When it comes to wedding photography, we are all a little lost. How to pose, where to look and what to do are constant questions running through our mind when we are staring at the camera.  Owner of Studio U, Kushantha Hewapathirana, takes us through the average day of a wedding photographer.

 

 

I got to know photography when I was a school boy.  Actually we had a photography club in our school. I participated in many exhibitions and events at school. After A/L’s, before entering the university, I started to do wedding photography but not in a professional level. After finishing my degree from University of Jayewardene, I started Studio U in 2004 and that’s how I got into it professionally.

 

Yes, I personally like to take more creative natural shots, rather than forcing the couple to do silly things like jumping around. Even in the events, we like to keep a low profile and try to take more natural shots. 

 

We’ll we start the shoot from the bridal dressing point and then move to capture the groom and the best men getting ready. This will take around one hour. Later on, we move to location shoots in the hotel premises or sometimes to another location. This will take around two hours. But we make sure to finish the photo-shoot 30 minutes earlier to the event since the couple and the bridal party need to get ready for that. When the event starts, it gets bit busy for us since we need to capture that single moment because that is what will be left in the end. So we do our best to capture those unforgettable moments as much as we can. Then it’s the going away where we have to capture the emotions since they are priceless. We wait until the couple leave the hotel to capture every moment.

 

Actually we do a highly risky task because we are capturing the best and the most unforgettable day of two people. So we can’t miss anything, and also that’s the best thing that we can do for them because those moments that we capture are truly unforgettable and will be with them for a life time.

 

Well every wedding that I cover I do it as my own, so every event is unforgettable for me as well. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment because there are so many events that come in to my mind.

 

 

 

My advice to them is that to be prepared for the day, have a matching theme to the couple and the bridal crew since it's a really crucial factor when taking pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MUST KNOWS FOR THE PERFECT WEDDING PICTURES

 

 

1. Do your homework early: About a year before your wedding date, start your search by asking recent couples you know for recommendations and start browsing websites and blogs.
 

2. Set up a Meeting: Try to set up an in-person meeting. You should feel comfortable with this person because they'll be shadowing your every move on your wedding day and interacting with all of your guests.
 

3. Compare Packages: Ask about what's included in the standard package, plus any additional fees. In particular, find out how many hours of shooting are included. 
 

4. Confirm Your Shooter(s): Larger studios may have more than one photographer on staff, and depending on your contract, the lead one may not be the one shooting your day. Since every professional has a different style, technique and personality, you need to make sure the photographer you interview and "click" with will be the same one who works your wedding.
 

 

 
 

6. Providing a List of "Don't Takes”: Let the photographer know before the wedding if there are certain photos you don't like. 
 

7. Getting a Second Shooter: The second photographer offers another unique point of view throughout the entire day that you would not have had photographed.