Weddings and photography always go hand in hand. But with the changing trends, wedding photography has evolved and how!

Gone are the days when the coy bride would strike cliched poses, clicked separately, and later the groom’s pictures added to make it a wedding album.

Going several notches above, wedding photography is now about candidness – where both bride and groom are equally involved right from the word go. With the advent of wedding photography, many professionals in Bangalore are jumping on the bandwagon and changing their profession to follow their passion.

And their demand has only gone up in the last few years because of what the profession offers – travel around the world, the experience of meeting people, knowledge about different cultures and traditions.

Vinay Arvind was a corporate lawyer until 2010. He quit the profession and picked up his camera. “I first shot my friend’s wedding and then gradually started shooting other weddings. I have now shot over 140 weddings,” he beamed.

“Being a lawyer did not give me as much joy. I love what I am doing. I love to travel and I get to travel across India and abroad.”

According to Arvind, more and more couples are now taking control of their wedding and hence candid wedding photography is catching up.

“They want something different rather than the traditional and typical photographs. Usually, it is the bride or groom who contacts us and takes time to know us and get comfortable so that I can capture their candid moments,” he explained.

Word of mouth

George Seemon, an architect who does photography as a hobby, said he received customers by word of mouth.

“I first shot for a friend and then others present at the wedding invited me. Now, I am also a photographer. Candidness is unexpected, compared with regular photographs and this is what draws my attention.”

Mark Swaroop, a professional candid photographer, said the trend was always there, but picked up in the last two or three years.

“Couples, whether they pay for their wedding or not, have started taking decisions now. They want more artistic images for their documentations and that’s where we fit in, despite the high cost,” he said.

Swaroop said that besides interning students, the stream was drawing professionals such as doctors, lawyers and engineers in their 30s.