We were at a engagement ceremony over the weekend.
My vantage point taken, I stood reminiscing the days i was under the arc lights. Those three days of my marriage had the video graphers have me in knots. (As if the other knots werent enough by themselves). There were atleast three of them, armed with arc lights that would blind me silly.
On those three days my life was controlled by many people. And one dictator ( among the many others) was a videographer ! He used to have me & my wife fall many times over at the same persons feet (and by the way, we had a wide array of people whose feet we had to fall at), stating that he didnt get the angle / light right !
If that werent enought, i remember him ‘recalling’ people who had ‘met us’ at the stage and make them go over the rigmarole of ‘meeting us’ all over again. ‘SMILE” he would stay with a sterness that would drive a General to look incompetent ! And everybody used to smile. The guests included.
This ceremony made me recall all that and more. As the video grapher occupied centerstage, he seemed to have complete power. The priests, the bride, the groom, their parents, guests, the cooks, the ushers, the friends, everybody played ‘Yes Master’ to his every dictum !
I struggled hard to take a better look at the bride and the groom. Standing on my toes. Going on my knees. Looking to catch a glimpse of all the action. Atleast through the gaps,if not straight on. With very little success!
He was busy capturing an important moment for posterity. In a truly philosophical crib, I told myself, ‘there goes a present moment, in the interest of capturing something for the future!’ But as time wore on, i realised my not being able to see all the action, was my problem. And the ‘present moment’ was ‘my present moment’. And i was persona non grata. Then ?
Guest after guest, used to walk up to the couple and stared into the camera in stoned silence, as the video recorded their studied stoneness. As soon as the video got switched off, the hugs, kisses and wishes flowed ! The video was to record attendance for posterity. The other stuff got recorded in the minds i guess.
My turn came. I walked upto the groom and started a conversation, aware that the camera was rolling “Congratulations. You look great buddy. You make a lovely couple. Remember this is just the ……”
‘Psst. Psst Look at the camera please. We are recording’ came the videographers voice. !
I looked in disbelief. And i guess that was recorded too.
For posterity !
Kavi:
Should I say we fake just for the cause of it. Sorry if I am mean.
I don’t like to look into cameras when someone is watching your every move of it. Hell no.
Glad me never had such engt’.
why did the cameraman shush ya? that was rude. I’d have told him off. 🙂
Keshi.
Hehheee.. Glad that I escaped:)
why kavi ? why ? why do people have to hold a still pose for a few minutes for a video ? why ? and why do the bride and groom mutate like amoebas by dividing in powers of 2 on the screen for a full 4 minutes till they become such small images ? and why do the man and wife tie the knot in a small inset on the screen above thirupathi hills and why do we have rakkamma kaiya thattu song during the thali kattufying event ? why ? why cant I ever show my wedding video to anyone without embarrassing myself and my wife ? why ? find some answers kavi !! please !!
Hope you are photogenic enough to make sure the posterity is a good one !
-PeAcE
–WiTh
—GuNs
that is funny. I mean, the cam man should not push us around. I have been to a many weddings (its an indian thing we might say :p)…and at most of them, we are at mercy of the blinding hot spot light and rude cameramans. But they hold us at ransom because we need the imageries for the future right. Its fun if u actually take the pics, been around wit my friend who takes pics, that really shows you the other side of wedding photographers.
“‘recalling’ people who had ‘met us’ at the stage and make them go over the rigmarole of ‘meeting us’ all over again.” Ha what a interest the camera man has to record it for your posterity hehe…
Whenever i was with a function where the camera man come to capture people having food, i keep without eating till he leave that place. I too face the situation of hiding the marriage activities by some people not the camera-man.
Good Good Good! I have lots of views personally to write here and it will become another post by its own way. So, planning to put a post in future about this. It is such a wonderful profession which is being handled very unprofessionaly by many in the field. As a professional cameraman, and wedding photographer in the past, I agree with your thoughts.