Weddings are some the most important events of our lives and everyone of us wants to preserve these memories forever. All said and done, what remains are memories; captured as pictures. Thats when the wedding photographer comes in. When it comes to wedding photography, it must be understood that its not just the photographer who is making great images, its you, your families, friends who enable him or her to do so. With this said, please take time to read the below as it helps you set the correct expectations.

I am a candid photographer:

That means, I dont alter, stop, pause an event and photograph it as it happens. My focus is on the event thats happening and the people and things involved in it. It also means I am not shooting your portraits when the events are in progress. Its the event that matters here the most and will be covered to best portray the story of the day.

How many photographers are needed for my wedding?

Totally depends on you. Lets talk about photography only. Video is generally always present. Typically a South Indian wedding is spread over 2 days – Morning Vara pooja for about 2 hours, followed by evening reception that lasts 4 hours and the wedding starts next morning and lasts about 5-6 hours. Considering an average size guest list of 400-800 people, I cover the wedding in a candid manner, and recommend having one conventional photographer with studio lighting for the wedding and reception. This gives you coverage from two different angles and also satisfies the parents and relatives from both sides who are used to seeing conventional photos all their lives. But thats just a recommendation. You can discuss with your families and go for only candid coverage as well.

What about people photos?

Best time for these is either before or after the wedding ceremonies. But whenever there is a break in between, I am game for it 🙂 If you want photo booth or a on-location studio, please do let me know in advance.

And couple photos?

For Couple photos, bridal full length photos etc a good time is when you are fully ready and before the event starts. This can also be done after the events – whatever suits you. Please allow atleast 20 minutes of your time for photos. And please dont be shy about telling the photographer your choice of poses 🙂

And my getting ready shots?

Well, to be honest, this more of a bride thing 🙂 Some brides are particular about it others dont care and there are yet some that dont even want it. Its always a good idea to discuss this before wedding. I talk to brides before the wedding and ask them to let me in the makeup room when they are in their dress and are about 80% ready. But if they want me to cover some casual shots right in the beginning; by all means.. Ensure that you call me/have your friend/makeup artist call me or send someone to get me when you want me in the room. Makeup takes atleast 1 hour and its not possible for a photographer to sit outside the room all this time or keep knocking the door periodically.

And the groom?

Sure, we have getting ready session for grooms too 🙂 And same advice applies to the grooms – I mean, about letting the photographer know when they want the pictures taken. A good point is when they are in their dress and accessories like watches, rings, shoes etc are not yet on.

These are my loved ones:

Its a good idea to introduce the photographer with your near and dear ones before the wedding starts. This ensures that the important folks get more camera time. 🙂 If you have a sibling or friend who can spare time and hang around with the photographer for some time, its the best thing for everyone. They can be the photographer’s personal guide to important guests 🙂

We want 100% coverage:

There is no such thing as 100%. Its a myth. You would need tens of CCTV cameras if you want it. Even reality TV doesnt have 100% coverage. 🙂 We (I and any other photo and videographers working with me) ensure that there is a good coverage of 1) the events/rituals 2) the guests such that a story can be built out of it. The only time you get near complete coverage is of guests who come to greet you on stage during the reception.

We only want candid and we will manage the rest:

Ofcourse! thats your choice. I can manage the candid and you can hire your favourite conventional photo/video professionals. They may have worked for you before and you are comfortable with them. It may even turn out to be more economical. I am very open to working with other photo/video artists that are directly hired by you. Just, let me know about it before wedding. Having said that, I know conventional photo/video artists and will recommend them if you need as well as coordinate with them – I can be the single point of contact for all your photo and video needs.

What are your timings?

I am always particular about start and end timings of all events. This is because, traditional photo and videographers that are hired by me charge on a time basis and if the time exceeds, they charge more. General rule is, they are able to absorb about 45 minutes of delay for major events like wedding or reception. So if you are delayed, please inform me. A best practice is to include some buffer in your time calculations beforehand.

When do we get our pictures and video?

I take about 4 weeks to collate, shortlist and then post process and deliver the photos. This is because candid photos take way lot longer to post process and bring them to the level you deserve. Videos also take about 3 weeks to collate, edit and make a final product. These are then written into DVDs and sent to you. Ofcourse this does not mean you wait all that time. I keep posting pictures on my social media sites like www.facebook.com/thepicturist.page and www.instagram.com/the_picturist starting just a couple of days after the events.

And wedding albums?

Once you get all the images, you can select the pictures you want in the albums and send me just the file numbers in an excel sheet. I offer couples a couple of most suitable album dimensions and once they choose one of these, I start the design. Remember that once a dimension is selected by you, it will not be altered. I take about 4-5 days to design the album and share with you the soft proofs. You can ask for any changes you want once you see the proofs. Once you approve these, the album goes into print. Print takes about a 4-5 working days, following which the albums are delivered to your home.

Did you miss covering an event?

Not a whole event, but it has happened that an important moment was not covered because someone put their shiny new phone ahead of my camera and I got a shot of the phone 🙂 It may sound funny but indiscriminate use of phone cameras and selfie craze has become a major hindrance for professional photographers.

My room is quite small:

This is a common occurrence with most weddings. The room you get ready in, do other rituals like gowri pooja, graha prawesh etc are pretty small. For makeup, my suggestion is to choose your position such that the photographer has space to move around you in 3 directions – considering the 4th side is a wall with the mirror on it. May not be always possible, but do try for it. Ensure there is enough light in the room. Getting ready is not a wedding ritual and I will ask you to stop/pose/look from time to time for the best shot. For other situations like rituals that are performed inside a small room, its often not possible for the photographers to get a full frontal view of your face while you are in it. Here the traditional photographer may interrupt you and ask you to look at the camera. I may move into a place which is more suitable to get the best shot but will not interrupt the event.

What if I loose the images you gave me?

I maintain repository of all events I covered for a period of 3 months after I give you the final deliverables. To give you an example; if I cover your wedding on 4th April and the albums and pictures were delivered to you on 18th May, your pictures are safe with me till 17th August of the same year. After this, I may clear my repository to free up space on my hard drives.

Big thanks If you are still with me. I know its fairly extensive but I will keep adding as and when something that needs mention, comes to my notice.

Good luck folks 🙂