A Day in the Life of an Indian Wedding Photographer

Indian wedding photographers might have the best job! Their workspace is surrounded by vibrant colors, loud music, and happy family members celebrating as their loved ones tie the knot.

If you’ve ever been to an Indian wedding, you’ve definitely seen the Indian wedding photographers there. Have you ever wondered what a day as an Indian wedding photographer is like?

Covering Indian weddings is different not only because of their magnitude or the many things going on. They are unique because they have a soul of their own. 

Indian weddings leave you feeling happy yet nostalgic. It really is a feeling you never forget.

Let’s imagine that you are an Indian wedding photographer. What does an average day in your life look like?

Early Morning Preparation 

On days when events are scheduled, the first thing task is the shoot preparation. It’s different for each Indian wedding photographer, but it goes something like this.

1. Gear Prep for Indian Wedding Photography

Perhaps the most important step of the day is to make sure your gear is in great condition and ready for a long day ahead. This can include making sure everything is working correctly. 

It’s important to make sure that your gear is fully charged, memory cards are clean, and all the straps and harnesses are working. 

Make sure the lenses and camera bodies are ready and cleaned, and all the lighting and tripod equipment is working and ready to be moved. 

   2. Personal Routine

Some photographers have a personal routine they like to go over. 

Some of these could include swapping out your memory cards or battery packs for each shoot. Others prefer the mental preparation of visualization and planning regarding the day’s event.

Pre Wedding Photography

There are many pre wedding events at an Indian wedding, two of the most popular ones are the Mehndi and the Henna events. 

In the Mehndi event, beautiful patterns of henna are drawn on the hands, arms and feet of the bride.  This is considered an ancient Indian tradition. The mehndi is marked by the bride’s friends and family singing, laughing, and enjoying themselves. 

Another ancient tradition is the Henna which consists of applying turmeric paste to the bride and groom to cleanse them of any impurities. 

During these events capturing the application of the henna and turmeric paste make for great pictures in close up. Capturing scenes with the couples families and friends make for bright and happy portraits. 

The mehndi and henna ceremonies are comparatively done on a smaller scale, and popular venues are either indoor spaces or gardens. One of the biggest factors an Indian wedding photographer needs to keep in mind is the lighting. 

Pre-wedding events can either be the victim of too little or too much light. It’s best to prepare accordingly with suitable lighting equipment. This will give you better control over how the lighting around you.

The Barat

A very joyous and celebratory entrance of the groom’s family into the wedding venue. It’s full of energy, drums, and high spirits as the groom and his family walk in and are received by the bride’s family. 

The baraat is all about emotion, all around, you see happy faces, people who want to share their joy with each other and the almost contagious positive vibes going around. 

The baraat is full of wonderful moments to capture, it’s best to make sure to go to the fron before hand and take wide angle shots of the entrance. Switching between the zoom lens from time to time to capture the facial expressions and emotions on the family members.

 

An Indian wedding photographer needs to take care of a few things while covering the Baraat. The first and foremost is to be quick on your feet. At a moment where so much is happening you’re in a constant state of anxiety fearing you might miss key moments. 

Using a faster shutter speed to capture crisp moments along with a little bit of motion blur in moments like these help capture the rhythm of the moment as well as help express the mood. 

The Wedding Ceremony

Perhaps the most important aspect of all the festivities, the wedding ceremony, is where things get serious and you feel the true gravity of the moment. Being respectful but also managing to capture key moments is key to being an Indian wedding photographer.

With different cultures and regions come different rituals but almost all of them have a few things in common. The first is the mandap, this is the space set up for where the couple will perform their wedding rituals.

The next is the saat pheray, where the bride and groom walk around the mandap seven times symbolising their bond to stay together for seven generations. 

After this comes the jaimala, where the bride and groom exchange garlands. This is a light hearted moment which lifts the spirits up. 

Indian wedding photography is paced and chaotic during these moments, but it is essential to slow down to make sure you capture the right moments at the right time. 

Having the right prep is essential, knowing the routines and what to look for as well as being open to the unexpected is a key trait for any Indian wedding photographer. 

Lastly, having the right reliable equipment and knowing when and how to use it makes a huge difference. This is where you thank yourself for your early morning preparation. 

Post Wedding Reception

Once the wedding rituals are complete, things take a more light hearted tone as the wedding games begin. There are many different games involved and covering them allows you to capture many joyful, lighthearted moments. 

A day or two after the wedding day, the groom’s side will hold a post wedding dinner. This event is comparatively easy going and formal in nature. 

One of the highlights is of the newly married couple walking through the entrance. These make for great pictures and memories for the future.

As an Indian wedding photographer, you have to be versatile during the post-wedding festivities and reception. Due to the large amount of things happening, be it dances on one side and group photos on the other, you have your hands full. 

These nights are no doubt intense and tiring but they feel worth it at the end of it. 

Late Night Editing and Reflection

Once the wedding has wound up the second part of your job starts. This is the editing and the retouching of your pictures to create an album. Usually editing takes place on late nights due to your busy schedule. 

While editing, be sure to take into account picture composition, lighting, anything that might be distracting and so on. Be sure to keep your edits to a minimum to keep the picture as authentic as possible while maintaining elegance and class. 

When making the album, be Sure to keep your colour gradation at a constant level and keep the same theme throughout each album. 

During the editing process you will often have moments of regret on how you could have taken a better shot. Don’t worry about it about it. That’s the part of being a photographer and that’s where your experiences comes from. 

Capture Your Dream Wedding with P.Taufiq Photography

An average day for an Indian wedding photographer is fast-moving and happening. You are now well-equipped to understand what this profession is like. It becomes a lifestyle due to its requirements and the creativity needed. 

If you’re looking for a professional Indian wedding photographer for your big day, then P.Taufiq Photography is here to give you the perfect wedding photography experience.

Contact us to book your dream Indian wedding photography session.