Check Out Tanushree Vaidya’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanushree Vaidya.

Hi Tanushree, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually studied commerce in college back in India. Around the age of 18 I decided I wanted to build a life where I helped people transform themselves and put their best selves forward – at the time hair styling seemed like a perfect fit. I worked in the hair industry with several of the country’s best talent and on a ton of major Indian celebrities, I came across the slowly flourishing Indian Wedding Photography industry. It was slowly evolving and letting more women take the lead, photos stopped being as traditional and started becoming more artistic and editorial. I felt like if I could make art even half as good as what I saw around me it would give me immense satisfaction. Plus as a 21-year-old woman, the idea of being paid to travel the world and shoot people in glamorous wedding finery felt too good to be true. I hustled my way into what today is one of India’s best photography studios, Stories by Joseph Radhik. It was here that I learnt and grew – both as a photographer and a person. I spent the next four years traveling to multiple cities, four continents and 14 countries to photograph the most amazing weddings in the world. Around 2018, I chose to quit my job at Stories and moved to California to focus more on my personal life with my now husband. I studied Graphic Design at UC Berkeley and explored this gorgeous state. Moving away and starting over gave me a chance to understand who I am as a person and build a business that reflected this. Today I am proud of how far I’ve come and how much my work and craft has improved. I’m grateful for all the awards, clients and love that I’ve been fortunate enough to be bestowed with and I strive harder every day to better myself.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Moving away from my life in Mumbai was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Adjusting to a completely new way of life in a new place forced me to grow up much faster than I expected. Some of it was great, some of it not so much and some of it I resisted as long as I could. I’m truly a people person and initially, it was very lonely. Wedding Photography is one of those trades that really benefit from knowing more people and not knowing anyone in the industry here presented a very unique obstacle for me. I had to start from zero and really get the word out about myself and what I’d done. Going from a job that took me around the world, where my work was being published in blogs and social media, where I was shooting some of the best events and projects in the country to my own business where I had so much skill but no one knew me or understood was really difficult. It took me a substantial amount of time to build a reputation, presence and trust amongst the clients here and get the word out.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Wedding Photographer. I’ve been lucky to have shot weddings across the world. I was nominated in the Best 100 wedding photographers of the World by the Wedding Photographer’s Society in 2017. I’ve seen weddings as small as ten guests and as huge as 100,000 guests. I’m most proud of my ability to make my clients comfortable in front of my camera and helping them show their best selves. I like to think I’m making photos for the people they will be 10-20 years from now, looking back and appreciating the beginning of their lives together.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my most favorite memories with my mother. We spent many an afternoon browsing through fabric bazaars for the perfect cotton fabric – it had to be breathable, soft and have the most beautiful colors and prints. We would take these to the tailor and have him sew those into all kinds of designs. These afternoons really stayed with me all through my life. When we bought a home in California, this exact memory and sheer nostalgia inspired me to start my second business Kaapus Co. When I’m not focussing on my Wedding Photography, I spend my free time designing textile accessories and home linens for Kaapus Co. I collaborate with handicraft artisans in India who painstakingly bring our designs to life in intricate detail.

Contact Info:

• Website: tanushreevaidya.com
• Instagram: tanushreevaidyaphotography
• Other: kaapus.co