Heroes Behind the Scenes – Dimitri Crusz & Rasanga Dissanayake

A wedding is an undeniably memorable day to all those who tie the knot. The memories of the wedding gets etched on one’s mind as they are a magical experience one lives through with the love of their life. Dating back to ages, preserving the memories of the wedding was simply limited to treasuring any perennial item that would make one reminisce the beautiful day. But today, you have the ability to revisit your wedding through digital captures. These are the most tangible items you will walk away with after the wedding day passes. When every aspect of your wedding is packed and put away, your wedding photographs are the only things that are left. They are the pictures that would awe all the generations to come. 

The real moments of your big day will capture your true emotions and portray a story through visuals. But, how will you know what really defines great wedding photography. What shots will really touch your heart when you sit and look back at the pictures? To clear your doubts, our very own official photographers who have been bestowed the prestigious title ‘Sony Ambassador’ and two great personalities in the photography industry share with us their wisdom. Let’s dive into the finer details with Rasanga Dissanayake and Dimitri Crusz!

Tell us about your photography career in brief, from humble beginnings to now…

Rasanga: I come from a science background and becoming a photographer was very much unexpected. However, it’s been 20 years since I stepped foot into this career as a professional photographer. Initially, I started as a media photographer at BT Options and after 8 years, I felt a growing love for wedding photography. I manage Rasanga Dissanayake Photography Studio and apart from that, I work as a visiting lecturer at the University of Kelaniya and Hegoda School of Photography.

During these 12 years as a wedding photographer, I have brainstormed many ideas that brought a twist to pre-wedding shoots, underwater shoots, outdoor shoots, storybook concepts, night photography, light painting and many more. Apart from wedding and portrait photography, I am into art, fashion and a little bit of architectural photography too. I have visited many countries including Europe and America for foreign assignments.

In brief, I enjoy my work and I love my job very much as it involves capturing special and beautiful moments of my clients. Still, I believe that I have many things to learn in this industry as it grows day by day with the technology and trends. So, I do constant research on my subjects and try to keep myself updated. This journey was not so easy, I have had a lot of tough times, but I believe the dedication and hard work I invested made me successful in my career.

Dimitri: Well, I started photography while assisting my father, Jerome Crusz. I was still in school but I would help him out for extra pocket money and for the experience of going to weddings. Soon it became more than a part time gig with dad. After my studies, I did more wedding photography with him and in 1998, I started my first solo wedding. It was a hard start although people assumed it was easy as my dad was a renowned photographer. It was very hard to get out of his shadow. But a couple of years later, things started working well for me. I had managed to keep all the classic styles that I learnt and developed my own twist on things and brought in some new innovations to the Sri Lankan wedding photography market. Things like pre-wedding shots and candid fun shots were not a thing in Sri Lanka back then. I believe I brought them to the mainstream Lankan wedding scene. Sadly, now it has gone to another level which I don’t think is working out for people. I keep pushing the envelope with new tech and styles to keep at the cutting edge, whilst catering to a niche and discerning clientele.

The two of you are Sony Ambassadors out of the 4 photographers in Sri Lanka who were given this prestige title. What do you think made you stand out from the rest and how do you utilize its privileges?

Rasanga: First of all, I must thank Sony organization and few other individuals for trusting me and my work as well as for choosing me as the Sony Brand Ambassador. All the credits go to Mr. Justin Wong (Country Head of Sony Sri Lanka), Mr. Dilshan Gammampila (Head of Marketing – Sony Sri Lanka) and last but not the least, Mr. Anushka Gunasinghe (Founder & Director of CameraLK – the licensed partner of Sony Cameras). It is a milestone achievement in my career and I’m glad that I got an opportunity to work with one of the best brands in the world.

I have no idea about the exact parameters that they have considered when choosing an ambassador but I guess they must have done a background check of my work and the assignments that I have done throughout my tenure. I believe the difference that I made to the wedding photography industry may be one of the reasons for them to give me this prestige title.

Sony mirrorless technology has made my career and life easier than ever. As we all know, Sony is the pioneer for mirrorless technology and by moving from DSLR cameras to mirrorless, Sony has made a huge impact to the whole photography industry in the world. They keep on updating their cameras which is unbelievable. Sony mirrorless technology is unbeatable. Consequently, I am happy that I have the opportunity to be a part of the newest technology and as the brand ambassador, I have the chance to talk to industry professionals and spread the word of how Sony mirrorless technology can support the wedding photography industry in Sri Lanka.

Dimitri: I guess it’s the fact that I’m a photographer who likes to take pictures without editing excessively.  Sony cameras give me the ability to do that even more. I shoot RAW, and I love to process my images to get the image the way I see it in my mind’s eye, but not to the extent of what some photographers do. It almost looks like it’s someone else in the wedding photos. Also, cameras (the ones I use) are of high resolution - 40 megapixels. This gives me the advantage of offering my clients good quality pictures.

If you were to list down the 'Must Have Shots’ at any wedding - what are they?

Rasanga: The “Must Have Shots” list depends on cultures of the ceremony. Each and every culture has its own significant moments which we can capture. So, as professionals we need to study and understand those cultures deeply to identify those must have shots at a wedding.

Honestly speaking, I do not work according to the so-called “Must Have Shots” list and I’m not worried about it either. I’m a photographer who tries to capture the emotions of the wedding moments. But I make sure that I do not miss the important shots that are amongst the must-haves.

Dimitri: Definitely the Bridal Portrait. This is an artistic study on the bride and groom, with the best lighting for that particular couple. This is also something I learned from my dad and I have been told many times by my clients and other professionals in the field, that it’s the same as what he would do. 

Traditional portraits are being replaced with way too many candid shots. What are your thoughts?

Rasanga: As per my view, I believe that we need to stick to both traditional and candid shots because that’s the only way that we can bridge the generation gap. We must remember that our clientele is always a mix of few generations such as couples’ parents/grandparents, couples and their friends as well as couples’ kids in the future.

So, whoever sees the album someday should be able to enjoy and understand the stories behind these pictures that we have taken. So, it’s always good to have a blend of traditional and candid shots. But uncovering the uniqueness of traditional or candid shots is always in the photographer’s hand. That’s where we can do experiments and set up trends or add value to the existing trends in photography.

Dimitri: Well, I believe candid photography is necessary for a wedding. No couple in their right mind would want to be bossed around by a photographer on the most important day of their life. BUT, if you only have candid shots, will you be able to have a nice shot on your mantel piece looking your best? I have had many couples come to me and say that their sister’s or brother’s wedding photos were done well but they didn’t have a single photo to hang on the wall. To sum it down, have your candid shots, but have a photographer that can do a great portrait too!

What are the biggest challenges you face in capturing the perfect pictures at a wedding? 

Rasanga: To be honest, these are not challenges for me so far, because I always have backup plans to face these types of situations calmly. For instance, if the planned time is two hours for the shoot but the bride gets late, we can utilise that time to do the groom’s pictures until then, and when the bride arrives we can reduce the number of shots that we have planned initially and take quality shots during the minimum time we have. Sometimes, a few important and quality shots would do than a lot of irrelevant pictures. It all depends on different instances. We cannot escape from those situations, but as professionals, we can have precautions for those challenges. That comes with the experience I believe.

Since we are talking about challenges, let me tell you the only challenge that I have is to capture unique and signature shots for each and every wedding I do, because I don’t want to repeat what I did yesterday for today's or tomorrow’s wedding. That gives me the sense of completeness over the particular assignment.

Dimitri: Well, I guess my biggest issue would be time. When couples or other suppliers don’t work on time, it messes up the whole day, which in turn, makes photographing the wedding challenging as everyone is quite stressed by this. So, I have to get my photos and also calm the couple and family. 

What advice would you give the couple to get the best of you at their wedding?

Rasanga: The only thing that I request from every couple is not to be stressed out on their big day.  On the wedding day, the couple has to be relaxed and should not take any responsibility to their hands. I think their friends and families can support them by taking on responsibilities. The more they relax and calm down, the easier it is for us to capture the natural and beautiful shots. 

Dimitri: Be on time. Enjoy your wedding and leave the rest to me.

One of the biggest dilemmas of a newlywed couple is waiting an eternity for their album. Why, and what’s your solution?

Rasanga: That’s true, but every story has two sides. Let me dive into detail. On an average, we capture about 1000 plus pictures at a wedding, and after the wedding, we send the whole set of pictures to the couple for selection. Often, after the wedding, the couple gets busy and they take a lot of time to send us the chosen pictures. Until they confirm the chosen pictures, we are unable to create the album. This is the common reason for a delay in delivering the album.

My solution is, first picture selection has to be done by the photographer’s side with the layout of the album. Then only it should go to the client’s hand. Then it’s easy for a couple to state their likes and dislikes. Most of the time, this process has minimal changes to the album.  

For my clients, the maximum time that I take is 2 to 3 months and minimum of 3 weeks to deliver the final outcome. But, it also depends on the client’s support as well. These things should be discussed with the clients prior to the wedding so that we can have our own deadlines for the jobs we do.

Dimitri: I can’t speak for other photographers, but I believe the couples get overwhelmed with the number of choices we give them. And by the time they are done with the selection process, it is almost a year down the line. I have a solution for this. You would need to book me for the wedding to find out how.

How does one choose the most durable wedding album and preserve its quality over the years to come?

Rasanga: As photographers, we always rely on printing companies and their quality work too. We must have a proper idea about the durability and quality of the papers, ink, binding and many more. We should be able to show the same at the clients’ meetings as well, so that they know what kind of an output they will receive for the money that they spend. I also advise my clients to showcase their album in a cold and dry place to secure it from fungus.

I always state at my workshops that taking pictures is not the only job we have, but there are lots of pre- and post-work too in this profession. We are so accountable for peoples’ memorable days. So for my clients, I give the lifetime guarantee for the albums that I deliver.

Dimitri: Well, most albums are done with the latest photo papers which have colour stability for about 75 years or more. But keeping your wedding album in a cool, dry place with less moisture is the best! Also going through (airing) your album at least every 3-6 month will help immensely on the longevity of the album and your marriage.