According to Wikipedia, wedding photography is the photography of activities relating to weddings. It encompasses photographs of the couple before marriage (for announcements, portrait displays, or thank you cards) as well as coverage of the wedding and reception. It is a major commercial endeavor that supports the bulk of the efforts for many photography studios or independent photographers. Like the technology of photography itself, the practice of wedding photography has evolved and grown since the invention of the photographic art form in 1826.
But hey, the above gyaan wasn’t good enough and I wanted to be enlightened further… straight from the horse’s mouth.
Jodi Clickers has been ranked 2nd in India and 13th Worldwide in the Best Newcomer Category at the Wedding Experts Awards 2013. They are among the best 6 in the industry as per The Exhibit magazine – August 2012 edition and have been featured in The Economic Times, Bengaluru, April 2013 as an offbeat career option. Having heard so much about the super talented team and personally loving the work they’ve presented; I had the honour of interviewing the man behind it all, Mr. Abhishek Behani.
As we concluded, I realised wedding photography is one career option that’s challenging enough and involves a whole lot of hard work alongside fun and exciting activities. Read on to know more.
TGLP: What is Jodi Clickers all about?
AB (Abhishek Behani): Jodi Clickers is all about capturing candid elements of a wedding through stills as well as video (JC Motion Pictures). The style is modern – contemporary with a mix of fashion. The objective is to make the work refreshing, innovative and offer each client personal boutique style service.
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| The JC core team |
TGLP: Share the early beginnings of Jodi Clickers with us.
AB: It is when the IT firm which I was working with, was sailing through rough waters and failed to pay my compensation, that the idea to pursue my passion crossed my mind.
Jodi Clickers (JC) began with a not so well structured vision or mission. I tried my hands at a friend’s wedding, contemplating to decide on the future path depending on the acceptability of the outcome. Fortunately, my work was very well appreciated and thus began the laying down of the foundation stone of Jodi Clickers. JC’s core team is led by Monisha Ajgaonkar who has also been a pillar of support since its inception.
TGLP: What kind of camera / gear does the team use?
AB: We are a bunch of Canon fans at JC. The entire team works on Canon 5D Mark III along with few block lenses (28mm, 50mm and 85 mm). The other requisites are 16-35 mm, 24-70 mm and 70-200 mm lenses. We cannot undermine the importance of Blackrapid straps which are very useful due to long hours of shoot.
TGLP: Which is your favorite lens and why?
AB: My favorite lens is the 50 mm 1.2 f/stop. It keeps you at a good interactive distance and yet allows the subject to be comfortable and undisturbed.
TGLP: How would you describe Jodi Clicker’s style?
AB: The style is candid and contemporary. We sincerely believe that images captured at a wedding are best appreciated and long remembered when the shots are taken in moments unknown to the subject and yet epitomizes the sanctity of human emotions. This is the only notion that I embed in myself and in the minds of my team when we embark on a project.
TGLP: On an average, how many weddings does Jodi Clickers capture per year?
AB: An average number would be 25-30 weddings in a year. We don’t undertake more than 3 projects in a month.
TGLP: How do you’ll manage to make the bride, groom and everyone else comfortable in front of the camera?
AB: Well, posing for the camera isn’t easy for many people. Rather it is quite intimidating for many. We completely endorse the fact that if you have booked a session with us, despite the level of anxiety, about the quality of pictures, is evidence of your strong desire for a great set of images. We believe in an approximate male – female ratio while forming our team for respective projects. This mostly helps our clients to be more comfortable while explaining their individual preferences.
One of our key advantages is that we have a very young team. The average age of the team is 25 years. We start interacting with the couple months before the wedding, meet them over coffee, drinks; meet their key family members over lunch / dinner – this helps in building relationships that supersede that of being just a vendor. After each project, we emerge having made friends that stay with us for long time to come.
TGLP: How important is the use of Photoshop in the final images?
AB: We do not Photoshop the images as much. Most of our color corrections and editing work is done in Light Room. Since most of the photography is done in natural light, we use such software tools to bring the entire dreamy and lively effect. Wedding photography is very spontaneous and so such applications are required to correct the pictures to a certain extent.
TGLP: What do you feel is the most challenging thing about wedding photography?
AB: There are no retakes in this genre of photography. A moment if missed cannot be re-created with the same intensity in emotional quotient – and this brings upon the biggest challenge to be sure of every movement of the index finger. One has to be convinced in fixing the frame in the mind within fraction of seconds; otherwise one can miss out on an image which could have been frozen with time.
TGLP: Among all your projects, which one is your favorite? Why?
AB: Fortunately all the projects executed so far have been very enriching. It is commonly said that there is a learning every day, and for us this hasn’t been any exception.
There has been huge value addition to the expertise of the entire team all along. We have attempted to execute projects ranging from those that are brief, concise and epigrammatic to ones that are most elaborate, vast and expansive showcasing grandeur and affluence. In both cases, it is our priority to capture nuances that fascinate the beholder even years after the event.
The latest project where Aanchal Kumar (Super model and actor) married Anupam Mittal (founder of shaadi.com), was one such event where we have taken some extensive shots of the couple on the backdrop of the picturesque Jaipur and some stunning pictures at their sangeet.
TGLP: What do you think of the wedding photography industry at the moment and where do you see it in 5 years from now?
AB: Though we’d not like to commercialize the institution of marriage by lending it the flavor of a successful business model, it has already been established by few stalwarts in the market that this is an industry (specifically in our country) which is recession proof.
It is worthwhile to note that we do not have the accreditation of having footprints in the celluloid world or the arena of ad-films, as some of our friends in the industry – yet we have been fairly successful in the short tenure for which we have existed. We draw an insurmountable amount of confidence from the array of acknowledgements over the brief tenure and believe that with more emphasis on updating our equipment base and an expanding and efficient talent pool, the sky is the limit in the years to come. JC is at an inflection point, and with the right attitude and the continued word of mouth publicity, we expect to see our top lines grow in arithmetic progression.
TGLP: What advice do you have for somebody who wants to pursue wedding photography?
AB: I was always very passionate about street photography. The genre is extremely candid. Going around streets of Mumbai, experiencing things happening around you, moments that are never going to repeat, what you see and immediately frame in your mind has been my inspiration since inception. I believe once somebody can harness this skill set, you’re at the starting point of the race.
There isn’t any pre-defined set of rules to create magnificent images that can be put down in paragraphs and propagated to aspirants. Photography is more of a feeling which the executor has the potential to express, which differentiates him and which the world easily relates to, thus appreciating the excellence.
On a more convenient note, it is always easier to begin with covering assignments like friends’ weddings and also by assisting some established photographers in the industry.
Contact Details:
Jodi Clickers, A – 1203, Dattani Shelter, Oshiwara Industrial Estate, Goregaon West, Pin – 400 104
Phone: 022 4004 3344 | 9702524334
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jodiclickers
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