Photography / Videography
Top Indian Wedding Photographers & Videographers in Texas
Dallas, Houston, Austin Photo & Video Vendors
You and your partner’s first look, your younger cousin’s goofy dance at the sangeet, the pheras around the mandap, and every other meticulously curated detail of your wedding are worthy of being professionally captured. The hustle and bustle of your wedding day may give you limited time to admire your masterpiece, but a professional photographer and videographer will make sure that you can enjoy it long after. Whether it is one month after your wedding, one year or 25 years later, the photos and videos are memories that you and your loved ones get to reflect back on to cherish for the years to come. Let The Desi Bride help you find the perfect photographer and videography for your Desi wedding!
FAQ
How much should photography and videography cost for South Asian weddings?
Photography and videography can each be anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000+ per event. Note that if you have multiple events (haldi, sangeet, wedding, etc), make sure you account for the number of events and hours you will need the photographer or videography for. If you are hiring photo and video for multiple events, many companies will offer a multi-day package deal. In a typical Indian wedding, you may end up paying $10,000 to $20,000 for a photo and video package if you hire teams for all events.
What are the different styles of photography?
Photographers, like most artists, come with unique styles and brands of their own. Some may even blend different styles within their packages. Generally, most couples will want a blend of two or three styles, so it’s important to understand what styles you want, find the right photographer, and communicate these wants to them ahead of their events. Here are some of the many examples:
- Traditional or Classic: These are pictures like what your parents or potentially even grandparents may have taken when they first got married. They are the semi-posed images that stand the test of time. They are typically captured at eye level and are best for classic bride and groom headshots and family pictures. They may come across as formal portraits or posed, but with the right photographer, you’ll find some gorgeous shots.
- Documentary or Candid: These images capture in the moment or spontaneous instances throughout wedding events. The photographer’s role is to show emotion through photographs and capture your special moments.
- Artistic: Not all pictures need to include the full frame of the bride or groom or bridal party. Artistic images might capture certain angles or parts of a person. They are meant to capture a special moment, like a laugh, an in-air jump during a Garba performance, or an emotional tear during the vidai (or bidai),
- Dramatic: Often describes as dark light and mood, dramatic photos are captured with shadows and patterned lighting. They work well for unique and romantic couple portraits or even a portrait that you might want to turn into a painting for your new home together.
- Landscape: These photos are often captured outside and are best for scenic destinations, like a photoshoot in Banff, Yellowstone National Park, Swiss Alps, or Udaipur. The photos make for great cover images for your wedding website, wedding invitations, or canvas prints to display at your wedding.
What are the different styles of wedding videography?
Just like photography, there are different styles of videography. You should decide on the style(s) you want and communicate these to your videographer. Note that you may want different styles for different events or deliverables. For example, you may want a documentary of the entire wedding ceremony but a cinematic highlight reel that shows key moments from your wedding weekend to share with your family and friends.
- Cinematic: For cinematic videos, your videographer cuts and edits all of your wedding footage (from the first pooja to the sangeet to the reception) to make the video feel like a move (unlike a Bollywood movie, this a real love story!). While the events may not always be in sequential order (the pheras may be interspersed with wedding speeches from the dulha, dulhaan, or parents), the seamless blend will make for a more artistic experience, compared to a documentary.
- Documentary: A documentary shows all of the events that happened in sequential order. While the videographer will edit parts, they won’t play with the order or style of events. You may want a document style to capture your entire wedding ceremony or all the sangeet dances, so you can rewatch the events.
- Guerrilla: Guerilla filmmaking feels more natural and less polished. The videographer captures spontaneous moments and highlights raw emotions without a filter. Guerilla filmmaking would be showing the haldi or mehndi ceremony with candid moments of dancing, laughter, surprises, etc. The viewer can feel the emotions in every moment.
- Drone: While drone photography is not necessarily its own style, we’ve included it as an option. Many couples like to include drone footage to capture moments like the baraat and outdoor mandap from a higher angle. These shots are great for capturing groups and for wedding trailers or the start of a feature-length film. If you are interested in drone videography, make sure to ask your videographer whether they have the equipment and your venue on whether drones are allowed (not all venues allow drones).
What are the different types of wedding videography?
We recommend figuring out the deliverables you want ahead of signing a contract with your videographer. Most videographers will have packages, but if you know that you want a specific type of film, then ask for it.
- Feature-Length: A feature-length wedding video is exactly that — a feature. The videographer takes the most important moments or scenes throughout your wedding and highlights them in entirety. A feature-length video for an Indian wedding could easily be 8-10 hours by the time you consider the multiple days of events. You may choose to have a feature length video for only certain events, like the sangeet performances or the wedding ceremony.
- Highlight Reel: A highlight reel is a concise and elegant way to showcase your favorite moments from your wedding or wedding weekend — all at once. With a highlight reel, your guests have a chance to revisit your big-day memories over and over again, including the haldi, mehndi, sangeet, wedding ceremony, and your final phera, to your first dance at the reception. Highlight reels for Desi weddings can easily run 10-20 minutes, depending on how many events are covered.
- Wedding Trailer: Also known as short wedding films, a wedding trailer is a quick cinematic film that captures the essence of your wedding events. Combining footage of your emotional first look and ceremony with some beautiful music and a professional take on interviews from your significant other and wedding party to your guests enjoying the reception, a wedding trailer is a fun way to share your highlights with friends and family. Usually, wedding trailers are anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes for South Asian weddings. Sometimes, videographers can create a day of wedding trailer in time for your reception for your family and friends to reflect back on the incredible wedding. Just ask and see whether this is an option and what is the additional cost.
- Video Booth: Video confessional booths are a great fun way to entertain guests and create hilarious keepsakes. Your videographer will set up cameras in quiet areas around the reception or outside in an open space. Guests can stop by, at their leisure, throughout the night to record their well wishes (or funny stories). Your videographer can either create a video from all of the highlights (similar to a video montage) or share the highlight clips with you and your guests as a keepsake memory. Think photo booth for videos.
Do I really need a videographer at my Desi wedding?
A lot of couples find themselves asking whether they really even need a videographer. If you are content with just your photo and don’t think you will ever watch videos, then you may not need a wedding videographer.
With that said if your parents or family members really want a video, then you may want to consider hiring a videographer for some events, like the wedding ceremony, instead of all of your events. Another thought to consider is if you are planning a micro wedding or wedding during the pandemic, virtual guests may be an important part of your wedding. If that is the case, a videographer has the equipment and know-how of how to make sure your virtual guests are a part of the wedding without technical issues. It’s worth talking to a Dallas, Houston, or Austin-based videographer to see what their options are.
Some companies offer a photographer and videographer package for South Asian weddings, so that’s always an option if you don’t want to splurge on a separate videographer.
What questions should I ask wedding photographers before booking them?
You’ll want to ask questions about the packages/services offered, and better understand this artist’s portfolio of work. Here are some suggestions:
- How would you describe your photography style? Given that you may be looking for a more classic or a dramatic photographer, it’s important to understand your style preferences and make sure the photographer can deliver.
- How many weddings do you shoot annually and every weekend? Larger photography studios have teams of photographers. If they are shooting multiple weddings a weekend, then you’ll want to make sure that your wedding is prioritized, and you are working with photographers
- If they have a limited South Asian portfolio, ask them how many South Asian weddings (ideally similar to yours) they’ve worked on? It’s not that photographers who have not worked at Desi weddings may not be a good fit. We recommend seeing their portfolio of Desi couples they’ve worked with to better understand their style and caliber. There are many incredible non-South Asian Texas-based photographers. It’s just a matter of finding the right ones to work with and communicating your expectations and desires if they have not shot at many South Asian weddings before.
- How large is the team? If we work together, which photographers will be there at the wedding events? Sometimes the lead photographers or owners don’t always photograph every event, so it’s important to know who you would be working with.
- Do you offer customized videographer and photographer packages? For couples looking for photo and video, working with a company that offers a package may be more budget-friendly and less of a hassle with limited coordination.
- Do you color correct or edit images? What postproduction services are included in the package? Companies offer different services from red-eye correction to scar removal and smoothing. Talk to your photographer to understand the different options and how many images they will be editing (usually they mention that they will edit a limited number of images).
- What deliverables are included, and when will I receive them? It’s important to understand what you are paying for. How many edited images? Is there an album or multiple albums included, or will you need to pay extra for these? Finally, when will you receive your final images?
- If my event lasts longer than scheduled, are you able to stay? If so, what are the charges? While this situation is not something you may think of ahead of an event, you may find that the reception goes over by an hour. If you want your photographer to stay, just ask them ahead of the event whether they can stay, and if so, what is the extra charge. You don’t want to be surprised by an extra charge on your total bill, because they stayed an extra hour or two.
- Do you charge a travel fee? Doublecheck with your photographer on their travel charges.
- Do you have insurance? It’s important to make sure your photographer has liability insurance.
What questions should I ask wedding videographers before making the decision to book?
You’ll want to ask questions about the packages/services offered, and better understand this artist’s portfolio of work. While you may want to ask a lot of the same questions as those to your photographer, we’ve added some additional questions below:
- What type of videography style are you known for?
- Do you have any photographer friends they like working with? If you haven’t found your photographer yet, this is a great way to find other good wedding photographers. You want a photographer and videographer that are comfortable working with each other, so they don’t get in each other’s way and make sure you get the highest quality shots and films.
- Where do you like for us to provide input, and what areas do you like having the final say in? Videographers may want you to pick your favorite Bollywood songs for the films but may want to decide on which clips to bring together for the wedding trailer. It’s helpful to understand the different roles and expectations.
- How many shooters will come with you to the wedding? With videography, you will want a mix of close-up and wider clips. Depending on pricing and guest count, the videographer may bring a partner or a team to make sure they get a variety of footage.
Where can I find the top wedding photographers and videographers in Texas?
The Desi Bride has curated the best wedding photographers and best wedding videographers. Scroll up to find the best vendor for your upcoming Desi wedding, sangeet, or other events!
Who are the top South Asian wedding photographers and videographers in Texas?
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