The January wedding season is here again, and while invitations are on the flow, so are some truly bizarre requests for wedding photographers.
These people are the unsung heroes who make your big day look picture perfect. But as these photographers share their most awkward and irritating experiences, one thing is clear: not all requests are worth capturing!
A few wedding photographers reveal what they’ve been asked to do, and what might just make them politely decline.
‘Can you make us brighter?’ Fair & lovely debate
Bipradip Chakraborty, 36, a wedding photographer from Kolkata, shared one of the most awkward requests he had to face: “Can you please make our pictures brighter since we are dusky?”
While photographers aim to highlight your natural beauty, altering your skin tone isn’t exactly their job.
“So I always wanted to wear a red-golden Benarasi but I bought a red-silver saree. Can you please edit my wedding pictures and make the saree red-golden in all the pictures,” Chakraborty added, highlighting another odd plea.
And what request irritates him the most? “Shooting people while they’re eating,” he said. “I mean, does anyone even want to see themselves mid-bite?”
Instagram dreams gone too far
Abhishek Goel, 25, wedding photographer from the Delhi National Capital Region, rued how some couples want to turn their wedding into a social media replica.
“It’s not uncommon for couples to compare their wedding to picture-perfect celebrations they’ve seen on Instagram or Pinterest. Our job is to highlight that individuality, not create a copy-paste event,” he said.
“One of the most weird requests I face is when guests insist on having their pictures taken with their phones, only to miss out on professional shots. While we completely understand the excitement, it can sometimes disrupt our workflow,” he added.
Public displays of awkwardness
Nitesh Valecha, 24, a wedding photographer from Lucknow, said exaggerated PDA during photoshoots takes the awkward cake.
“Some couples ask for unusual poses that leave everyone uncomfortable. I believe keeping it natural and tasteful works wonders,” he said,
What frustrates him? Families rushing through couple shoots. “In the chaos of rituals, we’re expected to deliver art in 10 minutes!”
The superhuman photographer myth
Sambaran Kumar Pal, 35 a wedding photographer from Chandannagar near Kolkata, underlined that photographers don’t have superpowers, even if they have editing software.
“Whether it’s making them look tall and slim or fixing makeup, some couples believe Photoshop is magic!”
His issue with requests? Last-minute shoots post-dinner when exhaustion shows on everyone’s face.
“I feel actually irritated when usually the couples wants shoot after they are done with dinner, because their make-up gets heavily affected and that effects the mood of the photo. And then comes another weirdest request of all, ‘You guys are photographers so you know Photoshop so you can fix it.’ Like, really? You guys are hiring a photographer not a photo editor,” he added
Social media obsession
Surjayan Mukherjee, 30, a wedding photographer from Kolkata, also stressed on the challenges of social media-inspired demands. “Frequent interruptions, pose changes and requests to replicate unrealistic photos derail the schedule.”
And then there’s over-the-top wait. “Some of the clients used to give me early morning call time and most of the time I've to wait a couple of hours which was very irritating.”
Missing guests and crying brides
Siladitya Dutta, 37, a wedding photographer from Kolkata, recalled an absurd request. “My friend could not attend the wedding, can you add him in the group picture? Can you edit some fireworks in the pictures and videos?”
But what really irritates him: “Retouching the eye make up, since the bride cried a lot during the wedding and the kajal washed away.”