In the words of the legendary photographer and photojournalist, Dorothea Lange, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” 

When else does one love the lensman as dearly as when they’re about to shoot the most important event of life – the blessed occasion of a man and a woman coming together as ‘one flesh’ for the remaining of their existence. 

Marriage is the culmination of the glory and beauty to which the wedding is the starting point, and the wedding photographer is the one with the mammoth task of arresting the most nanoscopic details of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion behind the bars of his professional photographic equipment. Then is it any wonder that capturing weddings with a camera lens is a full-blown career today? 

The Professional Shutterbug: Perhaps the Most Important Element in a Wedding 

It would be unthinkable and rather absurd to have calling numbers for florists, bridal boutiques, caterers, designers, and whatnot but never to make mention of a wedding photographer. Good decorations, good-looking faces, and good food without good photos that capture the essence of it all? The demand for professional wedding photographers has seen such surge today that one need not fear the lucrativeness of this career choice.

However, the question posed by expert editorial portrait photographers, Justin and Mary Marantz is a compelling food-for-thought, “How do we start taking pictures of people, and stop taking pictures of poses?” This takes some profound understanding of the art and science behind wedding photography, perhaps even a professional specialisation course. Students of such courses will be introduced to nuances of light, exposure, composition, and posing along with being given enough room to develop their unique visual style. 

Lifting the Veil over the Most Pinterest-Worthy Wedding Snaps 

It is not uncommon for aspirants to shy away from this career, picturing ‘A Day in the Life of a Wedding Photographer’ to be plagued with fatigue over frantic efforts to snap cheesy photographs of dramatic bridezillas all day long – not quite the behind-the-scenes one would expect out of enchanting images captioned, “Sip, sip, hooray! We’re locked in for life.”

Patrick Hall, a Charleston-based professional wedding photographer, says that “after shooting a few weddings, I found that wedding photography was incredibly fun, creative, and way more stress-free than I ever imagined.” Plus, there is much to gain from the monetary viewpoint – Relentless efforts and single-eyed dedication enabled Luv Isrrani, a celebrated Indian celebrity wedding photographer, to grow his income 42 times over the course of 15 years! But, even the average income for wedding photographers is quite decent. However, the best part Hall considers about being a wedding photographer is knowing that “the reason I was there in the first place was that they (the couple) loved me as a person and valued my creativity behind a camera.”  

All these top contemporary wedding photographers started out by planting humble seeds of hard work, in-depth study, rigorous internships, and strong networking. And let us not forget the time and exertion it takes in understanding and collecting a professional equipment kit that includes all the necessities – camera and backup camera, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens and a prime lens, speedlights, tripod and light stands, flash diffuser, and more. 

Be it a rustic wedding held on a countryside barn, a festival wedding organised in a tipi, a traditional wedding held at a church or a temple, or a grand destination wedding held on a tropical island or a lavish fort, the spirit of celebration and love is the great equaliser binding them all together. As such, being able to capture moments as sacred as those experienced during weddings is nothing short of a privilege. 

Aspirants wishing to hop onto the ‘wedding photographer’ career wagon must pursue professional wedding photography courses from reputed institutions such as the Pearl Academy wherein they will get the opportunity to learn from award-winning wedding photographers the secret sauce that goes into capturing perfect pictures for a day high on emotions, celebration, and memories.