuments in the background. I ask my clients to wear nice and bright shades that compliment the walls in contrast and the combination often works really well
2) The Pond of Love
Apart from the monuments, the little pond in the centre of the Garden, makes an excellent element in the pictures. The water brings romance in the pictures in my opinion. Playing with reflections and sitting by the pond are some of the standard ways couples get their pictures clicked at Lodi Garden
3) A variety of landscapes
Lodi Gardens provides so many landscapes that at one place itself the couples can get a host of pictures clicked- from curvy paths of the jogging tracks to lush green grass, from the pond to bridges, monuments to palm trees, bamboo sticks to secluded benches- there is no end. It’s a photographer’s paradise and so much can be done here that it is unimaginable.
4) Myriad of angles
Because of the many elements available here, there is no end to experimenting with the kind of angles one can click here. I don’t refrain from getting on top of walls or lie flat on the ground. From the bridges to the grounds- the entire area is at your disposal to try so much and make your pre wedding shoot an amazing one!
5) An Established Love Paradise
For some visitors, Lodi Garden is the Mecca of love, where there is enough lush and greenery to hide the public display of affection. The place is thronged by lovers of all age groups who come to spend time here as they bunk their schools, college or office, or as they wait for the nearby Khan market to open. During a pre wedding shoot, the same gets reflected in the couples for reasons unknown. Ive done a shoot in the early morning hours and ive shot under the scorching sun, but the enthusiasm of the Gardens gets injected in us and every shoot is a memorable and happy one!
So as a wedding photographer, I would really suggest that you explore the lush green expanse of Lodi Gardens for your pre wedding shoot because you will leave the place with a little bit of Lodi Gardens in your heart!
About the writer: Akshita Agrawal, is an avid photographer and Delhi enthusiast. She has now started traveling across Delhi again but with a different perspective. She now looks at Delhi as an opportunity to shoot beautiful pre wedding shoots
