There are wedding films and then, there is storytelling in motion. Siddharth Sharma has mastered the latter by capturing intimacy in its truest form. Apart from filming the weddings of Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Vijay Deverakonda, Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth, Sharma’s House On The Clouds (HOTC) has been a vital part of many nuptials for over a decade.
Cinematic storytelling and emotional nuances are what shapes Sharma’s visual language. “I think weddings teach you to become more observant. You’re constantly looking at people, not just what they’re saying, but how they behave around the people they love, when they’re comfortable, when they’re nervous, and when they forget there’s a camera around,” he shares.
A former IT employee in the US, Sharma found his calling while capturing a friend’s wedding back in India. Over the years, HOTC has captured many iconic frames that end up being inspirations for new brides-to-be. However, every wedding deserves to be captured as a distinct story. On recognising what sets these images apart, Sharma notes, “I think it would be the balance between observation and intention. An HOTC image usually has a sense of restraint within it. If an image feels like it was discovered rather than simply made, and still carries a sense of depth, emotion and atmosphere, there’s a good chance it’s ours.”
As the photographer and filmmaker reflects on how far wedding photography has come and continues to go, he realises his role as a storyteller; “Our role is to discover what’s already there and reveal it with honesty and care,” he adds. In the era of excess and grandiose weddings, Siddharth Sharma has created a visual language rooted in quiet observation and creating space for emotions to truly flourish, rather than scripting a frame or a moment.
“Every couple deserves a visual language that’s entirely their own. We never want to impose a style on a wedding. Our role is to discover what’s already there and reveal it with honesty.”