We’ve heard of a pre-nup, but pre-wedding photography? And how would it be different from post-wedding photography?
In the West, it’s called an ‘e-session’, says Joseph Radhik, a photographer who shot actor Allu Arjun’s wedding. “The custom of an elaborate engagement doesn’t exist there as the guy gets down on his knee and proposes to the girl,” he elaborates, and couples avail of a more relaxed photo-op in casual clothes.
Couples are taking their pre-wedding photographs very seriously. Joseph, who did his first pre-wedding shoot in April 2010, says, “We have gone to locations, that are nowhere connected to the wedding to click some candid shots. For instance, if the wedding is in Delhi, the couple flew to Goa and so on, and I have flown with them to Goa, Jaipur, Hampi and many more places.”
It may seem like a big deal, but as Aditya Mendiratta, wedding photographer, points out, “It’s usually the couple getting together through the ‘arranged marriage’ route that opts for pre-wedding clicks. Couples who date for years have a collection of their photographs to put on an album but those who just met, this is not only an opportunity to capture their ‘in-love’ moment, but they also get to know each other some more before the day.”
Those in love have their own reasons to choose a place — it might be the place they first met or had their first date or even a place they’ve wanted to go for a long time and not been able to. To capture the right moments on camera, the photographer needs to understand the chemistry and suggest a location accordingly. “I prefer that the pre-marriage pictures are shot between two functions, say between the sangeet and wedding so that, as a photographer, I get to understand the couple better. This helps me capture their best moments,” says Aditya.
Those who may question the rationale for a pre-wedding session of posing and smiling, Joseph points out that this is the time “when both bride and the groom are at their happiest. They look their best, having lost those extra pounds and the glow is on their faces during their wedding and they want to get snapped when they are looking their best.” That’s just the way a photographer would see it. The stress that weddings generate perhaps it’s not always possible to look sparkling in frame after frame.
Prior to the wedding, couples have time for some legit PDA and be seen against some memorable backdrops. And photographers aren’t complaining as they pull out all the tricks up their sleeve to bring out the romantic in couples.