Don’t Let These Wedding Faux Pas Get on Camera!

A wedding is a complicated affair and in all the bustle and confusion, there’s a high chance of something going wrong. You don’t want whatever that is to be saved for posterity by your wedding photographer. Here are a few situations you should look out for:

The Drunk Bride

It’s a classic plot for sitcoms and movies, but when it comes to real life, getting drunk in your own wedding is simply in poor taste. Even when the bride isn’t tipsy and all over the place, chances are that inebriation will significantly affect the outcomes of the photos, especially the close-ups, which can definitely reveal wine stains and a flushed face.

Get Great Wedding Photos with These Tips

Your wedding is a special day and you will want the reminders of that day to be as good as they can be. These tip will ensure your wedding photos are truly memorable.

Choose a Style

There are many wedding photography styles, and each photographer will be versed in one or the other, so it’s best to know what you want before hiring a photographer. Note that there are photographers whose shots are traditional while others are more daring and inventive when it comes to angle, lighting, background, and poses.

Unique Wedding Photo Ideas

When it comes to wedding photography, most people think of stiff, pre-determined poses. However, it isn’t much like that nowadays, as photographers are artists by their own right. For those looking for unique wedding photo ideas, here are a few.

Bride before her gown – Before the bride puts her dress on, a photographer can opt to capture a stunningly candid moment of his or her subject taking it all in and admiring her beautiful dress before the ceremony kicks in.

How Photographers Capture Stunning Candid Photos

Photographers are mostly overt with their job, positioning themselves at the best possible vantage point with their lenses intently pointed at the subject they’re trying to photograph. But at times, they can be ultra-sneaky—capturing a stunningly beautiful candid moment without the subject ever knowing it. Here are a few tricks that they employ.

How Photographers Capture Stunning Candid Photos

Photographers are mostly overt with their job, positioning themselves at the best possible vantage point with their lenses intently pointed at the subject they’re trying to photograph. But at times, they can be ultra-sneaky—capturing a stunningly beautiful candid moment without the subject ever knowing it. Here are a few tricks that they employ.

Important Highlights of Indian Weddings

A professional wedding photographer doesn’t just snap pictures of the couple and their families. He should know how to immerse his photos with the culture and ambience of the ceremony. When choosing a photographer, be sure to pick one who knows how to capture the spirit of the day.

This is even more true for Asian weddings, which have more of a flourish to them than simple Western ones. Their pomp and detail, whether in South Asian or Chinese ceremonies, can be confusing for amateur photographers to showcase properly. Professionals, however, are expected to have familiarised themselves with them.

How a Wedding Photographer Makes Memorable Photos

There’s a reason weddings are called “The Big Day”; after all, it is the day couple-to-be has long been waiting and preparing for. Every couple, however, differs in how they mark the occasion.

Although a lot of couples won’t be able to pull off a grand wedding, that doesn't mean they shouldn't throw everything they have into making it unforgettable—including hiring an experienced wedding photographer to help them capture its very best moments.

South Asian Culture Basics: Anand Karaj

Generally, it's called a wedding; but Sikhs have a sacred name for it: "Anand Karaj", which is Punjabi for "blissful union."

Sikh marital unions are closer in principle to western marriages than any other South Asian cultures, in that Sikhs are free to choose their partners, provided they are also Sikhs. However, the Anand Karaj is vastly different from a western wedding ceremony.

The Anand Karaj consists of a series of rituals, many of which involve paying respect to the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism's sacred text. The ceremony also does away with marriage documents, needing nothing more than an affirmation by the bride and groom of their undying love for each other.

One of the highlights of the Anand Karaj is the four wedding rounds known as the Lavan. These rounds signify the four stages in a life of love: duty to the family and community, selfless love and holy fear, freedom from any desire other than God, and total harmony. As these verses are sung, the couple walks around the Guru Granth Sahib four times.

At the end of the Anand Karaj is the feast. Unlike Christian churches, the Gurdwara, where the wedding ceremony takes place, comes with its own free kitchen where the food for the guests is prepared and served.

Fun Photo-ops and Concepts with Kids

When the bride and groom both have big families, they can definitely expect kids to be among their wedding guests. In many occasions, children not only enliven the reception, but also play valuable roles in the ceremony. In South Asian weddings, the kids not only get to participate in the fun, but are also given the chance to get familiar with native customs.

With kids at your wedding, you can have fun photo-ops that highlight their charm. Of course, it is important to work with a professional wedding photographer who has vast experience (and patience) in working with kids, and in coming up with creative photo concepts. Here are some ideas that you can try:

Call of Duty

Have your ring bearer show off the precious treasures he’s assigned to keep, and let your flower girls pose with their lovely mini-bouquets or baskets. Consider cute photo concepts, like dressing up the ring bearer as a sleek agent, and showering the flower girls with petals.

“Throwback Thursday”

Find a “mini couple” that looks like you and your groom, dress them up in outfits similar to yours, and take a photo with the adorable, younger versions of yourselves (visually, anyway). If your bridesmaids and groomsmen have kids, get everyone together for a group “throwback” snapshot.

Party Time is Play Time.

Don’t miss the candid fun that the kids will definitely have once the solemn ceremony is over. Capture their energy when it’s time to let loose and party!

Documenting Exotic Weddings

If you’re planning to get married in a traditional Asian style, it’s a wise choice to make sure that the photographer you hire is familiar with the customs and traditions practiced at weddings in your home country. While you the wedding may not seem any more exotic to you than a Sunday stroll through Piccadilly Circus, remember that it certainly might be to the born and bred Englishman or woman clicking away at the shutter.

Photographers with experience documenting exotic weddings share several things in common:

1. They have an intimate understanding of cultural differences. Either they have spent a lot of time in another country, travelling around the world, or married someone from the other side of the world. Whatever the case, they’ll be sensitive to your customs and will likely even enquire about how best to approach their work with you.

2. Your wedding won’t be the first exotic event they’ve worked. A photographer who’s worked exotic events in the past will understand that taking pictures of such events requires a quick eye to capture those fleeting, emotionally charged moments and an open mind that can pierce the novelty of the event and see the beauty within. As such, your ideal photographer will likely be able to show you pictures of past events they have documented. Analyse what they focused on and the details that they showcased.

Intimacy through Wedding Photography

Smaller, intimate weddings are one of the rising trends this year. The memorable event can certainly be more special with aspects closer to your heart, be it in terms of guests or in terms of your wedding designs. As you settle plans to make your big day feel more intimate, let these simple tips guide you to make the most of your wedding photography:

Highlight your heritage.

Wedding inspiration magazines are putting a spotlight on locally themed weddings, particularly of Asian cultures. Unlike classic western weddings, Asian weddings are saturated in bright colours and solemn traditions. Have your wedding photographs highlight this heritage during the preparation, ceremony, and celebratory feasts to create a more personal and unified touch in your gallery of pictures. 

 

Add personal touches.

Customisation is one of the trends couples opt for, even with the extra expense. Personal touches to wedding elements bring interesting, distinctive twists to an otherwise cookie cutter wedding. Use do-it-yourself decors, customised cakes, and personalised favours to celebrate your uniqueness as a couple, which guests often find delightful as welcome treats to remember the event by.

Get a photographer that knows you.

Hiring a local photographer or one that specialises in your theme is the best way to preserve an intimate wedding. The photographer needs to understand your preferences and personality in order to take the right shots at the right moment. Look for a professional that can capture the noteworthy moments that become your cherished memories of your special day.

Working Wonders with your Wedding Photographer

Before hiring a photographer for your wedding, understand first that photographers are artists. They create art works out of captured real life images, and to do that, you need to leave them enough room to recreate images or moments during the occasion. There will be great pictures, and middling ones, but it is best that you can work with your photographer cooperatively and openly communicate how to capture moments brilliantly, as immortalized in pictures.

Candid photos are stunning, but do not underestimate the power of the pose. Sit with your photographer and settle on major shot selections, background shots, and even incorporation of quirky, yet memorable ideas. Bring out fashion magazines and get inspired by the ideas in them. Take note of the elements used in the cover and inside shots, and study how the elements combine to make the photos stand out.

It is also important to ask the photographer for access to his sorting session beforehand. This is handy if you’d like to determine which shots you’d like to include in the album, and identify those needing post-production work. However, remember that your input and that your photographer’s are required during this sorting session, or you might end up loathing each other.

Remember the saying, “There are no rules for good photographs”. You can set limitations as to the places where the photographer can position himself, when to snap photos, and other details. Being the artist that your photographer is, let him (or her) wield his magic.

How To Know If a Wedding Photographer is Reliable

One of the things that could contribute to your anxiety on your wedding day is the thought that the wedding photos might not turn out as beautifully as you expected. Fortunately, you need not worry about this if you hired a reliable and experienced wedding photographer. How do you know if your photography service provider is really reliable? One indication is his preparedness.

A wedding celebration that lasts for an entire day takes months or years of thorough planning. Your photographer should know that a simple mistake he commits because of lack of preparation can put all those efforts to waste. A reliable photographer will make sure he does his job excellently by holding a dry run a month before the big day.

The dry run may not involve actual shots; the focus will be on running through the event and identifying locations where the shots can be taken. This allows the photographer to see various options and study factors that might influence the photo shoot. For instance, the lighting in the wedding venue and the traffic surrounding the area on the same day of the wedding may affect the quality of the pictures.

A reliable photographer also understands the importance of enough sleep before the main event, as well as having extra batteries and camera accessories on hand. Being physically fit and equipped will reduce his worries, as well as yours, allowing him to focus on the job: that of giving you the best pictures for your special day.