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Charmi Patel Peña

@charmipena

14.4K

followers

3918

following

Photographer/Educator
Nikon Ambassador
Creative Director @uncomanagement
Activist/ former Dem muni chair WW/ 4 term committee woman

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Link in stories!

Planner: @eventsbyvaishali
Photographer: @charmipena
Cinematography: @dcfilmco
Design and decor: @vikramdesign
Hair & makeup: @beautybypayaljay
DJ: @djinsomnia
Venue: @nobuloscabos
Looks: @manishmalhotraworld, @ridhimehraofficial, @labelcrestelli, @sabyasachiofficial, @aminamuaddi, @giorgioarmani, @ritikaamirchandani, @manishmalhotravows
Stylist: @bridelanindia
Catering: @chefvipul
Stationary: @padmagraphicdesign taken in Nobu Hotel Los Cabos by @charmipena

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2 years ago

Annual (sort of) family gathering. The best of the best talking photography, love, meaning, and occasionally f stops. Shout out to our fearless leader @corradophotography for all the magic he’s created. @nikonusa put all every #Nikonambassador in one room - when our powers unite… by @charmipena

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2 days ago

Ok babes. Are we back?? We are so back!!!!! by @charmipena

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3 days ago

Pre-Mehndi magic ✨

Bride 👰‍♀️: @wgbxo
Groom 🤵‍♂️: @_hamzamasood
Travel management concierge: @destinationpick
Planning ✍️: @pearlseventandco
@cmistry_patel
DJ 🎧 | 🎤 : @djusaevents @djarjun1129
AV 🎶 : @inspiremexico
Photographers 📸: @charmipena
Cinematographers 🎥: @nura.weddings
Stationery 🪧: @inktricatedesigns
Decor 💐: @groupgama
Makeup💄: @crispinbeauty_mx
Catering 🥘: @patravalicancun @benares_global
Bridal Henna 🤲🏽: @mehndibyveronica
Family & Friends Henna 🤲🏽: @mehndi_vero
Resort 🏰 : @paradisusbymelia
@weddingsbymelia
@meliahotelsinternational
Transportation: @lomastravel by @charmipena

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a month ago

“Indian weddings are so colorful.”

They are. Of course they are.

But after 20 years of photographing them, I can tell you that color has never been the thing that makes me love them.

It’s the emotion that spills over. The chaos you learn to anticipate. The quiet that exists right in the middle of all that noise. The traditions that carry generations with them. The families who make it very clear that a wedding is never only about two people.

It’s the fashion (because come ON). The fun. The people.
And yes, okay. Fine. The color. 😂

But when I’m behind my camera, I’m not looking for “colorful.”

I’m looking for the second before someone cries. The glance across the room. The ridiculous thing happening just outside the ceremony. The way a mother holds her daughter’s hands. The moment the couple forgets there are hundreds of people around them.

Because twenty years from now, I don’t just want my couples to remember what their wedding looked like.
I want them to remember what it felt like.

And that’s what I’m always chasing. 💗

Shot on Nikon. Mix of Z6ii and z6iii.

#NikonAmbassador #NikonCreators #NikonZ by @charmipena

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a month ago

Instagram still won’t let me post a Reel, but perhaps this one was meant to be read. 🥹

Nikon just published a feature about my work, my approach to photographing Indian weddings, and why I call the Z6III my dragon slayer.

Seeing my photographs and my words on Nikon’s website would be meaningful in any year. Seeing them there during my 20th year photographing weddings feels almost impossible to put into words.

Weddings are beautiful, but they are not polite. They move fast. They happen in blazing sun, pouring rain, dark hotel rooms and even darker dance floors. The moments that matter most rarely wait for perfect light, and they almost never happen twice.

My job has always been to find them anyway.

To honor the traditions. To notice the tiny moments happening inside the enormous ones. To preserve not only what a wedding looked like, but what it felt like to be there.

I believe deeply that a camera doesn’t create the vision. The person holding it does. But when experience, instinct and equipment you trust completely meet in the same split second? That’s when you can stop fighting the conditions and start making magic.

Twenty years into this career, I still feel an enormous responsibility every time someone trusts me with their memories. And I still cannot believe that I get to do this for a living.

Thank you, @nikonusa for seeing the work behind the photographs and for giving this story a home. This one means more than I can say.

Swipe through for pieces of the article, then head to the link in my bio to read the full feature. Because if Instagram won’t let me make a Reel, apparently I’m making everyone readers. 😂

What is my life?! 💛

Article in stories and press highlight!
#NikonAmbassador #nikonz6iii by @charmipena

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a month ago

Still no Reels over here. 😂

But I do, thankfully, have approximately 847,392 photographs.

I’ve been shooting weddings, traveling, taking my Nikons to Alaska, photographing my family, and making pictures just because something in front of me made me want to remember it.

And maybe being forced back into (mostly) still photographs on an app that really, really wants me to make video isn’t the worst thing.

Photography has been the way I’ve made a living for 20 years, but more importantly, it’s still the way I pay attention.

So while Instagram figures out whatever it has against my Reels…(they’re cute insta. Like me! Pick me! Choose me!)

more pictures it is. 📷

All photographed on Nikon. #NikonAmbassador by @charmipena

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2 months ago

I haven’t been able post a reel since July 3!! This is the message I get when I try to post (not save).

Updated the app, did a bunch of cache things google told me to do.

But here we are. Reel free and I have so much to share! Help a girl out. @instagram why can’t we be friends?? 🤣 by @charmipena

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2 months ago

Congratulations @suneetonpurpose on your debut of 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚: 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 “𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘯” (𝘯. 𝘙𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵)

“What I know is everybody who puts in this work feels a change for the better. Everyone.”

Why wouldn’t we want this book in as many hands as possible.

Preorder link in bio… it will change your life. taken in Times Square by @charmipena

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3 months ago

A little glimpse into Surbi & Rohit’s beautiful Haldi celebration at @grandvelasmaya

Golden hues, fresh florals, meaningful traditions, and so much joy. Every corner was designed to reflect the energy of this special celebration, creating a space where family, culture, and love came together in the most beautiful way.

We loved bringing this vibrant vision to life and being part of a day filled with laughter, color, and unforgettable memories.

Design and Production: @bash.house
Destination Travel Agency: @shaadidestinations
Planning:@eventsbyvaishali
Design @vikramdesign
Photography: @charmipena
Hotel:@grandvelasmaya
@velasweddings taken in Grand Velas Riviera Maya by @charmipena

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3 months ago

Twenty years into this career and one of my favorite parts of wedding days has nothing to do with timelines, venues, or even photos. ❤️

It’s walking into a wedding and realizing half the room is made up of couples whose weddings I photographed years ago.

Somehow, I’ve accumulated an entire collection of former brides and grooms that I lovingly refer to as “my kids.” 😂

This weekend felt especially surreal. Neha and Allen were the catalyst. I’ve known Neha since we were kids ourselves, and their wedding brought together so many couples whose stories I’ve had the privilege of documenting over the years.

It’s one of the coolest parts of this job—watching lives continue long after the wedding day is over. 🥹 Watching their kids grow up!!

Every image in this carousel was captured with Nikon gear. 📷💛 #NikonAmbassador

And if you make it to the last slide, you’ll find a bonus photo of Pri—still one of my favorite images I’ve ever taken. taken in Hudson House Wedding & Event Venue by @charmipena

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3 months ago

Forever looks good on them 🤍

Travel management concierge: @destinationpick
Planner: @pearlseventandco
Resort: @nobuloscabos @nobuhotels
DJ: @djusaevents @djarjun1129 @djkkv
AV: @inspiremexico
Design & decor: @delcaboevents @yayarentals
Make-up & Hair: @dolledupbylulu @stylingtrio
Bridal Accessories: @pruneindia
Photo: @charmipena
Video: @mc_weddings
Catering: @chefabishek
Entertainment: @mariachicabo
Transportation: @TransCabo
Tourism: @loscabostourism by @charmipena

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3 months ago