Kerala is fast setting a new wedding trend, and it isn’t the gold-and-silk extravaganza. The man who started the fad, has this to say: everything is cool in the pool!
Kochi-based photographer Richard Antony did his first underwater wedding shoot around two years ago after a friend agreed to the idea. From then on, there was no turning back. Richard is "the name" in Kerala when it comes to underwater photography.
So what happens in an underwater shoot? As actor Srinivasan says in a popular Malayalam movie, does the camera jump into the pool along with the model? Yes, it does. After wedding, a two-hour shoot is organized in an outdoor pool, with the couple in their wedding costumes.
Richard, who started his career in fashion photography, says that though this concept is popular abroad, it is still gaining prominence in Kerala. A major factor is the expense for the photographer. The kit used for the shoot costs around Rs 6 lakh. Richard uses Canon Mark III with an underwater camera housing. And it's no longer just him, but many photographers and wedding organisers in Kerala offer the underwater photo package.
“I have done around 20 underwater wedding shoots so far, and the response has been overwhelming,” he told The News Minute. “Underwater wedding photography is picking up in Kerala, and people generally don’t mind going an extra mile to make their wedding special,” he added.
Pictures courtesy- Richard Antony