So I dun really know where to start this from. First of all does anyone know any good professional desi videographers & photographers in Chicago?
I have nine months to go for my wedding & have started looking around for these two services. So far I have just browsed on internet.
I registered on this website Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding Cakes, Photographers, Disc Jockeys, Videographers @ WedPlan. & 7 people have contacted me. The only problem is I dunno what to ask them & what I should be looking for. Also everyone who contacted me was obviously not a Desi.
I know some people hire non desi people for this. How do u guys go on abt what to capture & what not to capture. Also everywhere I see the pricing starts with an 8 hr work. Now our weddings r typically 3 days . I was actually thinking abt getting Mayoun recorded as well.
What do I ask them regarding pricing? Also can a non desi person really do the job?
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
i wud say non-desi can probably do even better… i dont think it should matter… look at their work, if u like it, go for it…
I had a desi fotographer for my wedding and no complaints from me.. a few other girls here (sgc and pakifairy i think) had non-desi fotogs and their pics are really nice, very different from typical desi style fotography as well
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
being a wedding photographer myself, I don't think it matters wether the photographer is desi or not. as long as you are happy with their style of work i.e. they may do a lot of formal pics such as people always looking at the camera for a picture, or they may do a lot of reportage work or journalistic work.
I suppose it really depends on what you want your album to look like. I would say however that if you decide to use a non desi person, you must let them know of the customs and the ceremonies and what things are extremely important for you to have as part of your memories.
In my experience I have seen some goray photographers do some amazing work at asian weddings however some desi photographers get very lazy and only capture things that they feel that is important.
so it really depends on the photographer and how particular you are, if you are looking for really good photographer then I recommend that you book one as soon as you find one that you like.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
You should take a look at their samples first. For my mehendi I had a non desi guy do it and they came out pretty nice. I will post up pics later as soon as I get a break from all this studying :-(
For my wedding I had a desi guy and personally those came out better because well they know what to capture more such as family members, teeka, jewellry, as opposed to a non desi photographer/videographer who in my opinion spends more time trying to capture the details, satge,decorations, etc.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
i think a good photographer is a good photographer, regardless of cultural background. our photographers were amazing and so enthusiastic about photographing my mehendi and wedding as it was such a different experience for them. i gave them the breakdown of the main rasmein (joota churrai, feeding mithai, entrance into the hall, etc.) and they were there for every little bit of the evening. there were two of them so they covered everything from details to "moments" to rasmein. i'd say go with your gut- if you like someone's style, hire them and trust them. give them the info they'll need and then sit back and let them do their jobs- they're pro's for a reason, you know? my pics are in an album on GS in case you want to take a look.
in terms of what to ask- get all the info you can for pricing, hourly rates, will they be there themselves or send an assistant? how many photogs do you get for how long? what is included in the package- is it digital work with all your pics on cd, or do you get an album and copies in print? are the proofs unmarked? do the rights to the pictures belong to you or to them? how much deposit to secure them, and how/when do they want final payment?
and of course, the bigest thing is, make sure you like them and get along with them. a photographer who gets on your nerves will not be someone you'll trust- and the last thing you need is the stress of wondering if they're doing a good job or not.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
^I agree, completely! When I was talking to that Taimur guy to cover my wedding, and told him I had shortlisted two more people, one female desi photog and one gora, his response was: 'I would be better than both of them because well, a gora cannot capture a desi wedding.' Seriously, what nonsense. It's not like they are going to vanish when you're doing the rasams, etc.. they will still be there. Infact, I have seen non-desi photogs being more excited about covering a cultural wedding and try their best to capture everything possible.
Once you hire them, you should sit down with them, show them pictures/poses, explain to them what exactly you are looking for and what you DON'T want. It becomes very easy once you communicate and they understand what exactly you're looking for.
Awww SGC! Thanks for the detailed answer. U r such a princess. What does unmarked proofs mean? Also I have read so much abt yr wedding & would love to see the pictures. Can u pls tell me where I can find the link for yr wedding album on GS?
From above answers it seems like I should maybe try a gora person. I know Desis can be stubborn & "Nak Chiray" at times( no offense) but then they know our customs better too. On the other hand I m thinking non desi & the whole excitement to cover a cultural wedding will keep the photographer alert at all times?
Shay I was really thinking abt getting a team where I can probably get a male & a female. So all the religious ladies won't get uncomfortable & I can get the girls' dances covered as well. But u have changed my mind now. More confusion :S lol. Crazy me.
Affy what does reportage work or journalistic work means? I m sorry people I know I m asking too many questions. But I dunno much abt photography except posing in front of the digital camera.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
From Chicago, check out Zeerum Images (www.zeerum.com) it's really good. Another great photo/video service is Sejal Photos on Devon Ave(2707 W Devon Ave, (773) 761-3279)
If you're on a budget then check Vista Vision's work too. www.vvpro.com (I had my wedding video/photos taken by them and they did a nice job)
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
^ shay’s photog was awesome and she travels as well… perhaps you could contact her?
reportage, photojournalistic, or documentary-style shots are not the typical posed shots where everyone stands around the stage- its more fluid and natural and the pics are captured as people go about their wedding business.
for example, this is the website for my photographers - Boyfriend/Girlfriend l Professional Wedding Photography
if you scroll down a bit, you’ll see another pakistani wedding they recently shot. they do a mix of posed and photojournalistic shots, and they travel too. maybe you could email them to find out their rates- however, as with most photogs who travel, you’d have to pay to fly them in and put them up somewhere.
send me a friend request to see my album on GS cos of the privacy settings
when they give you one printout of all your pics after the wedding - usually these are 4x6 pictures- these are called your proofs… some photogs will put their obnoxious, annoying logos on them, so you can’t usually use those pictures for anything other than ordering prints from them. the best thing is to make sure the proofs are unmarked so you can put them in your wedding album perhaps or distribute to family/friends, and that you own the copyright to your pictures (so you dont have to pay the photog to make your prints later on), and that you get all your files on DVD (most photogs shoot digitally now). this way, you’re not tied to the photographer and their prices for printing- you can take your cd to somewhere like costco or somewhere more upscale if you wish, to get them printed as many times as you want and pay whatever price works for you.
what i put down in my initial emails when i was researching all of this (feels like forever ago, but was last year!) was if they were available for the date, and if so, what their hourly rates were and what this included. i would also specify that it was a cultural wedding and there was more than one event that would need coverage just so they’d know beforehand that i would need a custom package to cover the mehendi and shaadi. i find more events also gives you a bit more leverage for negotiation in terms of price. since you want a male and female photographer, i would specify this too to make sure both were available.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
sgc, I just LOVE your photopgrapher's work....he captures moments beautifully. Brilliant work he has done. Oh and I spotted a pic of you on the website too. MashAllah you looked so cute!:)
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
I myself have hired a gori photographer..she is awesome and very approachable..
As long as they are good..regardless of their nationality...you should definitely consider them.
also discuss all the details so they can have a better understanding of what you are wanting. The can give you a discount package deal or something of that sort...
write down allll the poses, the ideas...the possible shots....and give a copy to the photographer...i have emailed mine soooo many examples over the past several months.....she was very excited...and i agree..they get really excited and cover the events diligently...IMO.
Re: Can Non Desi Photographers really Capture our Desiness?
on a general note about the poses and instructions to photogs - i think it's OK to give them a guideline of what you're looking for, but if they specialize in candid photography, sometimes its best to just let them be and trust that they're doing what they're good at. if they're busy following your list, they'll be missing out on the spontaneous photography that they're good at.
granted, you might not get every single pose you wanted, but you'll probably end up with a hell of a lot more "moments" than you thought and likely, that you'll probably have missed at the event cos you'll be the bride, sitting up on stage, while they prowl around with their cameras.
or you could just save the posing for your own shoot with them and your family, and aside from the rasmein, let them be at the other events so they can get what they're looking for.
thanks CA! there were actually two of them, boy and girl. they just shot a close friend's wedding last saturday, and they're doing another friend's wedding next summer- can't wait to see what they've come up with!
i dont think it should matter… look at their work, if u like it, go for it…
