10 Photography Poses Every Indian Muslim Wedding Needs
For one of the happiest days of your life, you want wedding photography that captures the happiness of the moment, the shy touches of a newly married Muslim couple, and the giggles that make the times even better.
Indian Muslim weddings are generally very modest and simple. It's up to the photographer to add a bit of drama, some glitter, and magic to the moment.
As an LA Muslim wedding photographer, I use my position as a professional to accomplish my clients' looks. Here are some poses I have couples take that help me capture the most beautiful moments on film:
1. The Handhold
Simple and sweet, this one is a classic pose that starts your wedding photo album off the right foot.
Handholds shine a light on the more minor details, for example, the ring, the jewelry, the mehndi, and the cute sentiment of holding each other's hands. Most photographers choose a natural backdrop, such as a grassy patch or even the decorations, to bring more color to the mix.
The handhold signifies the cuteness of the moment and is an excellent icebreaker if you've never been the touchy-feely couple.
2. The Walk
Wedding photography has changed from what it was a decade ago. No more do we ask clients to pose against a set-up backdrop. Instead, we focus on candid shots.
As a Muslim wedding photographer in LA, I've perfected my art by using the environment as my inspiration. If the couple has an outdoor wedding, I ask them to hold hands and take a stroll around the garden. It's all about capturing those little glimpses and shy moments.
Walking may not seem all that special. But at this moment, when you're together, walking along, decked to the nines, all it takes is the right eye to get that moment when you forget you're in front of a camera.
3. The Walk Away
Is capturing the back any important than the front?
Uncle Bob might say no, but a professional wedding photographer will never lose such an opportunity.
The Walk Away creates a more aesthetic shot; it helps us capture the back of the bride's dress. Set up appropriately, this shot allows us to superimpose you against a majestic backdrop, this giving us a shot that reminds you of the olden portraits. It's all about finding that magic and highlighting your union through this photograph.
4. The Ring Shot
You can hold hands, put your arms around each other's necks, or show off your rings as you want—all we want is for you to show that rock off!
The ring shot typically highlights the bride's ring, so we ask the bride for that classic arms around the groom's neck shot. But, if the groom has a ring, we use various wedding props as backdrops so that you can have a unique ring shot.
If your rings hold any sentimental value, we can also prop them on a pillow for a singular ring shot. But these shots are taken pre-photoshoot along with the rest of the bride and groom's accessories.
5. Spinning
This is especially beautiful if the bride has a dramatic dress or even just a dupatta with a lot of character. The spin highlights the bride's dress and puts it in the spotlight.
The groom holds a hand and lifts it in the air; the bride picks up her dress and does a little spin, allowing the dress to bellow around her. This particular posed is very artistic and shines a light on the dress's design intricacy and beauty.
We only need to be careful about spinning, so the bride doesn't get dizzy.
6. The Dip
You'd be surprised by how many people have gone their entire lives without being dipped or doing the dipping.
This cute and intimate pose involves having the groom hold the bride in his arms, one hand on the lower back, the other hand holding hers, while she wraps an arm around his neck. Then he gently dips her back. As long as the bride is comfortable, you can dip her more, so long as her jewelry doesn't slip.
The dip is a whimsical shot that we photographers especially love.
7. Candid Laughter
As a wedding photographer, my job is to make sure my bride and groom are happy, healthy, and excited about their wedding photography.
Not to say that we don't get our fair share of nervous couples who've never been subjects of a photo shoot. But for those who get anxious, we try to create a light mood by joking around, giving honest compliments, and talking about the day.
Any moment that gives us a shot of the couple laughing always becomes the most exquisite. And we look for those moments throughout the day.
8. The Hand Kiss
We practice modesty in Islam, which means you won't find many pictures of the couple kissing or any such intimate poses.
However, we do walk the line. We start by making the groom hold the bride around the waist. The bride puts on hand on the groom's chest, while the groom brings her other hand up and kisses the top.
We often ask our couples to rest their foreheads together as the next pose. Since this is such a romantic moment, we like to maintain that energy to get some magical shots.
9. The "Look"
The bride walks down the aisle with her army of bridesmaids in tow. The groom stands on stage or at the end of the aisle, waiting.
The bride looks up as she finally reaches, the groom smiles, and their eyes connect. To me, this is the most crucial moment of the day. You're officially married and among your family and friends. It's an overwhelming moment, and during all the hubbub, you both share a moment of eye contact that exudes happiness and intimacy.
Most wedding photographers wait for this moment by taking a picture of the groom while the bride walks down the aisle. But for Muslim wedding photographers, we focus on only the bride and groom.
Years down the line, this is the time you remember, when you realized your lives were changed forever.
10. Alone But Together
Once the bride and groom have greeted their guests and are alone on stage, that's when we wait for the candid shots.
We get plenty of opportunities to take some stunning shots, such as the bride and groom laughing or conversing. This isn't a pose necessarily, but it's a beautiful moment for photographers.
The bride and groom may hold hands, share a look, or just be at peace in their surroundings—however they choose to behave, it always gives us an intimate look at how comfortable they are. At times, the bride and groom may even share food or brush a crumb off!
Conclusion
These ten poses are by no means the only poses we love.
But they are the bedrock of what becomes a beautiful wedding photo collection. Muslim weddings are breathtaking in general. By taking these pictures, we get the honor of being a part of our client's lives, even for a day.
It's one of the most critical days in their lives. And with these photos, as a Muslim wedding photographer in LA, I do my job to make sure they have lovely mementos to look at fondly!