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Is it me you are looking for?

When I was invited by Isprava to view their lovely villas in Goa

Sorry for being AWOL for the last few weeks. I have a very good reason for it though. There are some good folks working behind the scenes to get a fabulous new website ready for An Indian Summer. I have been neck deep in layouts and mock-ups and have been advised not to put any new content on this site till the time the new one is ready to roll. We are aiming for mid next month and till that time, I will continue to share fresh inspiration and all that I love, on Instagram and Facebook. The images in this post are from my Instagram account, so if you like them, please do follow @AnIndianSummer there! And that's not all. Beginning tomorrow, in a run up for Diwali, Facebook is where the action will be when it comes to inspiration for the festival of lights. You don't want to miss that, my lovelies!

My work corner in my Goa studio, featured in Elle Decor

From my luxury wildlife project. I shared images from the completed project on Instagram the entire last week. Go look and tell me how you like it!

Exploring heritage homes in Goa

Meeting old friends in a gorgeous B&B in Goa

The quaint parlour at my hotel in Stockholm. A bunch of other pretteh pictures from the trip on Instagram.

When I was invited to experience the beauty & the hospitality of Kayal Island Retreat

In the hills, at the home of my friend, who is a brilliant painter and interior stylist


See you back here, in a shiny sparkling new avtar, in a few weeks!

Make sure to catch daily inspiration from me on:
Instagram
Facebook


[All Images: An Indian Summer on Instagram. All images clicked by me]

Tushar Rao Photography

Goa. My acquaintance with this sea side heaven is relatively recent. I visited Goa for the first time a couple of years ago and fell in love with it's lush rain drenched fields, the winding roads, quaint villages, beautiful houses and the gentle folks who live here. I remember one balmy afternoon on that trip, mellow after a few chilled drinks, I had sighed and wondered aloud, what it would be like to live here? That was then, and today, I am penning down this post, sitting on the terrace of my little studio, cooled by the Goan sea breeze, listening to the constant sound of waves in the background, and well, warding off all sort of insect life which is making itself comfortable on my brightly lit laptop screen! 

This move to Goa has been possible because of the help and support I got from friends and serendipitous connections. Tushar Rao, a resident of Goa, was one one such connection. And what an interesting friend he has turned out to be! A photographer, who has traveled the length and breadth of Goa, capturing vignettes from daily life and shooting many beautiful homes, boutique stores, hotels, Tushar's work portfolio is a treasure trove for any Goa-phile! And as we chatted, I kept exclaiming since I realized that I have been familiar with his work from way back in time, when as a bright eyed young design enthusiast, I would pore over the one interior design magazine [Inside Outside] that used to be published in India. He is the one who had shot some of my favorite features from that time! It's but obvious that I demanded that he hand over his portfolio to me, since such loveliness must be shared with my folks over at An Indian Summer!

Tushar started experimenting with the camera when very young, and after 8 years as an amateur photographer, he has been a professional since the last 20 years. His work has been published in various magazines like Elle, Inside Outside, Better Interiors, Society Interiors, India Today, Design Today and Verve. He has shot extensively for books on Goa and also had the opportunity to assist the well known French photographer, Robert Polidori. 

Here are some of my favorite picks from the homes Tushar has shot. Dive right in!

You can see more of Tushar's work right here!

[All Images: Tushar Rao. Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Kismet

ˈkɪzmɛt,-mɪt,-s-/

destiny/fate 

It's kismet  that Kismet Jewell Nakai and I 'met' each other in the virtual world. Like the face that launched a thousand ships, an absolutely ethereal photograph shot by Kismet, that was part of my diwali inspiration mood boards, launched a full fledged post!

 Kismet and her stylist friend/partner April Sher Bhaika, conceptualize, style, create and capture magical moments via The Unreal Bride. Not limiting themselves to just wedding photography, they have experimented with a bunch of other conceptual shoots and also offer to make any moment that celebrates love and life, into a memorable one.

What I love love about The Unreal Bride was just how thoughtfully styled each shoot is. There is a certain elegance, an old world charm, opulent yet subtle accessories and props, without it being too stuffy. You can see and feel from the pictures that the photographer, the stylist and the subject had fun while shooting! With rich heritage saris and textiles, combination of modern and heirloom jewelry, the would-be and the already brides caught candid in various moods, the color and the lush setting that is so Indian in its mood - each shot is a visual delight!

Take a look at Kismet's photography portfolio here, and take a stroll through the stories and gorgeous imagery from the The Unreal Bride photo shoots right here.

In Kismet's own words:

"I started as a photographer back in 2008 officially. I chanced upon my love for photography rather late in life and went through a number of jobs before actually realizing that I wouldn't mind taking photos all my life. Sitting with a friend, we started talking about the wedding industry and how it would be a fun idea to do different photo shoots of brides - something atypical. You see it a lot in fashion but not with real brides, so we thought the combination of my photography and April's styling - we could do some real fun stuff. The blog - The Unreal Bride, was meant to be a way to advertise what we did, but instead we started blogging a lot more and we enjoyed it! From there we have done loads of fun projects, which have varied from wedding stuff to food photography to all sorts of things!" 

[Kismet and April]

You can connect with The Unreal Bride via email or through their facebook page.

[All Images Copyright: The Unreal Bride. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Martyn Thompson

Sharing some beautiful images from the studio of the prolific New York based photographer Martyn Thompson. Take a look at the rest of his portfolio right here.

 

 

 

[All images: Martyn Thompson Studio]

Color me tender..

Color me true

All my dreams fulfilled

For my darling

I love You

And I always will

[Elvis Presley, just for you]

This, I imagine, is what these rooms and corners must have been singing, as Rikki Snyder photographed them. Such bright colors and hues, straight out of a summer garden. See more of Rikki's brilliant portfolio right here!

Precisely what I needed today. That song, and all this color :)

[All images: Rikki Snyder]