Will cameras get in the way of our rituals

One worry we hear from couples and especially from parents is that cameras will take over the ceremony. They have been to weddings where photographers stood between the couple and the priest, asked people to repeat moments and turned the mandap into a film set. It is a fair worry. Here is how we work instead.

Before the wedding, our lead talks to the family about which rituals matter most, and, where possible, speaks to the priest or pandit directly. We ask where we may stand, whether there are moments when we should not photograph, and how long each part of the ceremony usually takes. Some families prefer no photographs at certain private rituals, and we respect that.

During the ceremony, we work with long lenses from the edges of the mandap and with the available light, without flash during the pheras. Our filmmakers place two small fixed cameras near the mandap before the ceremony begins, so we do not need to move around the couple once it starts. We never ask anyone to stop, repeat or pose during a ritual. If we miss something, we miss it.

Guests with phones are often a bigger distraction than any crew. Some couples ask their priest or a family elder to request that guests put phones away during the pheras, promising that the photographs will be shared later. It works surprisingly well. The best compliment we receive is when a grandmother tells us afterwards that she did not notice us at all. That is what we aim for.