we are a team of Candid Wedding Photographer in Kanpur and I have been in this profession for almost 40 years now. we have shot hundreds of Wedding days and we know the in’s and out’s of this industry.

My intent here is not to promote our self but to give you a solid framework, which when applied will help you easily select the best  Wedding Photographer for your Wedding. In fact, you can even use the same principles to choose any vendor for your wedding, Just give it a try.

Ok, So lets check the principles,

Let me share with you my 8 step formula that I give all clients. So here it is,

You really need a SUPERMAN ( or woman) candid wedding photographer. Yes its an acronym. Let’s see what it means.

S=Style, U=Understands you, P= Personality, E=Experience, R= Reputation, M= Money, A=Attitude, N=Niche.

Step 1 : Style

First thing to do is to find out what style of Wedding Photography resonates with you the most? My job here is to give you all the options so you can easily decide for yourself what you want.

There are 3 major types of wedding photography styles. Each of these has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Lets check them,

Candid Photography:

Candid wedding Photographer documents the Wedding day without interfering in any way. He/She will take your pictures as they happen and these will be completely Un-posed.

Advantage of this style : These pictures are authentic and real. You can go about enjoying your day while your Photographer captures the moments unobtrusively.

Disadvantage: It may not necessarily make every single photos from your wedding look picture perfect. It may even shock some couples to see themselves in awkward candid moments.

candid wedding photographer kanpur

2. Traditional Photography :

Traditional Wedding Photographer takes complete charge of the wedding. He/She will make you do all the silly things and ensure that you are smiling in every single photo.

Advantage : You get all the shots in your checklist. Nothing is missed

Disadvantage : The photos are Un-real and super boring. The Photographer makes it embarrassing for you to enjoy your day. You come out of your wedding feeling tired and stressed.

3. Blended Approach:

Here the Photographer mixes different Photography styles depending upon the requirement. I personally love this approach and this is what I follow. I use a combination of Fashion Photography, Photojournalism and Portraiture in my wedding photography.

The results I have got are amazing. I use a Documentary style approach during the Wedding ceremony, Sangeet, and for the Reception. But, I also get my couples to pose(10–20%).

This is typically for the couple shoot and the family portraits. I do this because most of couples find it quite awkward to be in front of the camera and without a little direction they get nervous and anxious.

Disadvantage : Not that i can think about.

Advantage : You get the best of both worlds. You get exactly what you want. You love the experience and remember your wedding day in all its glory

Step 2 : Understands You

This is crucial because your Wedding Photographer kanpur has to understand what you want from your Wedding. He/She should be able to translate your vision into a Wedding story. This off-course needs you to have a 1–1 interaction with the shortlisted Photographers.

I would recommend that once you have initially shortlisted the Photographers on the basis of their style, reputation, experience, availability and investment only then start your conversation with them 1–1. This will ensure that you get to choose from the right set of Photographers without wasting your time on the ones who are a bad fit.

Step 3 : Personality

A Wedding Photographer personality is extremely important. Your Wedding Photographer can either add to your over all experience or can reduce it to a bad memory. There are Photographers who shout and direct people in the hope of getting the perfect pose and perfect exposure all the time.

The couples end up getting technically correct pictures but they are lifeless and boring. This excessive controlling personality trait ends up ruining the day for most couples. On the other extreme there are also Wedding Photographers who are so reserved and introverted that they prefer to hide behind their camera all day.

They do not interact with the couples or their guests. They prefer to just take the pictures without trying to engage with their clients. This in my opinion is not good either because Weddings are a family affair and unless a Photographer is not engaging with their clients they will not be able to get out those stunning moments.

I believe its the responsibility of the Photographer to educate and translate the vision of the couples into a beautiful Story. A good Photographer should blend in with the guests and when needed change his/her approach to capture the magic. As easy as it seems, this approach requires a warm, assertive and people centered personality.

Step 4 : Experience

These days anyone with a camera calls themselves a Photographer. Since wedding photography is also lucrative, it becomes a natural choice for most aspiring Photographers to dive into this genre. Soon many Photographers realize that Wedding Photography is not as easy and lucrative as it seems from the outside.

This is why having an experienced Wedding Photographer is very important. After all, you don’t want to trust your life long memories with someone who isn’t a master of their craft. I know there will be people who say talent is more important than experience but I can tell you that talent is highly over rated.

It takes commitment and years of consistent hardwork to develop into a good Wedding Photographer. I have seen many talented Photographers wilt under the pressure of Wedding Photography and after a very promising start, they just faded away into the oblivion.

Step 5 : Reputation

Every single business protects their reputation fiercely. They know that if they do not serve and delight every single customer their reputation is at stake. So you should try and check from multiple sources about the reputation of your Wedding Photographer. If the Photographer is good then they will likely have a positive word of mouth from all across.

Step 6 : Money

I’d like to call it your Investment because out of all the things that you spend in your Wedding, the only thing that grows in value are your photographs. All the above pointers that we have discussed previously will hold good only if the Photographer fits into your budget.

However, its also important to compare what each Photographer is actually offering and then decide for yourself if you are getting the best bang for your buck.

Step 7: Attitude

A Photographers attitude is extremely important. They should be flexible and accommodating because every plan that you make may need to be tweaked and changed according to the situation. So, if you hire a Photographer who is complaining and Inflexible then you have a extra (unwanted) problem to deal with.

Step 8 : Niche

If you have a tooth ache, what would you do? Do you visit a Dentist or go to a General Physician? Dentist right ? Similarly, the Wedding Photographer you hire should be a specialist of Weddings and Portraits. There are photographers who do all kinds of Photography. They will shoot anything and everything under the Sun. In my opinion the best Wedding Photographers are focused only in 1/2 niches because It takes a lot of time and experience to get good in a one area.

So, these are the 8 Steps you can apply to choose the best wedding photographer in Bangalore, India or the World. The principles will remain the same.

In Summary,

You need a Wedding photographer who is a SUPERMAN (or Woman)

You have to like their Style, ensure that they understand what you want, have a personality that is warm and friendly, Have tons of Experience and a good Reputation. Fits your budget (even if it’s stretched a bit), Have the right attitude and are focused on only the wedding and portrait niche of photography.

Hope this helps

If you need anymore information please let me know here

I would love to hear from you if this helped 🙂

Thanks for your time and patience