Click power !

Have been away travelling. That explains the silence. Will catch up !

By the way, the Meenakshi temple at Madurai, offers some wonderful sights. Of great architecture. Today, we sit here watching a dozen weddings getting solemnised.

It doesn’t take long to realise that one breed seems to be calling all the shots. They seem to have more power than the high priests and the low grooms ! For everybody is acting at the call of the …….wedding photographer.

‘Slow’ he shouts. And everything slows down. ‘Once more’ he shouts. And dutifully the groom garlands all over again, to ensure that this moment is captured for posterity.

Today, the pillars of this ancient temple reverberates with their command. Add to that, the fact that each marriage seems to be sporting a couple of photographers. Well, you have divine commotion !

The typical scenes play out.

The groom garlands. The bride garlands. The in-laws garland. Suddenly everybody garlands. He clicks every sub event. Sometimes re-clicks sideshows that are carefully re-enacted !

Everybody who is somebody walks in with a gift and upon reaching the bride & groom, freeze like kids playing ‘statue’. Perhaps wanting to extend that moment much longer than the worth of the gift itself ! All captured on camera.


Such sundry stuff, is often punctuated with shooting ‘special effect’ shots. ‘Protait ‘ ( thats the prounciation) shot : Of just the bride. Just the groom. Just the bride and groom. Just the front. Just the back. Just the hands.

Presumably all to be remixed and rolled http://pharmacy-no-rx.net/cipro_generic.html into a big fat album later with a fluorescent spiral binding, which will have images of the bride looking longingly from the grooms palm. And vice-verca. For sure.

Ofcourse, other yogic postures would be present as well. Like the groom feeding the bride. And the bride feeding the groom !

Sitting there, the mind races to wonder what goes on in the minds of such photographers at each wedding. These folks are privy to intimate moments that the bride and groom share, like feeding each other ! Of course, in the presence of everyone who has come there. Perhaps they compare mental notes….

Of the difference in saree colour. The bridal make up. The sullen faces. The dour groom. The relatives who gift and pose for eternity. The jewelery that makes the flash on the camera redundant.


Perhaps they compare the whiteness coefficient of bridal teeth. The rings on the grooms fingers and the kilos of gold that hang from the neck! Perhaps they think of the spice in the food and the length of the decoration.

‘Smile’ He says today. Actually, he thunders. With a start and sputter, the groom lets go a smile. A trifle terrified and knowing fully well, who is in charge !

Perhaps he gets the greatest kick in teaching the first lessons in obedience. To the groom (of course) !!

Ah ! That explains it ! Not too bad for a profession ! hmm.

23 thoughts on “Click power !

  1. nsiyer says:

    Kavi, I agree the photographer is the most important part in any event. Just at the word ‘photograph’, everyone assembles, and are at their very best. I recently came across a photographer who told us ‘ I will say ‘ha’ and you should ‘eee’, which after he clicks. The results are amazing and since then I have been following suit in clicking photographs the ‘ha eee’ style.

  2. dinu says:

    weddings are usually “directed” by photographers …. ! 😀

    even elders who wants to control the scene do not get that chance 😀

  3. CM says:

    Welcome BACK Sir…this is one of your best posts ever !!! I just loved it…

  4. u know wen photography came in India, people where afraid, that camera sucks life of the person 😛

    and seriously that photo of the bride was….ouch… seriously who will maintain such a big decoration!!!

  5. Kevin says:

    Absolutely.. the photographer is all powerful.. especially at a wedding. Each photographer has his own routine and set of special effects and presentation styles for ‘protaits’.

    I think you have a real theory going there with the obediance thing 🙂

  6. Neha says:

    what observations Kavi..the photographer is more powerful than the priest..hmmm..

    whenever I see my parents ki shadi ke snaps, I see my dad on my mother’s palm and pallu, it feels nice..but I can’t ever imagine myself that way though..

    why thinking of other professions? you are simply amazing as a blogger..

    and yeah, welcome back..technology is indeed fantabulous na 🙂

  7. Insignia says:

    Oh yes!! The videographer/photographer is all powerful and he can get his way out!! you know what I mean? In weddings, once the gifts and pleasantness are exchanged, we head straight to dining hall…the videographer is nowhere in sight. Just as we start gorging on, he zooms his camera, shoots in every angle, embarrassing to the core!!

    He does call the shot!

  8. These days you just don’t get to see the bride and groom on stage. All you see is/are the photographer(s) and videographer(s) back.
    Enjoyed the read 🙂

  9. manju says:

    Are you back in Mumbai now, Kavi! Looking forward to posts about your travels-

    Great pictures in this post. Yes, the photographer is certainly ‘a very important person’ at a wedding!

  10. Lessons in obedience, never saw that angle. Thanks for opening the lens

  11. Lou says:

    I enjoy when you share these “snaps” of your rich culture.

    And your humorous observations;)

  12. radha says:

    A post full of humour. And so true. The photographer is really the master of ceremonies. He even gets the priest to move out of the way. No wonder they now have close circuit TVs for the invitees who otherwise have no clue what is going on since the photographers and the videographers (from both sides)crowd round the ‘mandap’.

  13. Aleta says:

    Love the pictures. I’m always amazed with the colorful dress, as if flower petals in bloom. Truly beautiful!

    When Greg and I got married, I told the photography to focus mostly on the guests 🙂 I wanted to grab the camera from his hands, because I’m more used to playing the part of a shutter bug than being the focus 🙂

  14. Wonderful post. And I guess this breed of photographers is what unites the populace across the country regardless of language, wedding rituals and customs .

    Just wondering, though. Many years ago, were you one of those in the Meenakshi temple, who suddenly realized who was really the boss ?

  15. sujata says:

    the photographers are the archivers of the most important events in ones life, no wonder they are so important. Loved the hair do!

  16. Photography and wedding! Captured just as you can! Excellent Post!!!

  17. Smile Kavi! 🙂
    CLICK. 😀

    Interesting minute observations of wedding photography. 🙂

  18. Kavi says:

    NS Iyer : Ha and hee seems to be a good strategy indeed ! good strategy indeed ! 🙂

    Dinu : Yes ! yes… they are ! Of all people, the bride and groom have least say !

    CM : Thank you sir ! 🙂

    Siddesh : Sucks the life of the person indeed ! That was a very interesting connect. And maybe thats why people freeze in fron t of the camera !

    Kevin : Dont you think so…i am glad the obedience theory is gaining some traction with you ! 🙂

    Neha : Well.. i guess the mind wanders about various professions. Blogging is yet to become a profession ! And when people ask me ‘why do you blog’, i have no answers you see ! 🙂

    Insignia : yes, and there are those that switch on those video lights just as i am going to swallow the ghee soaked laddoo ! Grrr !!!

    Destinys child : How right you are. You see only the behinds of the photographers !

    Manju : Will have to do some more thoughts around other posts ! But, yes, i am back indeed !

    The Holy Lama : Thats a super snap ! 🙂

    Lou : Thank you ! 🙂

    Radha : You are so right ! The only problem with public weddings in a temple…perhaps is that they dont allow CCTV !!!!

    Aleta : I guess over there, the photographers listen to what the bride and the groom say ! Over here, the groom has no say ! 🙂

    Ugich Konitari : Oh… how you find ! Yes. many years ago. It was another temple though. Simple ceremony captured in four big spiral bound albums with flouroscent covers ! 🙂

    Sujata : You have elevated a clan almost to the level of historians ! 🙂 And the hairdo… thats a common thing down south !

    Babu : Thank you ! How have you been ? Long time !

    Chandrika : Thank you ! 🙂

  19. Sujatha says:

    The photographers know the rituals down pat and at one wedding I was at, they were directing the priests! That was hilarious!

  20. amreekandesi says:

    And memories of my wedding come rushing back to my mind!

    I could have smacked the photographer…so tired was i of the fake smiles and extended photo shoots!

  21. Photography is something that i love and want to make it my profession..!!

  22. GuNs says:

    LOL seriously hilarious man. These photographers seem to reach a higher level of power when they have all their prey enclosed within a wedding hall. Its like a big cage full of hundreds of preys for him. He ‘shoots’ them while they walk, talk, eat, sneeze, gawk at opposite sex etc. and then publish all that as proof and charge money for it. 🙂

    -PeAcE
    –WiTh
    —GuNs

  23. Jeevan says:

    Even after marriage some couple use to have photographers for their honeymoon (I saw a couple in kodai giving varies romancing pose to get there desire complete by the photographer click).

    Neat post and beautiful shot.

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