KOCHI: ‘Please, hold your chin up...Nooo!!... a bit down...eyes open...smile…!!’ Click!! And the final result is an album which has photos pasted on meticulously. But those days are gone when wedding albums had photos in which everyone stood in attention. Today they are filled with candid shots of not only the bride and groom but also the guests. Cliches have given way to vibrant scenes. Teasers are being released on social media before the actual wedding video comes out.
Scene from the yesteryear
The signature picture of the album would be the bride and the groom standing in attention wearing extremely heavy garlands and holding bouquets in front of them like a torch. Wedding videos too are stiff. People can be seen shying away as soon as the cameraman focuses on them.
Here too a strict pattern is followed. If the videographer is from the bride’s side then the video will have the bride getting ready, a close female relative or friend adjusting her ornaments or saree. Making it very obvious that she is acting. The scene then shifts to the auditorium and focuses on people who look like they have come there just for the free food. The other shots include the groom’s entry, the wedding ceremony and the 101 group photos. Another inevitable part is the close up of the ‘sadya’ and the people attacking the delicacies as if they have been starving for days.
“When I was a kid, the one thing which could make me eat food was my parents’ wedding video. I love the song ‘Shyamambaram’ from the film ‘Artham’ because in the entire video that’s only time when my mother looked at my father and smiled. I can understand her plight, marrying someone you hardly know. But now, the entire system has changed. Even in arranged marriage you get to meet and date your future spouse,” says Gayathri P K whose wedding was photographed in a grand manner.
The present trend
Gayathri said, “Over the past four years, I have been watching the wedding trailers of my friends.”
A trailer video basically shows ‘how to marry in five minutes. “I’ve been watching the trend change over the past few years. Outdoor video shoots have been in the market for quite a long time. The most preferred spots were the beaches, parks or temples. Then came the athletic elements in wedding videos. Running, jumping, weight lifting, etc. Then, they had the cool Yo! pose preferably with the bride and groom wearing goggles. And then the friends joining in the Yo! pose or pulling the bride and groom or screaming in their ears. Anything cool would do,” she adds. After the selfies became the rage, it was also included in the wedding photography.
The wedding album
Clicking pictures for a wedding album has become as professional as a movie shoot. Today, photographers even accompany the couple on their honeymoon trip! Gayathri recounts a funny incident which happened during the outdoor shoot for her wedding album. The photos were clicked at Vypeen beach. The location was absolutely beautiful and the time was 7 am. “After having shot the usual poses like looking into each other’s eyes and romancing the tree, we moved towards the sea. Having noticed a huge tree trunk lying on the sand the photographer got an idea. He asked me to lie on the tree trunk. Over the years, I had made fun of all the girls who posed for such photos. With a lot of difficulty I balanced my body on the tree trunk for about 5 to 10 minutes till he got the shot right. And when I saw the photo I realised that when I was struggling to lie on the tree, my husband just had to walk towards the shore in James Bond style,” she said.
A passion
“Photography is now a passion,” said Anu Ommen, a leading wedding photographer. Some of the very popular photography styles include candid and reportage or documentary wedding photography. “Wedding photography is turning out to be a very difficult task now with a lot of pressure on the photographers. People are now very professional and know their cameras. They are very particular about the photographs. It is a good learning experience though. The clients are now more knowledgeable and this also raises the competency level among photographers,” said Anu. “I like my work a lot now. I have to actually put in a lot of work and get my brain working,” he adds.
Thematic settings
The focus is now on conceptual photos. From deciding the theme of photography to choosing the album designs, wedding photography involves a lot of work and exertion especially on the part of the photographers. The clients too who have to do the arduous task of choosing the design of the album. Everyone is intent on recording their moments and more often resort to ‘selfies’ to do so. Cinematic style wedding photography is also in trend now. “The couples are sometimes forced to pose in filmy, cheesy styles,” says Abhay Anoop, who had recently attended his friend’s wedding.
Popular wedding stills
Story based photography are the in thing. Some of them are the very popular candid aerial (drone) photography, underwater photography, monochromes, post wedding pictures shot abroad, 360 degree video shooting and video with custom-made wedding songs.
Drone wedding shots
Aerial photography is carried out by using remote controlled devices with a camera mounted on it. The operator flies the drone across the venue to shoot some amazing pictures of the entire venue from the top angle. Better yet, today the facility is available to everyone not just the hot shot celebrities or paparazzi.
Underwater
Commonly seen only in foreign countries, underwater wedding photography has hit the shores of Kerala. Kochi too has witnessed its share of underwater wedding photography. The first ever underwater sea wedding in India was reportedly shot at Kovalam Grove Beach in Thiruvananthapuram by Richard Antony. Richard has also done underwater wedding photography in Kochi but due to the not so clear waters of the beach here it was done in swimming pools. “It is difficult to shoot in Kochi beach waters due to the lack of transparency. So we have to use pools. But, underwater wedding photography is gaining popularity,” says Richard Antony.
Post wedding clicks
The latest trend in post wedding photography is to take the photographer along for the honeymoon. Couple take photographers to Malaysia, Dubai and Singapore to capture shots that augment their story-based albums.
Monochrome is in
“About 40 percent request these photos,” said Anu Ommen while talking about black and white photos which seem to be in vogue. Monochrome photos, have a unique beauty to it besides giving a touch of nostalgia.