Surrounded by a plethora of wedding ceremonies and rituals, an ideal Bengali Hindu wedding is a treat for the lens of the intrepid wedding photographer in Kolkata. The myriad customs and rituals at these weddings is always a pleasurable experience to soak up. It is the wedding photographer in Kolkata who adds to the spice of ceremony and pomp!
If you are hiring a wedding photographer in Kolkata who specialises in portrait wedding photography, you need to get acquainted with the commonalities of Indian marriages and the various ceremonies that mark a crucial event.
If you want to exhibit the nuances of Bengali wedding photography, you need to keep in mind a few things before you capture the candid shots and the effortless ease:
- Try and focus on the couple: This might seem the obvious for most photographers, but meeting the couple is the first thing that one should keep in mind when capturing he personal moments of attendees at the wedding. With a quick rendezvous you can get started to warm up to the key characters at the wedding. You should not miss the imperative moments to get started, it is in fact critical that you engage with the main protagonists of the wedding and make a difference to the style of photography.
- Candid shots as opposed to planned shots: When you get started, it is imperative that you take pictures of couple that help you make the most of it. The event should be captured taking into account the rigours of the Indian wedding and keeping in mind the poses that can help a lensman take the best pictures. While planned shots are easy and stage managed, candid photography needs deftness and quite a bit of expertise that can help create the best impression with the couple and their well wishers.
- Fix a photography coordinator: It is critical that you have a photography enthusiast who helps direct the lens man in proper ways. Those who can direct the cameraman with the layout, shots and events, it can be of great help indeed. Even in a small wedding, there could be hundreds of people who often can be a framing catastrophe; it is the wedding coordinator that can actually make a lot of difference with the camera angles and the close shots. A coordinator is also handy in the way he or she handles the shots and helps the lens man click images par excellence.
- Learn about the wedding process well: It is important as the helmsman, you learn about the creative process of getting a wedding assembled in more ways than one. Each wedding is unique and it makes sense to actually understand the importance of all functions and capture the specific moments of the event. As the wedding photographer of repute, you should not be missing the key moments just like that.
- Enlist the services of an allied photographer: The bride and the groom in a wedding often have an integral place in the wedding festivities. With both the bride and the groom engaging in separate conversations, it becomes quite difficult for a single photographer to do all the honours. You can have another photographer who could help you out with the festivities and also have a good session with all the camera gear attending individually for all occasions.
- Family comes first: you have to keep in mind the fact that family pictures hold a very critical position in a Bengali Hindu wedding. Almost all invitees consider themselves as close to the young couple. It is but a necessity to include all people in the photograph and expect a standard and happy photograph as the hallmark of a happy wedding party. Try and plan well in advance with the couple on matters ranging from the participants in the group photo to the list of special moments that the couple and their families seek.
- Turn on the Lights: The best photographs are often clicked under the best lights and illumination is one of the biggest worries of a fine wedding album. On many occasions, Indian weddings use warm incandescent lights that illuminate the stage and help create the best impact on the function. As a photographer, try and use lights that are incandescent and portable. Studio lights can often be a logistical nightmare with a big crowd in presence. It is always a lot easier to shoot with portable lights that get operated on a wireless trigger.
- Opt for the best shot: Since most Bengali weddings are all about colour and vitality, celebration and ritual, as the photographer of repute, you need to go for the shot and not hesitate to capture the best shots of pictures and people. Ceremony and grandeur aside, most photographs can be a complete saturation of colour.
- Cover the ceremonies and important events: The occasion of “Gaye Holud” is often very amazing and the entire body of the bride is smeared with turmeric and oil. The fragrances and the oils are often very good and it helps the bride receive the best blessings from the older members of the family.
- The Borjatri: When the groom’s family taking a lion’s share of the attention arrive on the wedding day, it speaks of classic photography options that often are superlative. The entire groom’s family accompanies the groom in the procession and folks dance to the live band and the procession on move.
- The saat paake badha: These are all about exchanging vows and the bride and groom circle the holy fire holding hands around seven times. There is a knot that ties the attires of both the bride and the groom.
The garlanding and the mangal sutra ceremony where the groom ties a locket thread around the bride’s neck is the ultimate mark of marriage between two souls. The Mangal Sutra and the Vermilion are the mark of marriage and the unbreakable bond that a husband and a wife share for life. As a photographer, capturing this tender moment is all but a magical task!