My Viewfinder Got Foggy
Mahisa and Sammy | August 16, 2026 | Maison Albion, Albion, New York
The moment I will always tell first
I am a sucker for moments.
Not poses. Not perfect light. Not even those photographs where everything looks like it belongs on a magazine cover.
Moments. Emotions. Stories that catch you off guard and remind you why you fell in love with photography in the first place.
Selfishly, this is the story I will tell first whenever someone asks me about Mahisa and Sammy's wedding. Not because it was the grandest moment of the day, but because it was the one that got me. And trust me, it takes a lot to make a photographer forget he's holding a camera.
I had never experienced anything quite like this before.
I first noticed him in the morning, hanging out with Sammy and the boys, helping the groom get dressed and goofing around like they had absolutely no idea they were supposed to be getting ready for a wedding. A big guy. Easily over six feet tall. The kind of guy you notice the moment he walks into a room.
At dinner, he was the first one to speak.
He started with funny memories of Sammy. The usual stuff old friends bring up when they get a microphone and realise nobody can stop them. Everyone was laughing. Nothing unusual there.
And then, somewhere along the way, the mood changed.
I don't know exactly when it happened. One moment, the room was full of laughter. The next, it was so quiet you could probably hear someone put down a fork.
There he was, this big guy, talking about friendship. Brotherhood. About what Sammy meant to him. About how proud he was to call Sammy his friend.
And then I saw the tears.
Rolling down his cheeks.
I saw Mahisa gently wiping tears from Sammy's eyes. And I was standing there, looking through my viewfinder, trying to do the one thing I was hired to do: photograph what was happening.
Except my viewfinder was getting foggy.
What the hell was wrong with my camera?
Oh. Wait.
Was I crying too?
Apparently, a photographer can be professionally equipped with two cameras, several lenses, and years of experience, yet completely unprepared for a big guy talking about how much he loves his friend.
And just when the room could not possibly take any more emotion, this man threw in another hilarious story from his vault.
The entire room burst out laughing. Some were still wiping their tears. Others were laughing with tears running down their faces.
It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
He set the tone for the speeches that followed. Then came Mahisa's best friend, followed by her younger sister and the session ended with her brother. Different relationships, different stories, but somehow the same result. More laughter, more tears, and a room full of people who clearly meant the world to each other.
That was the moment I felt I truly got to know Mahisa and Sammy.
You can learn a lot about a couple from their portraits. You can see how they look at each other, how comfortable they are together, and how they react when you ask them to do something silly.
But watching their closest people speak about them? That's something else.
You don't make an entire room laugh and cry like that unless you've built relationships that mean something. Unless you've shown up for people, loved them, annoyed them, made memories with them, and somehow convinced them to stick around.
Mahisa and Sammy, you two are genuinely special. And judging by the people standing beside you, you've been doing something right.
You have a big guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, a sassy best friend who knows how to keep things interesting, and a little sister who can make an entire room feel things.
Some people get wedding gifts. You two got a whole room full of people who love you to bits.
And honestly, that's a pretty good deal.
Now, see some pictures from the speeches segment below, and after that, let me rewind a little. Because while I could happily talk about that one moment all day, there was an entire wedding around it. And what a day it was!
1:00 PM
Groom getting ready
We started the day with Sammy and his friends.
Sammy was dressed in an intricately detailed off-white sherwani, with a plush, deep-red stole draped effortlessly over his shoulder. The rich red turban, crowned with a delicate crest, completed the look. Honestly, he looked less like a modern-day groom and more like a prince who had just stepped out of a fairytale.
And then there were his friends.
While Sammy was looking every bit the prince, the boys were busy doing what boys do best. Helping each other get ready, fixing the little details, cracking jokes, and making sure nobody took the whole thing too seriously.
If you were expecting a room full of nervous men quietly contemplating the seriousness of marriage, you would have been disappointed.
These boys had other plans.
I love photographing these moments. People tend to forget the camera when they're busy with their favourite people. And that's usually when the good stuff happens.
Sammy was getting ready to marry the love of his life. His friends were making sure he didn't get too emotional about it just yet.
They had a few more hours for that. 😂
1:15 PM
Groomsmen and groom portraits
Once everyone was ready, we stepped outside for some portraits.
First, the groomsmen together. Then Sammy on his own.
There's something I enjoy about this transition. A few minutes earlier, the groom is laughing with his friends, completely caught up in the madness. Then he stands on his own for a portrait, and suddenly you see another side of him.
Same person. Different moment.
The wedding is becoming real. The day is moving forward. And somewhere in the middle of all the jokes, this guy is about to get married.
Sammy, you cleaned up pretty well, my friend.
1:30 PM
Bride getting ready
And if the boys had their own version of getting ready, the girls had theirs. Friends, sisters, cousins, hair, makeup, last-minute fixes, conversations happening in three different corners of the room, and everyone somehow knowing exactly what was going on.
Or at least pretending they did.
Mahisa looked beautiful. But what I loved most was seeing her surrounded by her people, enjoying the day rather than getting lost in the pressure of making everything perfect.
A big thank you to @makeupbylaylam for helping bring everything together and keeping Mahisa looking gorgeous through all that happy chaos.
The makeup was beautiful, of course. But the smiles around her? Those were all hers.
2:00 PM
Bride and bridesmaids portraits indoors
We started the portraits indoors with Mahisa on her own, followed by the bridesmaids.
Now, I know a wedding day comes with a long list of photographs everyone wants. The solo portraits, the group photographs, the carefully planned combinations.
But what I really look for is what happens between those photographs.
The little glances. The spontaneous laughter. The friend who can't keep a straight face when everyone else is trying to look elegant.
With Mahisa and her girls, I didn't have to work too hard to find those moments. They were already happening.
Sometimes my job is simply to stay out of the way and make sure I don't miss them.
2:30 PM
Outside with the bride and her girls
Maison Albion gave us a beautiful setting for the outdoor portraits.
The 150-year-old mansion, the gardens, the summer light. You know those places where you can point your camera in almost any direction and find something worth photographing? This was one of those places.
We photographed Mahisa on her own first, then brought the bridesmaids together again.
By this point, everyone was a little more relaxed. The formalities were slowly giving way to the fun, and the photographs started to reflect that.
I love portraits that look beautiful without feeling stiff. A little movement, a little laughter, a little personality. Because twenty years from now, I want you to look at these pictures and remember not just how everyone looked, but how it felt to be there.
3:00 PM
The first look
Then came the first look.
Just Mahisa and Sammy, with a little space to themselves before the rest of the day took over.
A wedding is a funny thing. You spend months planning it, surrounded by family, friends, vendors, schedules, and a thousand little details. And then, somehow, one of the most meaningful moments happens when the two people at the centre of it all get a little time alone.
No audience to entertain. No one to greet. No need to smile for anyone.
Just the two of them.
I always enjoy photographing first looks because there is only so much you can plan about how someone will react. You can plan the location, the light, the timing, and where everyone stands. But the expression on someone's face when they finally see their person?
That's not something you direct.
That's something you wait for.
3:15 PM
Couple portraits
After the first look, we took some time to photograph Mahisa and Sammy around the estate.
These two made my job easy in the best possible way. They were comfortable together, happy to be themselves, and didn't need much convincing to forget I was there.
Of course, that also created a small professional problem.
When your couple looks good together and you're enjoying yourself, it's very easy to keep taking photographs long after you've already got the shot.
One more here. One more over there. Let's try this angle. Wait, the light looks lovely over there.
And before you know it, you've photographed the same two people in approximately seventeen different ways and you're still not ready to stop.
That's the problem with photographing people you genuinely enjoy spending time with. You keep finding reasons to take one more picture.
A big shout-out to Ankit from @primelensproject, who worked alongside me that day. Having a great videography partner makes such a difference. Ankit wasn't just there doing his own thing. He was thinking about the day, coming up with new ideas, and helping us get the best out of the time we had.
And the drone footage? That was a lovely addition. Seeing Maison Albion and its grounds from above gave the story a whole different perspective.
Some places deserve to be photographed from the ground. Others deserve a little altitude.
This one deserved both.
3:45 PM
Family portraits
Ah, family portraits.
The part of every wedding where a photographer discovers just how many relatives a couple has.
Parents, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, and the person who has just stepped away to answer a phone call precisely when we need them.
You know the drill.
Jokes aside, these photographs matter. Years later, these are often the pictures families come back to, looking at the people who were there, the ones who travelled to celebrate, and the faces that made the day feel complete.
So yes, I will happily organise everyone, call out names, and ask you to stand a little closer.
And yes, I will probably ask for one more photograph because someone blinked.
It's all part of the job.
6:00 PM
Groom's entry and the third world war!
Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Bangladeshi weddings, let me introduce you to a tradition that deserves its own comedy show.
"Gate Dhora" a.k.a the third world war!
The literal translation is something along the lines of holding the gate. The practical translation? The groom's party isn't getting through that gate without a little negotiation.
The bride's family blocks the way, and the groom's side has to bargain, negotiate, and convince them that the groom is worthy of entry.
There is teasing. There is bargaining. There are demands. There is absolutely no shortage of people who suddenly become very serious negotiators despite having no formal experience in international diplomacy.
And everyone knows it's all in good fun.
At Mahisa and Sammy's wedding, the two sides played their parts beautifully. Sammy's party wanted in. Mahisa's side was determined to make them work for it.
I was there with my camera, trying to document the negotiations while quietly wondering whether either side would accept a reasonable offer.
Apparently, there is no such thing as a reasonable offer when a Bangladeshi wedding gate is involved.
6:20 PM
Mahisa's entrance
After all the teasing and laughter at the gate, the atmosphere shifted again. Everyone turned towards her, and for a moment, the whole gathering seemed to pause.
Mahisa walked in with her father and brother by her side. And there's something about seeing a bride escorted by the two men who have been part of her life long before this day. One who has watched her grow up, and another who has grown up alongside her, sharing all those little memories that make a family what it is.
I wonder what goes through a father's mind at a moment like this. And what a brother feels when he walks beside his sister, knowing that life is about to take her into a beautiful new chapter.
I can only imagine.
Mahisa looked beautiful, of course. But as a photographer, I wasn't just looking at the bride. I was watching the people around her, the expressions, the little glances, and all those feelings that don't always need words.
Because a bride's entrance isn't just about the bride. It's also about the people who have loved her long before she became someone's wife.
And as she walked in with her father and brother beside her, you could feel the significance of that moment. A beautiful beginning for Mahisa and Sammy, with a little piece of her old world walking right beside her as she stepped into the new one.
6:30 PM
Mala bodol, speeches and cake cutting
The evening continued with mala bodol, the traditional garland exchange between the bride and groom. A beautiful little ritual symbolising their acceptance of each other, and another lovely moment to add to their wedding story.
And then came the speeches, the part I've already told you about. The big guy, Mahisa's best friend, her younger sister and her elder brother. Four heartfelt speeches that had the entire room laughing, crying, and doing both at the same time.
I've photographed plenty of weddings, but this one got to me. I was trying to do my job while being emotionally compromised. Again. Someone really should consider adding a tissue allowance to my photography packages. 😂
Finally, it was time to cut the cake. Something sweet to bring everyone back to earth after all those feelings. Although, at this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if the cake had come with another emotional speech.
9:00 PM
All about shoes
After dinner, we squeezed in a few group photos before moving on to what turned out to be one of the most entertaining parts of the evening.
Mahisa and Sammy beautifully blended two wedding traditions, bringing a little Western wedding fun together with a good dose of Bangladeshi mischief.
First came the shoe game. The couple sat back-to-back, each holding one of their own shoes and one belonging to the other. Then came the questions, and they had to raise the shoe that matched their answer. Who takes longer to get ready? Who is more stubborn? Who is more likely to start an argument? You get the idea.
The answers were hilarious, and watching how well they knew each other was half the fun. Although, I'm not sure how many of those answers will be brought up again during future arguments! 😂
And then came juta churi, the Bangladeshi tradition of stealing the groom's shoes and making him negotiate their return. Think of it as a family-approved robbery, with the bride's side holding all the cards and the groom's side desperately trying to reach a deal.
Mahisa-gang was absolutely brilliant, full of energy and completely committed to the mission. Sammy's friends tried their best, but at one point, one of them was almost buried alive under the bride's gang.
I'm not exaggerating by much.
I was trying to photograph the whole thing while laughing, which isn't ideal when you're supposed to be producing sharp photographs. But honestly, who needs a gym when you have a Bangladeshi wedding?
I loved how the couple brought these traditions together. One was a playful Western wedding game, the other a beloved Bangladeshi tradition, and both gave everyone another reason to laugh, tease the couple, and make memories together.
As for Sammy's shoes, I hope he got them back without having to empty his bank account. But with Mahisa's side in charge, I'm not making any promises!
10:00 PM
The dance floor opens
And then the dance floor opened.
Madness. Absolute madness.
By this point, the formalities were done, the shoes had been negotiated over, and everyone was ready to celebrate without worrying about what came next.
The DJ, @whirlindiscsound, did a fantastic job keeping the energy up. Cousins, siblings, friends, parents, both families. Everyone seemed to find their way onto the dance floor sooner or later.
Some people danced like nobody was watching.
Some people danced like everybody was watching.
And some people gave performances that I suspect will be discussed at family gatherings for years to come.
I love this part of a wedding because the pressure to look perfect finally disappears. People let go. They laugh, dance, pull their friends into the middle of the floor, and forget about the camera.
That's when I stop directing and let the night unfold.
A big thank you to @dreamyglamevents for the decor that framed the celebration so beautifully. The setting looked wonderful, but the real magic was watching the room come alive in it.
Beautiful decor makes a lovely photograph.
People having the time of their lives make it a memory.
The guests & the venue
And of course, in between all the madness, I didn't forget to photograph the beautiful Maison Albion and the lovely guests who came to celebrate Mahisa and Sammy. The venue deserved its own little spotlight, and the guests? They brought so much warmth and personality to the day. A wedding isn't just about the couple, after all. It's also about the people who show up for them, dressed to impress, ready to celebrate, and sometimes ready to steal a pair of shoes! 😂
11:00 PM
The sparkler exit
11:00 PM
The sparkler exit
11:00 PM
The sparkler exit
Twelve hours later, we reached the end of the day with a sparkler exit.
There is something bittersweet about the end of a wedding. Everyone has spent months looking forward to this one day, and then, somehow, it passes in a blur of photographs, conversations, food, laughter, happy tears, and dancing.
And suddenly, it's time to go home.
The sparklers lit up the night, people gathered around Mahisa and Sammy, and the hugs seemed to last a little longer.
Perhaps because everyone knew the day was ending. Perhaps because nobody was quite ready for it to end.
I took my final photographs and thought about how much had happened since that first morning with Sammy and his friends.
A groom getting dressed. A bride surrounded by her favourite people. A first look. Two families coming together. A room full of people laughing and crying over stories that only they could tell.
And, of course, one very large man whose name I still don't know.
Mahisa and Sammy, thank you for trusting me with your wedding day.
Thank you for letting me into your world, for giving me the space to do what I love, and for surrounding yourselves with people who made it so easy to feel the love in the room.
I came to photograph your wedding.
I left with photographs, stories, and a reminder of something I already believed but occasionally need to be reminded of.
The best part of a wedding isn't how perfect everything looks.
It's how deeply people feel.
And you two have a lot of people who feel deeply for you.
May you always have a room full of friends who make you laugh until you cry, who show up when you need them, and who remind you, in their own ridiculous ways, how lucky you are to have each other.
And big guy, wherever you are, please tell me your name.
I still owe you that conversation.
With love,
Razeeb
The people who made this day happen
VENUE
DECOR
MAKEUP
VIDEOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mahisa says
"...he helped make my husband and I look like royalty in our photos."
Razeeb was a wonderful photographer to work with on both my Nikkah and wedding reception! He communicates very quickly and never failed to address any concerns that we had. His photos are truly beautiful and he helped make my husband and I look like royalty in our photos. I would happily recommend him to anyone!
My Two Cents Before You Choose Your Photographer
Don't choose your wedding photographer simply by looking at their Instagram or website portfolio.
Whether you choose me or someone else, here is something I genuinely recommend.
A wedding photographer can take a thousand, sometimes several thousand, photographs during a wedding. Even a mediocre photographer can potentially produce five or ten really good photographs.
And guess which photographs usually make it onto Instagram?
Exactly. The best ones.
The beautifully posed couple portraits. The dramatic sunset photograph. The perfectly lit bridal portrait. The shot where everything came together.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with showcasing beautiful photographs.
But your wedding isn't five or ten photographs. It is an entire story.
Ask your photographer to show you an entire wedding gallery—or at least several hundred photographs from one complete wedding.
Look at how they covered the entire day.
- Did they also capture the seemingly mundane moments?
- Did they photograph the grandparents?
- The children? The parents? The friends?
- The little interactions?
- The quiet moments? The chaos? The laughter?
- The things that happened when nobody was posing?
- And most importantly, did they show care?
- Did they seem genuinely interested in the people and the story?
- Did they put the same level of attention into an ordinary family moment as they did into a perfectly manicured portrait?
Meet your photographer. Talk to them. Ask questions. See if you connect with them. Read the reviews from previous clients. And, if possible, talk to one or two of those clients.
Your wedding is important. There are hundreds of horror stories about photographers or videographers missing important moments, not understanding the schedule, mishandling family photographs, arriving late, disappearing when they were needed, or simply not delivering what was promised.