Here’s How to Find the Perfect Wedding Photographer This Season

This new crop of wedding photographers is taking the shaadi season by storm.

Find out all you ever wanted to know about wedding photography. (Photo Courtesy: The Wedding Filmers)

(In the first part of this feature, we covered how we (the people) prefer candid photography over posed shots. As we realised the importance of relationships in the world of wedding photography, this section talks about how photographers customise schedules and events to cover and price range.)

What Does an Average Wedding Shoot Have?

It all starts with a pre-wedding shoot. (Photo Courtesy: Camera Waale Baraati)

Once a couple has hired a photographer, the next obvious step is the schedule. Most photographers agree that it’s better to be involved from the beginning till the reception. However, everything is up to the happy couple.

“We let our clients tell us the number of functions they’d like us to cover along with the feel of it,” says Arjun Kartha, a wedding photographer.

So what does an average wedding have?

Most photographers don’t want to miss the intimate moments shared at even the smallest of rituals. (Photo Courtesy: The Wedding Filmers)

Well, it all starts with a pre-wedding shoot. “The excitement of the relationship and the wedding adds the fun to this shoot,” says Manmeet Singh, owner of Knot Just Pictures. This is usually topped up by at-home functions like mehendi and haldi – closer to the wedding functions.

To my surprise, most photographers don’t want to miss the intimate moments shared at even the smallest of rituals.

An ideal photographer should be able to make a beautiful story from these days of our lives.

<b>Vineeth Padiyath and Aswani Yatheendran, the couple</b>

This of course, leads to the big day.

It’s All in the Details

Aswani Yatheendran. (Photo Courtesy: Elvin Jacob)

How do the photographers align themselves with the couple’s wishes, I ask?

It is up to the couples to either stick to contemporary trends or “opt for a more vintage theme”, confides Tanushree Bhasin of Camera Waale Baraati.

From the look and feel of the mandapa to beautiful pictures of the father-daughter – the details are the heart of the wedding story.

Photo booths with plush props are seen at every wedding nowadays. While candid portraits with ample backlighting is usually the bride’s favourite, destination weddings with beautiful locations are more extravagant, serving the same purpose.

Vineeth Padiyath and Aswani Yatheendran. (Photo Courtesy: Elvin Jacob)

Creating a #hashtag for the wedding is a great idea – that way you can go back to Facebook/Instagram much later (when the wedding is long over) and view those days through your friends’ eyes.

<b>Vishal Punjabi, The Wedding Filmers</b>

It isn’t all fun and games for this hardworking lot either.

After shooting (and partying) very long hours, “Photographers spend weeks curating, editing and finalising pictures that are then approved by the couple”, says Arjun Singh.

Grid based themes and stop motion wedding photos are big this wedding season!

Only the Best for the Happy Couple

Samridhi Chaddha and Rishi Raj Suri. (Photo Courtesy: Cupcake Productions)

There’s much to be said for the technology too. Because thanks to all the awesome props and editing skills involved, you will discover much that you missed at your wedding – including some close-ups of the embarrassing dance moves you didn’t know your uncle had.

“We ensure we use the best cameras, lenses, backgrounds, equipments and post editing technology,” insists Tanushree Bhasin.

It’s natural that these few months can be more intensive than others, so most photography companies’ work in small teams whose work they trust.

Most of them don’t commit to more than four weddings in a month – whereas some go up to six since the wedding season lasts for a few months.

So, How Much Does an Average Wedding Cost?

One question that looms above the rest is – what are the budgets involved? (Photo Courtesy: Memoreels Photography)

There’s one question that looms far above all the rest – what are the budgets involved?

“A few costs are fixed but we can add a few services to the couple as per their budget,” says Manmeet Singh who charges between Rs 3 lakh - Rs 7 lakh per wedding. Arjun Kartha charges upto Rs 2.5 lakh for a two-day wedding.

Each budget between Rs 5-20 lakh is custom made to suit each wedding we agree to shoot. Since no two weddings are the same, it would be unfair for us to present each client with a rack rate.

<b>Vishal Punjabi, The Wedding Filmers</b>

Now You Can Look at Photo Books Instead of Albums!

Aswani Yatheendran. (Photo Courtesy: Elvin Jacob)

What comes after the wedding and hi-res pictures on your iMac? I ask.

Coffee table books, they tell me. Gone are the days where our mothers used to store old photo albums to browse through in the privacy of their room. Thanks to this new trend, many think it’s better to convert their wedding story into a book. “I think we will opt for both of these options!” smiles Samridhi Chaddha, getting ready for her wedding.

As if the pressures of a wedding weren’t enough! Today, with every second photographer better than the first, couples are always at a loss as to who to pick, what photographs to choose, what custom hashtags to use when uploading “that perfect picture” on Facebook.

Which makes me wonder – isn’t social media calling the shots a little too often? After all it’s the marriage that’s going to last – not the wedding.

(Manavi Siddhanti is a beauty and lifestyle blogger and runs a blog, beforbeauty.com. You can contact her on [e-mail].)