Wedding Photographers Khaga Fatehpur

 Hi there welcome to photographers rolling film  this week I'm here with Wedding Photography khaga fatehpur  - Pramod Yadav wedding photographer hi there well yeah very well thank you thanks for being here can you women tell us a bit about how you got into wedding photography and what you did before that yeah cool yes so thanks having me first as it's an honor to be here it's great yes so I guess there's quite a lot of people really I got into this I guess client by mistake but I just took my camera along to a few

friends weddings not as a main photographer you know just as they're kind of like friendly with a camera and took some images and they put their alright and it was my wife really who then kind of wanted me to do it kind of pushed me into it kind of thought it's all the pound sign potential in it but I'm so glad I'm so glad she did as well so my background at that time I was doing for you know so search and in search engine not talk I'm and say it now search engine optimization so that was you know really really handy for me to have that kind of knowledge so I put the website up and with that knowledge I was able to rank quite quickly and it went from from from there really so I mean my it's like my sixth you know seventh yeah something like that so

I guess still quite early days for me as well but yeah I'm enjoying it in his haste I can't imagine being in a day job doing now it's good to is you know it's alright at a time but this is just so so much better yeah yeah you always had that kind of creative street do you think - okay computer go down that road yeah I mean I guess so I mean it's photography's since I was like 16 and my dad bought my first kinda store camera and loved it from then and you know before I did the  as well I had another kind of self-employed business so I used to write songs for people I used to have a website called give a song calm so I used to I know it so render is proper rendered I used to like people used to send me info about you know maybe their girlfriend or their wife and you know how they met or whatnot and I would write a song and then record it as well unlike guitar and other instruments I think yeah they would give it as a gift and stuffy yeah and I'd like a few other songwriters like work for me on a freelance thing so they would write in different styles and things

yeah so I guess I'm creative that way yeah I've never been good at kind of maybe working for other people so much really not cuz I'm a tyrant but you know I just like I liked it I don't know having control it's just like yeah I just don't I just don't get on with working for other people so much yeah yeah yeah yeah I did busk okay I bassed in Fatehpur Uttar-Pradesh as well like I've done that so I had a busking license which was cool yeah so I guess I've been yeah me at the creativity for music and photography as well I guess so you live in true or no yes is that what you're originally from and you know it so I'm from the Midlands yeah I'm like I'm from me yeah just south of Khaga fatehpur I am yeah and my wife grow up down here so that's why we're down here oh yeah that's a beautiful part that contrasts amazing yeah but it's just a pain for weddings because I gonna do about like four or five weddings in Khaga fatehpur

yeah so all the other weddings like most weekends I'm travelling really because he's right in the very tip of it well that's a you know easy once you start traveling you're like so what we've done into the far corner in the country as beautiful as it is but then you're traveling must be quite it totally yeah it is it's mad so when you started out how does that compare to sort of where we are now in terms of the number of weddings from when you started and also then price points as well yes I mean I started obviously low price points which i think is really valid way to get into the industry you know to build your kind of newer experience next 40 so I starts off the first wedding so I was doing like INR I think it's probably seven pound I remember doing my first fight India you know I'd never shopped before I never shot a wedding I'd never done any second shooting I was kind of all self-taught so I learnt from you know loads of internet articles and books and things and I thought I just need to go for it I know it's very valid that some people get into the industry by second shooting which is yeah that's totally fine way of doing it but for me

I just felt lighter to go for it which might sound a bit reckless but I just think in some some things in life you know it's have to go for obviously I felt like I was competent enough but I remember I was so scared but on that second go off in tenders but the second shooting thing is I do see some people do a lot of second shooting for like one and they end up having the exact same style as that photographer so and I think in this industry it's so important because it's it's it's so saturated now to have your own style your own calling really distinctive kind of style so anyway that was off on a tangent yeah so the first few weddings I did cheaply like that to build up my experience so I probably in my first yeah it was like I started it started midway through the year probably it's like six seven or something and then the following yeah I know I quit I was lucky and I quickly went up to like 20 odd you know and then I put my prices up quite in big chunks in a very pretty every five hundred pounds at a time I did add on a very boring practical business level you know once not because I thought right I'm this good now or I I deserve to be at this point so I think spit city I did it once

I got a certain number of weddings booked in for the following year I then put my prices up by like five hundred pound because I got that guaranteed income and you might as well try you know he's because I know a massive firm believer in that in life that you need to try things because you never know otherwise the worst guy that can happen is that you have to put your prices down you know but you never know unless you put your prices up yes so but then so for the last couple of years I'm at the same price point now which was is two-and-a-half grand for the ten hours which is you know mad I think it's amazing that anyone would pay more than like 150  to me so it's like it's awesome and I shoot about 30 weddings a year stay into the vet threshold yeah what is there a reason why you stay under that yes I just I just don't want to be dealing with the vet threshold you know like having to you know you have to work more really for a similar amount of money or you have to really really you know you have to shoot probably like 45 to 50 weddings at that price point to really make it worthwhile to be over the vertical there so know I'm very happy with what you know but you know I would do this job earning something like 20% of what I earn or something so it's just the money's a little bonus and the money really discussed my wife to spend on things I've nothing to spend money on so it's I hope she got here about I love it so in terms of it's interesting that you mentioned about the second shooters because there's a valid point that where as you know yourself when you just jump into it and you don't really have any kind of working knowledge of styles from weddings I'm assuming when you start out so you're almost sort of finding your own way was that it was that important for you

I think it really was really really important yeah yeah because as you say like you don't have that other point you don't have a photographer there to say all know you should be doing it this way or this is the way I do it so you have to approach things just how you want to do it right now you think it's the best in in that search of certain situation yes so I think yeah then that's a really really important way of growing your own style totally how would you describe that style yeah that's a good point it's always funny when you ask to think about your own work and how would I describe my style you know I do classify myself as very boring but as a documentary wedding photographer but a creative and hopefully an artistic as well and I do think with hopefully not sounding pretentious but I do think what we do is art you know is you know I think when you're hiring a wedding photographer you are it sounds again so pretentious but I'm really not pretentious but you are but it's like you're you are commissioning an artist really so I'm not saying you're a great artist and whatnot but that so I do I think my style is kind of artistic hopefully creative documentary and I know there are lots of people out there who class themselves documentary and I know it's a very kind of popular thing but I'm very i but I do also know quite a lot of documentary photographers who will you know if the makeup artist has chosen the Dinges corner in the room when you get into Bridal prep they will move the makeup artists or they were asked them makeup artist to repeat things and things and for me that is not documentary you know I think yeah that's for me that's just too much input and the clients who book me don't want that kind of control you know I know their dude the photographers are doing it for a good reason which is to move to get nicer

light to nicer imagery but for me I think that kind of sets the precedent then that you're going to be controlling things I just wanted to talk about the bride and groom just to be enjoying a day and not even being realizing me a photograph it's a really interesting point though with that kind of scenario because in a way without moving them do you think this kind of make it within that specific was circumstance it's making your job bit harder Oh totally is yes it totally is making our de but I think that's a challenge you know and is the challenge sticker and and that's throughout the whole day that's what I love about wedding photography khaga fatehpur is the challenge to get something creative and you don't know what's going to happen you know it's all on the fly so I never work from a shot list or anything like that and it is an extra challenge when it's harder lighting situations like there but it just makes you kind of work more and and I just think it would be the worst thing for me to step in and say can we move and do it over there because then suddenly it's about the wedding photographer and then I think then when the bride looks or the images should also remember you know being told to move or being told to repeat something so yeah I just thought I'd do that I wanted to touch on that that point there about it wedding photography being art which it which it is yeah yeah it is it is how I put this out there on our social media forum and had sort of mixed responses the majority saying that it's our other people just saying I just take photographs of weddings and a couple of others saying you know I don't know what what else you want it to be and my point of asking the question is not that I want it to be anything I'm just interested in how people perceive themselves and their work and if it's being deemed as art whether or not if you to take it more seriously or or not or still have fun with it you're not I mean and I think also it's a

Indian thing is that you don't want to become you don't want to come across as going I'm an artist now is that there yeah but it is it's and there shouldn't be ashamed of that no totally I think so many candid wedding photographer but ones that say I just turn up and take photos I think they they are you know that's very Indian and very kind of very modest but I know wedding photography has often been seen as kind of the lowest rung of korah like professional wedding photography but I just that is rubbish you know and either personally I don't like I don't get offended because I don't really care about many things in life but I don't like it when some wedding photographers say they're not a wedding photographer they're just their photographer who takes photos at weddings I find that very kind of pretentious and I think you putting down the industry of wedding photographers by saying that I think when you talk for I'm proud of it you know and it's incredibly creative in its artistic and even though people watching if people watch you they might think that I am pretentious by saying that but I think I go I don't think that I'm rude this all-important wedding photographer person you know I go along have fun but I said I'm having fun but I still just think it it is art you know otherwise why do it you know if you just you know if I think if you just turned up just pay the bills I think it all come across in your work you know you've got a really you have got it for the passion and the money side is just a good yes I defect yeah how do you think the industry has changed from from when you started out so you know I I read I hear a lot of people moaning about the state of the industry and saying that it's a lot harder to get bookings and it's too easy for people to become a wedding photographer you know they can just pick up a camera and and there's no kind of like certifications or any qualifications anybody can do it but for me I think that's a good thing and and you know I think it'd be really lame if everybody had to pass some collar test to become a wedding photographer and then everyone's work would just be the same I think it's what it's great about what we do is then the the low barrier to entry you know and and

of course over those six years the quality has got better I think massively industry-wide so it is more difficult but that keeps you on your toes you know it really does I know something else that people moan about is that there are workshops everyone is running a workshop you know I do I do be work so but you know for me it was one of the biggest things in my career was going to workshop quite early on it was i two-day workshop ADP is did like half a day on it as well and that was a massive massive thing for me massive eye-opener no I think that kind of leaped you know it's time and talk sorry I get silly excited it's so weird that was it that kind of is a big leap frog for me in my career going to that workshop me know I learned so much things I wouldn't have even probably thought about four years down the line so obviously there are loads of workshops so people are getting better and they're getting better quicker as well but yeah I just think it keeps you on your toes I do think somehow so in the industry I do think it became very cut it's become quite portrait centric I know there's lots of documentary as well but I think especially on social media I think because the big portraits you know the off-camera flash nighttime portraits everyone and their dog does them I think because they see other wedding photographers do them and they see that they attract lots of likes and comments so they know other people do it and it's kind of like this vicious cycle of people doing the same images day-in day-out and stuff so that's

I'm not soaking on that part and what I want to focus more back on though your documentary side of it really let's talk about this is repet eyes them which i think fits in quite nicely with that let's call it segue yeah seamlessly done it's like we almost plan this so let's just explain to everybody what this is this is repet ours is cool yes so this repet ours is something that I started back though it's been in web design for about a year it took ages though if my web devs are watching this you did did a great job do great they did a great job it just took so long and today but yeah there are lots of kind of awards and parties out there but I thought they were focusing too much on the portraiture side you know which the portraiture I think is a tiny amount of the day you know it's like five 10 15 minutes even if you do an hour which is loads even if some photographers do that but still a tiny percentage of the wedding but yet so many awards and kind of focuses on that kind of time of the bride and groom so I wanted something that was specifically about documentary about moments you know these I know it sounds like you know everybody says this but it's true no there's the moments matter most and that is what weddings that's what I love about weddings and I wanted a place where I could really just showcase like the world's best documentary images have awards for that but just for brides and grooms and to be able to go if they if they know that I really want there's a really good documentary wedding photographer then they can go to this reputation and find them and it's not though the sites not just for people who had it's not for people just pure documentary you know it's we're just showcasing that side of people's work the documentary so you know most photographers do some portraits or a couple time I myself do some what I call couple time images and and I still do some groups if people want that as well but this is repet eyes are just focusing on the documentary side of our work that's all yeah yeah so how would you sort of best explain it for wedding photographers they send work in for them to be voted on for it from one side of things or is it a direct rule yes so it that's part of it so it's both things so they can apply for membership on the site and then they get their own it was a random dog and so they can apply for membership on the site they get their own profile on the site we can unlimited images and galleries as well and every two months as well we have an award system which we're given awards for the best kind of single images but also we have like what we call in them I don't say we is it's it's a we are so you saying we but well it's now it's a huge community you know if you've got over 300 wedding photographers on there now it's only been going for months so there's lots of people and but we also do an award for a series of image from a single wedding so like 15 20 images from a single

wedding because again I think you know so much of wedding photography is focused on the stairs connard's single moments but I wanted to reward kind of award reward consistently creative captures throughout the day because that is so difficult you know to focus it's photograph a whole wedding from morning to evening at a really high kind of creative and a good storytelling kind of level so we have an award for that as well and the community is great we do kind of articles but everyone collaborates as well all those people collaborate and and also if you're learning about wedding documentary photography the members on the site so open and sharing and we've got like featured a regular feature where each photographer talks about certain image and how they got it and stuff and that it's just so interesting most a great insight yeah it really is in terms of the awards then how is that is there sort of a criteria that these images have to adhere to and then who who are the judges yeah that's a good question so I have different judges each round because I think it's important it's different people's taste because you know that the very nature of what we do is obviously so subjective and so we have five judges each round and you know so far they've all been amazing people I'm so grateful for the people that putting their trust in and wanting to be judges as well so we've had people in you know like you work in photography see couse it's all these great photographers as well we have five per round then if the majority

all that happens is that the majority of the judges they need to think that an image or a story is award-worthy and if it is then it becomes an award but you know it's difficult it is difficult so the first Awards only like the top two percent of single images became Awards and the top 4 percent of straw of stories you know and they look through thousands of submissions as well and so I think I really wanted it a place where only the very very best for images got Awards you know because there are sand Awards sites out there that are almost like pay to win really they were Awards absolutely anything you know I'm not going to name names of the awards but I just think that he values the whole thing you know yeah so that's how we do the they're judging thanks and it's exciting yeah and I love you know I love wedding photography which is really sad so like it is sad I guess but what I would say I'm working a lot and then when I'm at home in the evening I'm just looking at wedding photography because I like it love it I mean so now to have some kind of business where I'm you know I can focus on other people's work and shout about them I love that yeah I think it's also yeah it's really good it's a fantastic idea is really well done yeah we'll put a link to that in the description below so go ahead and go and check that out and sign up to become a member it's a really good site so following on from this is repet arch it seems it seems that the industry of wedding photography and videography is is becoming more and more inclusive through the likes of social media in various groups and things like that gee do you think that's a good thing inclusive in what way what do you mean like well in inclusiveness sort of providing constructive criticism and putting work out there for you know for constructive criticism or just a bit of support to say you know just keep going and and that kind of thing oh yeah I mean I think it's it's awesome that side of the business you know when I got into I thought it is gonna be very closed and very kind of like hands-off and these are my kind of secrets and stuff and I just found totally the opposite to be true the vast vast majority of wedding photographers are an open book yeah and you know sharing tips certain like I'm there for emergencies when people like if they're paying five so football in in Norfolk could break their legs all the time and like people are there to coming for them and and also you know it's been a massive source of weddings for me is from other wedding photographers as well so I mean it is something you can never be more grateful for I'm and that's coming from just got a friendly networking now you know not networking in in for the point of trying to get bookings for them it's just like a nice side effect of it yeah an interest great that way

yeah and I want to move on to clients my client side of things so do you think that you have an ideal client anyone who wants to spend money on me yeah obviously that might be the case it's like wow no oh yeah an ideal client I think III particularly I want to have the clients who have done their research you know and so they've looked around on the internet there's they've looked at loads of photographers and they've seen maybe the work they're not so keen on and then hopefully they've come across my work and they you know something about it just really resonates with them whatever that may be those are the clients that I that they're the ideal client really the ones that just kind of love my work also obviously the more relaxed clients the better for me as well I prefer any every wedding photographer would say you know I I just want the fun-loving kind of relaxed couples then the non Pinterest kind of brought couples to me know the ones that aren't obsessed by the details of the wedding you know because for me that's not what it's about and for me everything that I put on my website every image or on social media is kind of a filter to the kind of client that I want to attract all the ones that I want to detract you know so you know I show a lot of kind of unflattering images of both the bride and groom because it's real you know it's fun and and in that way then you know I probably turn off loads of kind of brides grooms who want the kind of very picture-perfect kind of movie look of their wedding and that's fine you know I do turn off a lot of people like that but then the couples who do appreciate why I show other the kind of the ones that don't take themselves seriously you know that they have a laugh and they don't have to look but you know like but they've just stepped out of some kind of Weddings movie every time so yeah I think that's really important and that was a really important thing for me to learn very early on is that you don't have to I think it's good not to think that you need to appeal to everybody at all you know there are hundreds of thousands going on the Fatehpur and India every year

I only need like 30 of them so if you like 99% of brides of grooms if they hate my images if they might do that's fine you know I just need the 30 or so a year that really like what I do and are willing to pay me bit of money to turn up and photograph their wedding in that yes so yeah it's an interesting point like this because when you start out I think when you know right at the very beginning you're you want to shoot everyone totally and not going through a situation where you are now where you know exactly the kind of people that you want to shoot and their outlook on on things and how their weddings are how long does that take and you up to sort of luckily the last couple years would you say that you are at that kind of position yeah that's a good question as well I can't I mean a totally valid beginning yeah I would I would shoot obviously anything just to get that kind of experience I still would see anything now very easy but I would shoot anything but I think that is true because the people who come to me now though are they because of that kind of filtering system with the stuff that I show in my site the people that are do want to book me are the kind of relaxed kind of ones that are into their photography so I still don't say that I've only said no to one single wedding my whole life yeah and that was actually I booked in it was it I booked it in 2016 and the wedding was for 2020 which is like like far off in advance and then like in the mitt and them and this was it so still four years away but then in the middle of the night that the the bride emailed me like like a second-by-second breakdown of her processional and this is four years away you know and sorry I just that's fine now I understand that some brides and grooms so very you know they they want everything very very structured and they want the

wedding photographer busy to notice but I just knew that that wasn't gonna be the right couple for me because I'm very much you know shooting what's around me you know creative on the flight right wedding photographer so I knew that we wouldn't be a good fit you know so so that is the only one I've cut and that's cause you know that you know so that's that's really good that you're in a position yeah I can turn down those kind of weddings you know you just they probably won't get the best out of you you know exactly they would have been they wouldn't have been happy you know so it's and I wouldn't be a happy so it's just that you know Mine so is that the kind of similar advice that you would give to a couple who were looking for a wedding photographer do you think what is the advice so what you mean to couples if you were to give advice would I give to them yeah so if they were looking for their wedding photographer I think do your research I just think that isn't massive don't just go to a wedding Fair and pick a photographer because they're at your venue or they're offering ten percent off on that day you know this is a very unbiased the wedding photography is a very important thing so do your research and and honestly I think just go for the photographer whose images just really resonate with you the ones that you just think oh wow for any reason if that is the off-camera flash portraits that's cool if that's what you love if it's for the kind of really emotional captures then then gray just and then I do think it's important it is also important that you get on with your wedding photographer I know maybe a lot of people say these things but they are that is so important yeah they're there and a videographer they're gonna be around you so much and me personally I'm very close to people and I work you know so I shoot a lot close-up for the 24 mil so they're gonna be happy with my kind of presence so when I do kind of like my id or physical meetings I do see it as like it's really important for me to tell the client how I'm going to work how I'm going to approach their day because then if they think I'll actually that's not really what I want then make it and then it's it they can say no and then it's good it's a win-win again then because they can find someone else who would be better suited to them and I'm I would find someone else who so yeah do you research find and then have that kind of meeting or Id you know most of my mask light because I live in the back end beyond Inc or more so like 80% of my meetings I do by ID make sure you get on with them

that they're kind of nice people I guess I budget-wise you know I have no interest in trying to make people spend more money I don't you know I don't want to be it's not because I'm lazy or anything but I don't think it's my job to like persuade people that the you know wedding photography is really important that you need to add allocate a higher percentage of your budget to it I'm anything I show my price on my website you know so I just I want people who like my work have that amount of money and and happy to and who like me as well as it is yeah I'm ready to find that no it's like there's an interest important about the pricing because it's sort of a divide is to do you show you pricing or not well I think it sort of makes your job easier because they've seen that already so they know you know that the people who are contacts and you are going to be in your price range anyway so that I don't see any important point of having more inquiries when you know that number of them I'm gonna be able to afford you exactly that I rest of your time totally a waste of your time yeah and it and you must be demoralizing I think to get all these inquiries and then people not getting back to you yeah and as

I always say is that inquiries don't pay the bills you know inquiries mean nothing all that matters is the bookings so I'd rather have like a hundred percent booking rate at thirty inquiries a year rather than like a 10% booking right at three hundred in quasi yes I think that Matt's right yeah but as you say it's an easy life as well and you don't have to be like trying to persuade people to spend more money I remember when I started in the industry as well I saw an open letter from a potential bride to wedding photographers and it was commented on by hundreds of brides as well and they said if I come across your website and you're not showing your prices then I can't be bothered to wait around to see if I can afford you or no I'm gonna hit the back button and finally photographer that does show for me personally when I'm buying anything on the internet if I see a prices page and I go to it and then the price isn't there I just find that a bit annoying you know so yeah but I know some people have a lot of success we're not showing prices so it's as you say it's a very subjective matter it's just one of those things isn't it I think a lot of people think that maybe the psychology behind it is that once you start getting people actually in dialogue with you then they may even stretch to a budget that is just outside them

I can understand that but yes what of course is like everything so let's just going on you're on your prices you touched on it there that you're starting where is two and a half well that's for my fall day yeah yeah so I do do a half day at two grand in just six hours yeah a lot of people offer kind of a la carte kind of menu style options where they can upgrade various things is that an option for couples as well not really I mean they can add extra hours if they want to they could do that so that's but that's about the only thing yeah so I don't really do albums either again but I don't really enjoy them a lot of people have stopped doing them one thing I found is if everything is online and they can download them off there anyway yeah exactly and an author from a very boring point of view put it put me I would earn less money you know by offering albums because if you stay under the bat for whole is that make sense yeah so yeah don't do albums so the only thing that can really do is to extend the coverage if they want to really yeah let's talk about the day and shooting on the day what do you have a favorite part of the day that you shoot why is my favorite part of the day I like probably probably the very beginning and event and the end really I mean like them by that I mean like the bridal prep and the partying I just like Bridal preps on set I think I like a lot of wedding photographer Idol prep but or groom prep but that's because you get there it's like a few hours before the start the ceremony

it's it's time where you can experiment I think it the whole day is really time you can experiment but especially in prep there's no kind of you know nothing really time-sensitive really happening you know straight away anyway so you've got that time to experiment I like that kind of mix of it excitement and anxiety in the air with with everyone around yeah so I do like that time and I like the partying and they eat interesting again more times you can like kind of experiment track the shutter and do some funny kind of like multiple flash stuff as well which is kind of fun and seeing what crazy stuff people get up to I'm also very tired by that time I might as well but and the buffet will come out which is nice but yeah but that's probably my two favorite a bride a pro I love product pro yeah it's common it's a common answer but it's just such a nice for me