Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra & Bharath WOOTLA.
Hi Alexandra & Bharath, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2007, we found ourselves in a long, winding line for foreign student visas at Cité Universitaire in Paris for a chance encounter. I (Alexandra) had arrived from Russia a few months ago, and Bharath who hails from India and had already been living in Paris for 3 years had come to renew his student visa. We struck up a casual conversation, and realized that we were both interested in photography. That interest in photography meant we had another chance to meet and the very first day we walked for more than 10 hours!! These walking meetings transformed over the next few months into a wonderful friendship. We spent countless hours wandering through the city’s museums, snapping photos of Paris’s vibrant streets and hidden corners, and sharing our thoughts about anything and everything under the sun.
Back then, our language skills were pretty limited: my English was shaky at best, and Bharath’s French was… well, let’s just say we both got creative. It was fun, though, speaking this jumble of English, French, and whatever else got our point across. Looking back, we realize how special those moments were, two people from different continents, meeting in a place foreign to both, managing to connect through art, curiosity, and a healthy dose of laughter. Somewhere between all those museum trips and conversations, love quietly rooted itself in our hearts, blossoming in the very same boulevards we walked each day. In 2008, Bharath visited Russia and met my parents and discovered a little of the region I grew up in.
We got married in June 2010, and life soon nudged us towards a new adventure. That autumn, Bharath started a post-doctoral fellowship in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic, so we packed our bags and moved to Rochester, Minnesota. We genuinely had no idea how long we’d stay, it could have been a couple of months or a year, but 15 years later we are still here. Either way, there we were, in a place that felt far from everything we’d known. At first, it was lonely. We didn’t know anyone, and the cultural differences were sometimes intimidating. But photography, once again, became our anchor. Whenever I (Alexandra) had free time, I’d grab my camera and wander around downtown Rochester, capturing images of the local architecture and the spirit of the city. Back then, we didn’t really see ourselves as “professional” photographers, just two people who loved creating images that told a story. Over time, our photos started presenting a new look at an ever-growing Rochester. In 2012, these images ended up on the @Rochester_MN Instagram page, and the outpouring of positive feedback and encouragement from the community really touched us. It gave us the confidence to bring our passion to life in a more official way, and so Alexandra & Bharath Photography (AB-Photography.us LLC) was born.
From those early days capturing candid shots of city life, we’ve grown into a business that offers a variety of services: wedding photography, family sessions, property and commercial real estate shoots, and even drone photography. Each assignment feels like a new chapter in our story. These days, Rochester is more than just a place where we work; it’s home for both of us and our son, Theo, who came into our lives in 2016. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how much we’ve evolved alongside this city. We’ve built meaningful relationships, some of our clients have become our dear friends, we’ve supported local events and small businesses, and perhaps the biggest milestone of all, we became U.S. citizens together in 2019. It’s been quite a journey, but through it all, we’ve stayed true to the curiosity and passion for photography that first brought us together in that Paris visa student line so many years ago.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth sailing for us. Coming from two very different cultural backgrounds, Russia and India, then meeting in France, and ultimately settling in Rochester brought more than a few surprises. While I (Alexandra) was somewhat accustomed to cold climates, neither of us had experienced a Minnesota winter, let alone the differences of Midwestern culture. There were also real hurdles in making genuine connections with people here, when language and cultural references didn’t immediately line up. On top of that, starting a business in a new country was daunting. We were excited about launching our photography services, but we had to navigate layers of regulations, things like local licensing, taxes, insurance requirements, and basic business compliance. It felt like we were back in school all over again, except this time, the lessons came with big financial implications. And then there’s the whole process of building trust: nobody here knew us or our work, so we had to prove ourselves from the ground up. This meant investing a lot of time in networking events, shaking hands, offering free photography services for fund raising events, and introducing ourselves to strangers who sometimes weren’t quite sure what to make of us at first.
But every challenge also brought us a new perspective. We gradually discovered that immersing ourselves in Rochester’s community was the most powerful way to break down those barriers. We started attending local events, volunteering, and even collaborating with other small businesses. We realized that building relationships mattered just as much as taking stunning photos. Little by little, we gained confidence. We picked up cultural nuances, found humor in some of our early misunderstandings, and began earning the trust of local families, couples, and entrepreneurs who needed a photographer they could rely on. Of course, there were moments of doubt, like when we’d spend weeks without a single new booking or when we realized we needed more specialized equipment to compete in certain photography niches. But those experiences taught us to adapt. We expanded our services, invested in better gear, studied new editing techniques, and worked hard to continuously refine our style.
Today, we still face challenges, as all business owners do, but we’ve become far more resilient along the way. Every time we overcame an obstacle, we grew not just as photographers but also as people. Looking back, we’re grateful for the rocky patches because they pushed us to be flexible and creative. In many ways, those early struggles remain the backbone of our story, reminding us that progress usually doesn’t come without persistence, patience, and a whole lot of heart.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We’re photographers who believe in capturing life’s authentic moments, no matter how big or small. Our work spans everything from small scale to large-scale multi-day weddings that celebrate real, unfiltered love, to heartfelt family portraits that preserve the little flashes of everyday joy, to dynamic senior portraits that spotlight each graduate’s unique spirit. We also bring our passion for visuals into the commercial realm, especially real estate photography, where we highlight the ambiance or the creativity of the interior designer or the character of every property we shoot.
At AB-Photography.us LLC, we’re known for a style that’s genuine, artistic, and deeply personal. Alexandra focuses on natural light photography that channels warmth, honesty, and human connection into every frame. Bharath, meanwhile, brings innovative techniques, HDR, drone photography, tilt-shift effects, and artistic photo blending that weaves imagination into reality. We’re especially proud of our ability to combine artistry with technical know-how. Bharath’s FAA-certified drone license allows us to capture great aerial views that showcase angles our clients wouldn’t see otherwise. Alexandra’s gift for forging genuine connections bridging language and cultural differences leads us to capture images that feel intimate and meaningful.
Our international roots (Russia, India, and a life-changing stop in France) give us a global lens when it comes to seeing and interpreting the world. We believe this perspective enriches even the most ordinary moments and infuses them with a fresh creative energy. Ultimately, what sets us apart is our commitment to storytelling.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
People often assume we set out to be photographers from day one, but photography was actually more of a happy accident. We both come from different educational backgrounds (Bharath in neurology, Alexandra in linguistics), and we originally picked up cameras just to document our new environments. Over time, it went from a side hobby to the centerpiece of our lives, which still amazes us when we look back.
Another fun surprise? We’ve never had any formal photography training. Everything, from our aerial drone shots to our natural-light portraits, we’ve picked up by reading, experimenting, and sometimes failing spectacularly! That playfulness and curiosity is still a huge part of how we operate: we’ll try out new techniques on a whim with our clients (who are more than generous with their time and willingness), or scout an unusual location simply because it sparks our creativity. In a way, our backgrounds prime us to keep learning and innovating, we treat each shoot like its own little “lab,” where we test out ideas and see what happens.
And here’s a quirky bonus fact: we’re both self-professed night owls. We love to surprise our clients by getting the photos back to them at a very rapid pace, and sometimes within a few hours or by next morning. Some of our favorite editing sessions happen well past midnight, when the world is quiet and we can fully immerse ourselves in bringing each photo’s story to life. It’s not uncommon for us to be awake at two or three in the morning, geeking out over subtle color corrections or cropping ratios or drone footage angles! That behind-the-scenes energy, and a shared determination to keep exploring, and to keeping our clients happy, is what keeps our work feeling fresh, and keeps us excited about what might come next.
Pricing:
- Family and Love Story $400
- Wedding $4500
- High School Senior Portrait $400
- Mini Session (30 mins) $275
- Real Estate (Varies)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ab-photography.us/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ab_photography_us/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AB.Photography.us/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/rochester_mn/
