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Photographer Gautam Khullar shares his experience of capturing an intimate wedding at home while practicing social distancing
Wedding Photography & Films, Wedding Planning - May 21, 2020
Amongst other things, one of the most important virtues the current global situation has re-instated in us is to value love and our family over everything else. There is no denying the allure of royal festivities, but weddings are intrinsically about the love and lifelong commitment between two people and their families. Megha and Tushar commemorated their eternal love with a beautiful intimate home ceremony that was captured by WeddingSutra Favorite – Gautam Khullar Photography. In a tete-e-tete with the talented photographer, he shared his experience with us.
1. What does it take to shoot in the time of a pandemic?
“Like everything else in the current scenario, social distancing and health measures are key. While a wedding, although in a home setting, still involves a lot of aspects and rituals that make social distancing a challenge, combined efforts and a healthy understanding from us, as well as our clients are necessary.”
2. How has your style of working changed due to the current scenario?
“While every player in the wedding industry is experiencing unprecedented lows in business, intimate home ceremonies held with care and caution as per government guidelines are presenting opportunities for the continuity of our work. Not only are they helping us navigate the situation, they are also paving the way for us to adapt our work to this new reality that may exist for some time to come. Cautionary measures have been adopted in our day to day work and will continue to persist even after the pandemic.”
3. How did you manage social distancing at Megha & Tushar’s wedding? What measures did you take to ensure safety while working?
“As mentioned before, carrying out necessary rituals and customs did make social distancing challenging but we did our best to uphold it, by reducing crowding wherever possible. We were sanitized properly, and all necessary precautions were taken on arrival with regards to our equipment. Sanitizers continued to be used abundantly throughout the function. Everyone including us and the family wore masks at all times and we also used gloves throughout.”
4. Any Tips for fellow photographers about maintaining etiquette, safety and hygiene?
“Like everything else, risk can never be eradicated completely, but we can do our utmost best to minimize it. Ensure clear guidelines with your clients about expectations and safety measures so you are on the same page. Use of sanitizers, gloves and masks need to be integrated into your activities. Make sure to sanitize your equipment wherever possible and ensure minimal touching, and if possible, even don protective plastic sheets as clothing covers which can work as double protection.”
5. Since intimate weddings with social distancing might get stressful, how do you capture a couple’s best moments and emotions? What do you focus on?
“With guest lists limited to just family in intimate gatherings, and the lack of extravagant festivities, the planning is definitely scaled to a calmer and stress-free environment, as our clients can solely focus on the joyous union. This automatically leads us to beautiful candid moments that are certainly more relaxed and happier, allowing us to focus on the love between two people and their families. We personally try to focus more on moments which a couple would like to see, rather than what we want. Also, we always try to put ourselves in our client’s shoes and deliver content accordingly.”
6. Any special moments you’d like to mention from Megha & Tushar’s wedding?
“We thoroughly loved every bit of the wedding. They were extremely inviting and considerate towards everybody. We especially loved the fact that everything from the welcome drinks and snacks, to the main course, was home cooked. Even the decor was conceptualized and created at home from existing items, ensuring zero contamination from outside objects. The highlight of the experience was when the bride entered, everyone swiveled their laptops towards her to enable 150 of their guests to witness the nuptials virtually.”
Conclusion
“As photographers, our sole aim is to preserve our client’s moments for eternity in exactly the way they wish. And while most Indian weddings are about grand festivities, this intimate affair exposed us to a whole new dimension of celebrations. Tying the knot in the presence of your loved ones as you talk, cook, dance and spend the whole day together, was a surreal reminder that happiness exists in the little moments that we can create ourselves. It is a lesson we have re-learnt in this scenario, and we need to carry it with us in the future.”
