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Prakash Tilokani- on what is important in Wedding Photography
Wedding Photography & Films - Aug 23, 2013
Wedding Photographer Prakash Tilokani is a role model for thousands of Wedding Photographers in India. With an enviable client base and a relationship as the ‘family’ photographer to several high profile business families Tilokani has photographed weddings almost all over the world. Based in Delhi and Baroda (his home town), Tilokani, who was fascinated with the camera since he was a little boy, has photographed weddings of every scale and size- simple Gujarati weddings to spectacular extravaganzas in Europe and South Africa. Such is his relationship with several prominent personalities, that some of them call him first just after a wedding is fixed in the family. “Wedding Planners may change depending on the destination, but in India, the tradition of family wedding photographers continues”, says Tilokani who has photographed over 10 weddings of some joint families. “Of course, a lot has changed too and as photographers we cannot rest on the comfortable relationship we enjoy. The brief or the creative demands of the younger generation is quite different today- earlier photography was an exercise that involved presenting a large showcase of formal portraits and ensuring every family member and important guest is featured in the albums”.
So what are the expectations of his high profile clients? “A wedding is a high-involvement occasion for all families, regardless of their budget, but my clients spend a lot more time and money for each of their many events, so naturally they want photos that depict the ‘grand event’ and which highlight the ‘minute’ details too. It is always an insightful experience to view their response to the albums when on occasion I present it personally- besides reliving the happy moments, they are excited to view the details- the labels of rare wines and liquor imported specially for the event, the hand crafted designer cutlery or the bride’s hair accessories. Obviously no client will tell me what minute details they’d like to see, but I know they’d expect to see all this after the wedding.”
While Tilokani is happy that a number of young, talented professionals are venturing into wedding photography he has a word of advice for them. “It takes a lot of efforts to build a relationship with families, and while it might be easy to get one-off assignments, your success will depend on a combination of factors- talent and creativity, interpersonal skills, patience with handling family members, and discipline to deliver photos and albums as per the time schedule. Don’t take on an assignment unless you can be sure of all this.” He shares his inputs for clients too: “There are so many Photographers in India today- each one of them have their own strengths, but make sure the service provider is well equipped, technically strong and someone you are comfortable with- then give them your full trust to build beautiful images. Don’t hire someone only because you are impressed with their presentation skills or because they are charging lesser than someone whose work you love. Wedding is the one time when most people get to work with a very talented photographer so take a wise decision.”
Tilokani tells us how his relationship with clients changes over a period of time. “During the first few meetings the talk is strictly professional, and quite often, later we become friends. And they don’t hesitate to ask us for advice on matters weddings, and the talk rarely centers about photography alone. After the wedding they try to keep in touch or make an effort to come up to say hello when they see us at work at other weddings. And since they know we interact with so many families, they ask us to recommend a suitable match for their near and dear ones too.” Tilokani may have loved the camera since he was a little child, but even after started his career as a wedding photographer, he may have never imagined that one day he would be an adviser on matters weddings!
Prakash Tilokani will be conducting talk sessions about his journey in the world of Wedding Photography. To know more and to register visit
https://www.facebook.com/events/383295408438857/
