'Tis the season. Not of chilgozhy or snowfall or a cup of coffee and cosying up. Winters in Pakistan are synonymous with weddings....
TIGHT SPOT
'Tis the season. Not of chilgozhy or snowfall or a cup of coffee and cosying up. Winters in Pakistan are synonymous with weddings, if I say so from my knowledge of nearly three decades. And I've talked to and observed many a people who actually dread the time - not for the exams or the yearenders but of getting dolled up and/or meeting the fearful aunties/uncles at these occasions. There is no escaping it nor the questions that follow. Everything from the way you sit to the way you eat is scrutinised.
But there is another person that's closely following you: the photographer. It's another thing that wedding guests don't feel offended and are willing to give him/her the kind of attention they'd usually bestow upon the couple of the hour. With the weddings in full swing, Us got in touch with some photographers to see what it's like to be in their shoes this season.
"I had to entertain her"
Rabbiah Paracha of Rabbiah Paracha Photography shared an incident: "The bride was really cooperative in her effort to get a nice shoot but she was also extremely tired and sleepy because of back-to-back events. So to make her smile genuinely, I had to entertain her like we entertain kids at birthdays. I would ask "what does cow do?" and she would reply "mooo" with her picture-perfect smile! It felt weird and funny at the same time doing this in front of a crowd."
"He was begging for warm stuff"
Muhammad Taha of Muhammad Taha Photography is of the opinion that funny and weird incidents are part of this work. "Last year, we were covering an event in Gujrat in January. We were facing difficulty due to zero visibility and extreme weather conditions. One of our team members, however, did not put on his warm clothes. Even though he was bragging throughout the journey that he did not feel cold, he was literally freezing and begging for warm stuff from our hosts by the time we reached the venue. We keep pulling his leg about it even now!"
"It was an underwater shoot and the groom did not know how to swim"
Speaking fondly about his famous capture, which was a massive hit on social media and was even covered by television channels, Abdul Samad of Abdul Samad Zia Weddings shared his funniest experience to date: "It was a pre-wedding shoot in winters that they were supposed to use for their invitation cards. The couple was really excited to shoot underwater. It was a big swimming pool at a large farm house. The funny part was the groom did not know how to swim; the amazing part was he still wanted to. The cute part was, even though we had professional divers to help them, the bride was supporting him and getting him to pose for the best picture. It was amazing because it's hard to communicate underwater and then there's this fear of being underwater when you don't know how to swim, and they not only overcame it; the shoot was a great success!"
"The location was pretty bad"
There are events that do not have the ideal location. "There was insufficient lighting at a wedding we covered earlier this year; there was no decor, and to make matters worse it was overcrowded. The images weren't up to the mark no matter what we did. My team had to edit 500+ images. The Valima pictures, however, were awesome since the location was way better." - Rabbiah
"Make her face bright"
At times, people's obsession with fair skin can make things awkward for the photographer: "There have been a lot of instances where we've been asked to heavily edit the pictures. A bride, for instance, at one of the functions we've covered asked us to edit her sister-in-law's pictures and make her face look as bright as we could." Zero points for guessing that the SIL's complexion was dark. - Taha
"Traffic could never compromise photo shoot"
Some photographers give their best shot when covering a wedding so they won't have to edit the work later. "To avoid these situations, we conduct workshops and train our team so they follow the procedure. However, we can't really help it if a couple does not even consider keeping time for traffic when scheduling their big day. It's crucial for brides especially because movement to and fro the parlour to the respective venue usually takes place during peak hours. If the couple is late, naturally the entire photo shoot is bound to be compromised and changes have to be made post-shoot. Another thing is the lighting at the desired location - the colour of the dress or the lipstick, for instance, will appear different in white light than in yellow light. That's more work for us." Abdul Samad
"She was literally bossing us around"
"Almost 80 percent of the brides I cover are usually in their bridezilla modes (probably because I'm booked for Baraat and the event is pretty stressing itself. A bride, referred to me by a friend, literally kept us bossing us around: "Aisay nahi karo", "Ye angle sahi karo (even without looking at the images/video)", "Ye phool nahi aaraha", "Mera gharara sahi karo aakar". She was pretty bossy and kept snapping at my team, claiming to be stressed while occasionally misbehaving. Even after the video was edited and delivered, she came in to get the songs of the promo changed." - Rabbiah
"They get angry and start yelling"
Surprising as it may sound, photographers do support bridezillas and understand their position when they are throwing one of their little tantrums. "Girls spend their entire lives planning their weddings. They want everything to be picture perfect. And that, unfortunately, is not the case. I always talk to the bride to not focus on frivolities. The makeup may not be as you envisioned, the stage may not be to your liking, they might have misspelt your name on the wedding cake! If your mood depends on getting that 100 percent, you're bound to be upset and that will be reflected, captured forever, in your pictures. Only 40 percent or in rare cases 70 percent of things go according our plans. I've met brides who start yelling the minute they spot something amiss. Whatever the circumstances, just keep smiling. Don't cry, don't get angry. Enjoy your moment. A lot of brides agree and start smiling again. They get good pictures!" - Abdul Samad
Keeping it organised on an outdoor winter shoot
"I usually keep an extra shawl and some munchies while shooting outdoors. Once a bride told me beforehand she felt super cold, and I kept hot water in thermos in the car to make instant coffee for her if there was a need." - Rabbiah
"First, don't let your camera fog up. To avoid this, place the camera in a photo bag with lens cover before you enter a venue. Second, keep your batteries warm. Batteries lose their power when exposed to low temperatures. Just keep the extra batteries in your inner pocket, close to your body. Third, keep the camera on a towel if it ever gets wet due to mist. The towel will absorb all the moisture." -Taha
"The biggest challenge is the sun sets early so we get less time for shoot. The brides have to be at parlour around 11am and that's crazy given they have to be in the same situation for the next 12 hours or so but that's how it is if you want to get outdoor shoots in winters; you have to get ready real early. That's in Karachi. We don't have real winters over here. It's altogether another story when I shoot in Europe or in Dubai. I remember when I was shooting in New York and it was actually snowing. The bride was wearing a jacket over her dress. The groom was wearing a suit that kept him warm. But the bride who had to remove her jacket for the picture was shivering during the shoot. It was crazy but amazing. My point is that outdoor winter wedding photo shoots are more challenging for brides as compared to the grooms. But then the winter shoots are easier than the summer ones what with all the makeup melting on their face and everything." Abdul Samad
