The curious karobar of pre-wedding shoots

It's been a while since the Valentine hubbub, but you can probably still lip-sync to that ridiculously catchy song from stand-up comedian Abish Mathew's parody of pre-wedding photoshoots. For many, the humour would be self-deprecating, as thanks to the great Indian obsession with rose-tinted love journals, most of us have either posed for, contemplated, or witnessed a kin posing for the purpose.

Stylised for couples prior to their 'D Day' in an artistically fashioned environment, pre-wedding shoots usually boast of a theme or a story-like, distinct from the olden documentary style. Whether you're groaning at the social pressure of yet another wedding shenanigan or eagerly embracing it, the sheer volume of takers for the desi version of 'engagement photoshoot' indicates that while the fake-goggled coochie-cooing of Mathew's video is a reality, there exists a less clichéd, aesthetically inspired school of pre-wedding shoots—one that has led the industry to grow exponentially in the last five years.

Band Baaja Backdrop

Hear it from Delhi-based wedding photographer Arjun Kartha, whose eponymous photography outfit evolved with the "complete Renaissance that hit the field around 2009". Kartha sees pre-wedding photography as an intermeshing of Indian aspirations and globalised tastes. Clients, he says, come armed with "ideas from international magazines or American save-the-dates they've seen on social media". Equipped with high-end tools and creative themes such as royal, heritage, architectural or street style, Kartha easily gauges the couple's natural taste and personalises the shoot. "It's better if they have a definite story. A couple who shared the same bench at their B-school is usually easier to shoot than one going in for an arranged marriage—but that's where the photographer comes in," he explains.

C for Chemistry

Basically, in the world of pre-wedding shoots, it is the photographer's prerogative to identify, capture and capitalize on the couple's internal chemistry. Vinayak Das, co-founder of wedding photography brand Photo Tantra, can swear that camaraderie between between couples and the photographer is as essential as it is between the to-be-married. "The photographer has to establish a relationship with the couple, where s/he can be brutally honest about what would work on camera, and what wouldn't," Das points out. While some of his clients walk in with popular concepts in mind—retro Bollywood, underwater, Jodha Akbar or even Great Gatsby—it is Das' job to ease them into a state of unpretentiousness so their original personalities translate into a shoot that's non-generic and crackling with the big 'C'. And what if there's none at all? You know, chemistry? "Oh, then we're in for trouble!" Das laughs.

B for Budget

If C is for Chemistry, B stands for the boast-worthy budgets that couples appear to flaunt. While Akash Agarwal of the Mumbai-based team WeddingNama insists that the expenditure varies based on client needs, Kartha hints at a range of Rs 1-4 lakh, and Das quotes Rs 4 lakh for a multi-day shoot. But that doesn't mean you can't do a pre-wedding shoot unless you have big pockets. "There are brands that catering to clients with different budgets and tastes," says Agarwal. Indeed, a bit of browsing around, and it wasn't hard those charging Rs 40,000-80,000.

Don't say cheese

Does a smaller budget mean risking cheesy-ness? Not according to Agarwal. "Prices increase due to factors like exotic locations, and not necessarily expensive equipment. A guy with a Rs 30,000 camera and good skills can have something good to offer as well," he quips, insisting that the so-called cliche shoots exist because plenty of people like it that way. "But the general taste is shifting from orchestrated to natural".

Trouble on spot

Even as Paris, Ladakh, Udaipur and Phuket are named from a pool of camera-friendly locations, the photographers are unanimous on the hassles of shooting in public spaces in India. Kartha explains, "The government recognizes only commercial shoots (eg: ads) or non-commercial ones. Since a pre-wedding shoot is technically neither, we are routinely stopped, especially near monuments." The harassment doesn't stop there, with middle-men and extortionists seeing it as a money-making opportunity.

Been there, didn't pose like that

"It's only awkward if you you make it out to be," shrugs 28-year-old Ritwika Nath Ray, who slips into fond memories of her shoot two years ago, where she "just wore a pretty dress, took a walk with the fiance and came home with some fun moments and frames". Stalking her social media feed on a whim proves reassuring. Even Mathew can't miss the glee shining through these photographs.