Must Know Facts For Better Indian Wedding Photography

Being a plethora of colors and various different ceremonies, that Indian weddings are, you can never be too determined about the events you should cover during Indian wedding photography, and the ones you can ignore. There are multiple important events taking place everywhere, be it engagement, or tying the knot, dance celebration or the seating of the bride and groom. This might confuse a photographer regarding how will he cover the wedding effectively. There are many family expectations of getting pictures of each guest. This might clash with your fancy of taking creative and natural photographs of guests and, bride and groom. Thus, it is proper to work with proper management and planning. Some of the guidelines are mentioned below to help you get the best photographs of Indian wedding.

TAKE NOTE OF EVERYTHING

Discussion over a phone call will not be enough when the event that is to be covered includes a good amount of people and several important ceremonies. Thus, the best practice to begin with will be to sit with family coordinator for photography and learn every detail. These details might include,

Timings - The timing of Indian wedding may have the ability to put you off guard is they turn out to be a surprise. The main part of the wedding, which is ‘tying the knot’ usually, takes place after midnight around 2 am or 3 am. The best ways to keep up with such odd hours is by learning about them beforehand and get your sleep in the morning hours.

Coordinator – Ask the family about who will be the photography coordinator that will guide you through guests that are important, ceremonies that are a must-click and events that will happen next. If there is no coordinator, ask the family to nominate the person who is well acquainted to both families – of bride as well as groom to help you through both side’s guests.

Other photographers – Chances are that there will definitely be a team of other photographers present along with you in the wedding. This has a reason. The groom’s family also has their share of rituals that they perform. However, since no photographer can be present at two places at a time, or even travel for both, they hire their own photographer(s). In such a situation, it is better to know about such arrangements beforehand for balance and management. Talking to other team will avoid ugly scenarios of clashes or interference in each other’s work.

TALK TO BOTH – THE BRIDE AND THE GROOM

The wedding belongs to them and even if no one else suggests, request for a meeting with them (together). This will give you a better idea of their expectations from their wedding pictures. They can give you the best idea of which profile (right or left) is better for their face, pre-wedding shoots, rehearsals, and ceremonies with mixed traditions. 

It will also give you a chance to discuss the extra time that the couple might have to make before or after the ceremonies for their photos. You can tell them about when you think is the best time to shoot the couple’s pictures and discuss the poses. They may even have a theme or some inspiration that they might want you to follow. Thus, taking out time to discuss with the bride and groom will help you plan the Indian wedding photography and them to stay preplanned about the timings of photo session. It will save time and efforts. 

Build a relationship; it is better when you work with understanding, not as a service provider.

BE PREPARED FOR WORKING EXTRA

Indian marriages are seldom time bound. They may begin late and end late as well. A four-hour time difference (considering that they might begin 2 hours late and end 2 hours late) is usual and in most cases, expected. So, it is highly recommended for you to keep your chargers and batteries ready for such delays. Keep yourself ready for such delays by snacking and munching on appetizers and starters, since the main course is usually served late.

The best you can do to avoid any mess is to request a stay at the wedding venue itself. It will save you the time and effort of being on a run for batteries or carrying the burden of all your equipments everywhere.

The second best thing will be to keep a team with you that will take care of extra batteries, event timings, and different ceremonies for you.

Make sure you are clear about the expenses of extended hours and teams when you draw a contract.

LIGHTINGS 

Since half of the marriage (including all the major ceremonies) will be taking place after sunset, and during post-midnight hours, you will want some serious arrangements of lightings. Considering the long period of time that the wedding takes as well as the odd hours, faces might begin to look weary, tired, and sleepy. In such situation, lighting can be your best assistant to make the pictures look beautiful and lively. 

However, halogen lights are highly NOT recommended. They make all pictures look artificial and take the essence away from them. If possible, try taking pictures under dim lights to give it the natural flavor of midnight wedding with all clarity and high resolution. This can be hard if you never visited the venue before the wedding date. It is always a better idea to visit the venue beforehand and test all possible scenarios. 

Balance the flash with the natural light by using the right camera that can shoot up to 10,000 ISO and produce pleasant outcomes. You can also try black and white or vintage sepia photographs or add a little grain to it.

Use the natural dimness of light in your favor rather than adding artificial lights so that the viewer can feel the ambience of that moment even years after the picture is taken.