Candid Wedding Photography: Why You Need it !

When i got married a year back. This is what I thought - "Hmm, im spending so much money already on my clothes, the decor, my jewellery, my ring...let me cut back on my photographer. Candid Photographers in India are totally over priced and these days even Studio Photographers do an awesome job".

When I look at  my wedding album I feel like kicking myself.  (I swear, there is one photoshopped picture of me against some random blue ocean with a chinese hut in the background . I mean whaaaa??? Why would you ruin my normal mehendi photograph by putting me in some wierd Chinese ocean!!!!)  If there is one regret I have about my wedding, it is that I didn't hire a candid photographer. I'm not just saying that, because we are launching a wedding site I GENUINELY am so upset when i look at my album because all it contains are shots of me sitting with my husband amongst people. .There are no stunning shots of my outfits, no stolen moments, no 'bridal room' pictures. I mean, what was the point of me spending on my lehenga when at the end of the day I don't have shots of it to capture it? (Infact, I had to ask my dad to have a seperate photoshoot in my garden just to get some good photographs) . Sigh...

So a year on, and having a ton of wedding experiences shared by Real Weddings, here are some myths I want to bust.

Myth #1 : Studio Photographers do an equally good job

Trust me- they do not!! They may have the same equipment and stuff but photography is about having an eye for it, or telling a story through your pictures !! WHen Studio photographers tell you " Arre hum candid bhi karte hai", they mean " We click non posed photographs also" . Thats not what candid is - it is a different, unique approach to photography.

Myth#2 : Candid Photographers are expensive

If you check out our Candid Photographer gallery, and you shall see that you can get a great candid wedding photographer for a lot of budgets !! In fact our wedding vendor guide - we are trying to get you the top 3 in each budget that you may have ! A lot of these folks customise their packages, so dont worry and get in touch to understand ! Moreover, a lot of photographers can be starting out and they will agree to click your photos for a relatively cheaper price. So hunt for those (and do tell me if you find some)-always on the lookout for new talent.

Plus these are a few ways you can get them to work in budget

• Hire one photographer for groom side and bride side combined and split the cost (Most sensible thing to do)
• Hire them for the big days if you are on the budget and make do with studio guys for the smaller events
• Cut back a bit on the decor budget (W-A-S-T-E in my opinion) , and allocate some of those funds into photography budgets
• Find a friend who is into photography and give them a shot!

Myth #3 : Candid Wedding Photographers put all my photos on Facebook so there is no privacy

They don't do any of that without consulting you first of all !! So don't worry about privacy!

Myth#4 : Candid Photographers don't click the 'regular- traditional' extended family photos that you need

A lot of the candid photographers come with their team who would click those regular ,standing on stage photos of extended family. It's about discussing your requirements really - so make sure you ask the photographer the following questions

• Do they, or do they not click the traditional shots if you want those
• How many photographs on an average would be clicked per function (My friend hired one who gave her a 100 for all functions put together and she had 5 events!!!!!!! She was totally disappointed)
• Do they give albums?
• Do they retain rights to their photographs?

Ofcourse, ultimately budgets are the biggest drivers so if you cannot afford one, you cannot afford one right? Make sure to do your research with the Studio guys though, some studio people are quite good these days such as Dipak and Mahatta studios...