The second wave is directly affecting the peak wedding season with photographers facing cancellations.
Bangalore: The raging coronavirus and its effect on the economy has hit wedding photographers hard. Photographers say it is becoming difficult for them to manage family expenses. Shivaprakash Rao, manager of a wedding photography company said, “Clients used to opt for packages of one lakh rupees which now have come down to Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 or to a maximum of Rs 50,000.” He said people are opting for smaller events with fewer guests and are looking for single photographers and videographers.”
Wedding photography has evolved over the years. According to BusinessInsider, the Indian wedding photography industry is currently estimated at $25-$30 billion dollars. It was growing at around 20 to 25 percent annually before the pandemic.
Mr. Soumya, who has his daughter’s wedding lined up in the coming months, said he intends to have a lavish wedding for her daughter. “But unfortunately limited funds means we have to cut down on many things including photographers and musicians.”
Wedding photography has changed from representational images to candid photography over the years. Now, a wedding photography package includes pre-wedding shoots, cinematic videos, albums, post-wedding shoots, drones, live streaming among others.
People want the original moments captured in real-time. Subhangi R, someone who wants to get married soon said, “The candid photographers capture the actual mood that is something I love. Weddings are special and I find it very important to be stored, captured, and shot.”The wedding season in Bangalore is from April to June. However, with the second wave hitting the city along with added restrictions, photographers are worried about losing their contracts due to cancellations.
