What to Keep in Mind While Choosing A Wedding Photographer

Honestly, we don’t need to tell you why photography is such a big deal at weddings, more so at our desi weddings. How else are you going to show your kids years later what a pretty lil’ bride you made or how flat your tummy was ? 😉 Wisecracks aside, finalizing a photographer for a desi wedding is some serious business.

The art of photography has evolved over the years. In our part of the world, photography has finally gained momentum as an art instead of being a lowly profession as it was considered a few decades ago. Thanks to social media and image-sharing apps, or to give credit where due – camera phones, the photographer is nothing less than a demi god today. He can make or break your Facebook profile, your food blog and now, your wedding story.

It isn’t about bright, glaring lights and item numbers playing in the background at desi weddings anymore; the fairytale truly comes to life, or so it seems – if only you find the right bridal photographer.

Here’s what you should keep in mind while choosing a photographer –

Always ask for previous work samples :

As with any other task, you need to know if your hire has the potential to capture moments effectively. Ask to see any previous shots the photographer has captured , or ask for worthy references.

As someone who’s studied photography as an elective myself, I learned that the field of photography is as important as the photographer’s natural talent. Put simply, someone who captures great nature shots may not be a stellar wedding photographer. Make sure your photographer is established in capturing relevant, if not similar images.

Photography vs Real Life :

In a classic case of being ‘grammed, check out what some subjects of the photographer look like in real life. Sadly, some brides look nothing like they do in pictures in real life. You do want your wedding photos to look like you, after all right ?

Wedding Theme :

First of all, I LOVE theme weddings. If you’re planning to have one, make sure the photographer is aware of the theme so he can plan the sequence of images and flow of the wedding story. Photographers often plan out a mental blue print of how they’re going to cover an event so letting your photographer in on these details is necessary.

It’s All About The Details :

Most people opt for pre -wedding shoots these days in typical bollywood style, to capture pleasant memories and planned poses in beautiful backdrops. If this is your style, do discuss this with your photographer and tell him what you’re looking for.
For the actual bridal event too, you hardly want the- photographer walking around taking pictures of minor events and missing out on major events.
Always give in writing, the details of what events you want documented. Yes, it seems frivolous but there have been several instances of important moments not being captured.

For desi weddings, you can jot down moments like

– the giving away ceremony (bidaai)
– mehndi events
– candid shots
– wedding vows
– exchanging rings
– hugging parents
– exchanging garlands
– first glimpse of bride
– bridegroom and bride looking at each other for the first time
– bride saying her goodbyes
– immediate family members of the bride and groom

You can make a similar note and discuss it with your photographer.

Lighting and Angles :

The two most important things to keep in mind for photography – lighting and angles.

We all know how ugly we look when pictures are taken in wrong angles, take a few trial shots and discuss how you want your picture angles.

Similarly, if you’re wearing low necklines, you don’t want cleavage shots of you popping up.

When it comes to lighting, weddings have really bright lights which do bring out skin imperfections in pictures, wear make-up that doesn’t flash white in pictures, and keep blotting sheets handy to avoid looking like a grease ball in snaps.

Candid Is Important :

Wedding photography is ultimately about moments, and candid pictures are often some of the best shots I’ve seen. You want the emotions, the actual memory to the day to shine through everything else, and candid pictures are great for this.

So let the photographer do his thing, but be sure to choose someone you know will capture all your best moments. Loosen up, live the moment and get set to have some great memories captured !

Say cheese !