Lights, Camera, Action: The Indian Wedding Photography That Will Make You Go 'Wow'

Everything about a traditional Indian wedding is spanking new these days. Be it the ensembles, rituals, decor, florists, venues or the cuisine, we see each and every detail of a wedding in its new avatar. As each and every aspect of a big fat Indian wedding keeps evolving, so is the wedding photography. The new-age wedding photography trend sees a good break from the conventional that captures the fun, festive and fervour in brand new ways. The lenses go beyond the cliché stage poses, the straight bride and groom pics, group shots and other usual portraits. Infact lights, camera, and action get behind the scenes to turn each wedding into a wonderful story.

The innovative wedding albums are brimming with romance, bridezilla, promises, smiles and the ‘nakhras’  which are like a documented proof of the wedding. Well, delving a bit into details we can say that with the change in technology, software, camera, the mindsets and expectations, what’s expected are the real and more relatable pictures. All these being said, let’s have a look at the various wedding photography styles and ideas, each with a unique perspective and technicalities.

Fashion Photography- Fun and Frolic

It’s catching up rapidly in Indian nuptials and you just can’t get enough of the bride and groom in a fashion photography. The ensembles, turban, veil, beauty accessories, jewellery, the flowers and the bursting colours are scripted in a different manner. The fashion-focused style of photography is quirky and increases the style statement of the subject and the shots. The obsession of fashion clicks is going higher for those who want to brag an Instagram and social-media worthy wedding. If it’s style, swag, trends and fashion statement that is scoring over everything else, fashion photography can surely elevate your level of excitement.

Be it for a pre-wedding shoot or a wedding film, nothing can beat this for the most creative clicks. The bride and the groom can say their vows with a ‘wow’ with some cool and fashionable clicks. It captures your stage, people, friends, baaraatis , garland exchange and other important moments in an exceptional way. From embellished ensembles of the bride and groom to awesome food menu and decked-up stage; it offers a fashion touch to each and every exciting part of your wedding story. A tiny bindi on the bride’s forehead or the mojaris of the groom, each and every shot looks rewarding and promising with the fancy fashion photography.

Why Is It Popular?

No plastic poses and set standards here! Fashion photography adds a fashion touch to almost every detail of your wedding. It is there to steal the show with all the glamour and glitz!

Costs Involved

This is quite famous for the grand Indian weddings. The fancy impact and the effects you ask for comes at a price. A full-fledged wedding photography package with basic features may range between 60,000 INR to 1, 00,000 INR. And if you are hiring a renowned photographer, the fees may reach 200,000 INR.

Candid Photography- Nothing Artificial About It!

It’s meaningful, natural, a storyteller and a love chronicle unfolded in the most beautiful way. You don’t have to pose and it’s about the bride, groom, cousins and family being captured in their most natural moments. This photography style can be planned and is quite close, deep and real. There is nothing artificial even if the candid clicks are arranged for or made-up. Timings matter for the un-posed pictures that capture the real essence of the whole affair. It gives other photography styles a run for its money. Candid cameras roll out to make a story out of a wedding in an emotional, soft and subtle way.

Even after ages, the wedding album will look fresh as it captures the smiles, emotions and the feelings that come naturally. Candid photoshoot focuses more on expressions and the finer details. The carefully-framed shots cover the best of mood, colour and the depth of feelings. The static shots that make the family pose are a strict no-no with a candid take.

Why Is It Popular?

Emotions, feelings and the moments are the basic foundations of candid photography. The major challenge with candid is to make the couple comfortable to behave naturally.

Costs Involved

It’s gaining popularity in India for its amazing photography. The deal is higher in this case but a smart search at your end can save you a lot. But even if you apply all the deals and packages, the money involved for the offbeat photography is 80000 INR on the lower side. The candid has set a trend and renowned photographers will charge you as high as 200000 INR.

Classic- The Taste Of Tradition

Though the style is still preferred in many parts of the country, it has drastically changed these days. The traditional photography is a bit outdated but the way it turns a wedding into memories are still classic. Traditional photography is basically a formal photoshoot where the bride and groom pose for hours donning the heavy ensembles and make-up. Awkward poses, never-ending smiling faces and artificial expressions are few regular and common features of a traditional wedding photography. Mehndi, sangeet, haldi, vidaai or ghurchari, a usual photography captures everything from the beginning till the end.

The traditional wedding photography highlights the essence in an elaborate way. The whole idea behind it is to capture the whole wedding with a straight-forward approach. The fix and set standards and non-creative equipments make the idea a little mundane. However, traditional photography tends to blend with other styles of photography as per the current trends.

What Makes It Popular?

It covers up the wedding in a complete manner. Traditional photography does full justice to the family pictures, bride and groom portrait, and the elaborate rituals with focussed approach. For many, this style is still a must-have and they embrace this style for their D-day because of the low costs involved.

Costs Involved

The pricing is on the lower side if you hire a photographer for a simple wedding photography.  The minimum cost a traditional shoot may incur is from 18000 to 30000 INR. Photo quality and creativeness might get compromised in this budget. The higher the expertise of the photographer, higher is the amount to be shelled.

Documentary- As moving And Dramatic As A Film

If the bride and groom is filmy and dramatic in their real life, the documentary photography is what they should opt for a narrated story of their nuptial. The Jab They Met story, the courtship, the first date, the roothna and manana during the courtship and other iconic and candid moments can be re-lived with a documentary photoshoot. It’s a style that documents and records the whole wedding extravaganza and a love saga of the duo in a unique way.

It not only makes your pre-wedding moments memorable but also unfolds every small and bigger element involved in the lives of couples and their families. The moments with this photography doesn’t look made-up or artificial but real and inspiring. The lighting, technicalities, the tools and the set too are completely different in this case. It turns your wedding into a classic romantic film. The documentary wedding photography is different, exciting and makes the couple fall in love again and again. More than the wedding extravaganza, the focus is basically on the love journey of the couple. Apart from the wedding shoot, it adds the lovely moments of your first meet and showcases the intimacy with elan.

What makes It Popular?

It makes memories to be cherished for lifetime. The trend is very much in vogue and the pre-wedding documentary shoot is often played at the wedding for the guests. The angle, the storyline and the technical aspects are different from other photography styles. The inter-state wedding (2 states involved) has led to the growing interest in documentary photoshoot.

Costs Involved

Since its high in demand and contemporary, the charges are comparatively higher. The charges are based on the outstation and destination wedding photography. The dress rehearsals and flattering angles make the photoshoot outstanding and expensive. It can cost you anywhere between 80000 to 300000 INR.

Artistic- Amusing And Stylish

As the name suggests, it is all about capturing the whole wedding affair with artistic freedom. Artistic photography stands out with pre-wedding and wedding photography to bring out the serenity, emotions, feelings and the fun in an exclusive way. Instead of just having the bride or groom in a frame, artistic wedding photography focuses on the essence of being a bride and groom on their D-day and their emotions. An artistic style is more like a behind-the-scene thing and is catching the fancy of the demanding couples.

The artistic method is versatile, high-tech and the output is something cool and colorful. It captures the colourful and reckless mood, the precious moments with fun and different flair. Stunning wedding jewellery, wedding ring, the lehenga, sherwani, and kaleera, for example, are few of the elements that contribute towards making an artistic wedding album or video. The cameraperson with his/her unique clicking abilities, exhibit the riot of colours and vibrancy in the wedding photography.  

The significant pieces like mojaris, bride’s nath, hairstyle and other quirky object and accessories are all weaved together for the finest artistic shots.

What Makes It Popular?

The concept is famous to save-the-date pictures and pre-wedding shoots. The exotic location or a theme matters a lot when it comes to artistic photography. Locations like Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa are chosen for artistic photography to make the place symbolic and capturing the true essence and feel of the wedding venue and destination.

Costs Involved

It is said that good thing comes at a price! Very much popular in India, artistic photography falls into the premium class category and can cost you 50000 INR minimum for a 2-day photoshoot. The large scale wedding and the stretch in number of days can take the costs from 1 to 1.5 Lakhs.

Levitation Photography – Mysterious and Magical

It’s movie-like, unusual and gravity-defying and yet maintains the natural expressions of the subject involved. Levitation is indeed a showstopper when it comes to fulfilling an incredible desire for the best wedding photography and encapsulates the best of ceremonies and rituals. The tips and the tricks associated goes above and beyond for a fresh and innovative wedding album. It freezes and fuses the most intimate and ritualistic moments of a wedding. The mid-air shots add a floating impression to your clicks and photos. The levitation is a rage these days where a life-size subject- especially the bride and groom appears like a miniatures or small models. The over-sized objects in the backdrop in comparison to the tiny models make the whole affair transforming into a magic world.

Be it an underwater shoot or a floating-in-the-air photo, the results with levitation look surprising, daring and out-of-the-world. Technically it’s all about fixing or composing two different images or shoot in a photo editing software. So, the major challenge that lies with levitation is the editing. The bride and the groom or the families jumping in the air, floating during the rituals or the swirling bridal lehenga shot look like a dream come true with ‘levitation’. Levitation is an obsession with celebrities these days and it’s going higher and higher among common people too.

Why Is It Popular?

It’s a different game altogether that is in trend with pre-wedding shoots. It’s more or less a combination of candid and creative photography. The fantasies become reality (literally) and the catch is the small figures floating in the giant world and water, lush green lawns and outdoor setting is the basic requirement with levitation. 

Costs Involved

The pricing can be somewhere close to 1.5 Lakhs as per Indian currency. The method needs to clone out certain subjects and backdrops which involve high-tech tools and expert team and all this leads to a costly wedding photography.

Drone Photoshoot-When Sky Is The Limit

With expectations and trends going sky-high, drone photography is what dreams are made of. The drone photography is in the air and is catching the attention of the stylish couples for their high-profile events and weddings. Drones are high-tech filming equipment which is not handheld and brings out the beauty of the elaborate affair and location in its best form. And it’s surely not every couple’s cuppa tea.

The drone glides over you, zooms in and captures all what is there from a bird’s eye view angle. The fun part is the flying factor that you don’t even know that there is camera over you. Yes, the drone photography is like pushing the envelope and setting a new benchmark. Clicking the venue, the rituals, and the important events are quite challenging with a device that is not handheld. The aura it creates is awesome and the couple love the vibes the drone offers.

Why are drones popular?

The drone offers new angles to a wedding celebration and mid-air shots of the rituals and events. Your ‘I Do’ moments, wedding venue, the decor and the celebrations being captured from the sky are a big relief with drones that has an ability to go beyond 50 to 100 feet in the air.

Costs Involved

Drones are stunning, high-tech and innovative equipment. Since the shoot is not a regular one and involves a larger photographers’ team; the cost obviously goes up in case of aerial or drone photography. The tedious arrangement can cost you anywhere between 70000 to 300000 INR depending upon the number of flights, the scale of the wedding and the number of days.

Cinematography – Go Bollywood Way

This is an overwhelming narration for the dream lovers and a totally filmy couple who want it all to be centred on Bollywood. The Raj and Simran in you will have you vouch for the super-effective cinematography for your wedding.  It’s a specific and most stylish photography aspect with the edgy brides and grooms to have their own love castle built. It’s a day-long shoot done at exotic locations with a set theme, prop, outfits and more. The cinematography transforms you into the cinematic world where you are the hero and the heroine of your wedding album.

The cinematography style is like a Bollywood movie that highlights the passionate and candid moments of your lavish wedding. The videography adds a celeb-like statement and filmy touch to your extravaganza. Your love for those perfect movie-themed shots can certainly be fulfilled through the fancy and creative cinematography. It’s more or less a trailer or a teaser of your entire wedding and love story. It’s completely unique with a short-sentimental video and guests tend to shed a tear or two after watching it. It’s in trend for pre-wedding shoots as well.

Why is it popular?

It’s a movie or a recollection of your memories that you can sit back and watch later to say, “Oh? Did that really happen?” Such is the favour and flavour of the movie-like photography. It’s a behind-the-scenes story that you can connect with later on.

Costs involved

The cinematography takes into account various elements like prop, costumes, location. So the minimum a couple end up spending is Rs 80000 a day. Usually the couples who are interested have a budget of 100000 depending on theme, mood and interest. If the hair stylists, make-up artists, paid locations are involved, the budget may shoot up to 2 to 3 Lakhs. International locations shoot up the cost even further. Accommodation too adds up to the cost.

Drama- Delightful and Out-of-the-ordinary

When something goes over-the-top and doesn’t look natural, we call it drama. Yes, that’s what dramatic photography actually does. From a bride’s veil and entrance, to the groom’s stylish friends, everything is presented in a bright and colourful way. It actually enlivens up a mundane photography and poses. The bride and groom become the hero and heroine of the frame. The besties from school and college pose in group shots. The shots are dedicated to the enjoyment and fun moments of the couple. The drama photography is the Gen Y’s favourite for its cool and casual flavour. It’s certainly one of the favourite for families and the couple.

Dramatic shots of the rituals leave the guests in awe and are a breath of fresh air. The garland exchange shots, the baraat entry, the evening and the lavish meals are all captured in the lightest and fun way. There are hardly any self-conscious elements in this frame. The dramatic aspect is totally bindaas and hatke.

Why is it popular?

The dramatic wedding photography is famous for the cool, reckless and natural shots. The carefree style is all over the social media for the simplicity and fun factor it involves.

Costs involved

Dramatic wedding photography comes with a decent pricing and do not burn a hole in your pocket. Since the camera, set-up and equipments are not that technical, the charges can meet your needs. You may have to shell anywhere between 10000 to 40000 INR for the pure drama in your wedding album. The charges may go up in case it’s a destination wedding.

Coy brides sitting smilingly, the impassive groom posing and the static family photos are not what the wedding camera like these days. The music, masti, sprawling farm houses, opulent decor, family and restless friends call for a different style of shots altogether. Behind-the-scenes, mid-air, under the water, over the lawns and up above the world; these new and trendy wedding photography shots explain that camera is there to do everything for you.