City couples cuddle up, pucker up and get close for that intimate shoot

It was a moment that had them talking with their eyes. While she was full of intensity, he was brimming with passion. With the sound of waves and the sea breeze adding to the moment, he suddenly planted a kiss on her lips. Click! The wedding photographer had his romantic moment for the couple's album. Sounds filmi, isn't it? Well, couples today willingly get all cutesy and intimate for their photo albums, pushing what was initially a trend of clicking wedding photos against picturesque backdrops into a bolder frame. While intimate shoots have often found their way into wedding albums in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Chennai couples are now experimenting with that concept, and the photographers are only too happy to oblige! Ajay Ben and Vikas Alagarsamy of Zero Gravity Photography say that films play a major role for such shoots. "They see a lot of films, songs, and want to be portrayed in the same way. They have it as their reference image and imitate those poses. However, these things are completely up to couples who want to do such shoots. We don't force them to pose," says Ajay. So, how do couples get these shoots done? He says, "Couples don't really talk about getting an intimate shoot done. It is all depends on their comfort zone. Getting an intimate picture depends on the photographer and the couple, both. We get the couple chatting... and they end up giving us natural shots. Cuddling and even kissing happens naturally. But of course, we shoot pictures in a way that doesn't make it appear awkward." Photographer Charles of Calvin Charles Studio, who has been in the scene for more than 15 years, agrees, "These moments shouldn't be forced. Of course, we show a lot of reference images to couples who don't have enough ideas when they come for the shoot. But what they ultimately do is pretty much on-the-spot. I ensure I don't make them 'act'. Also, many a time, they don't really kiss or cuddle. Sometimes, it also depends on how the photographer captures these moments. A photo can look intimate even if the couple were merely chatting when a particular frame was clicked, if done aesthetically. Since we are capturing these moments from a distance, they are also comfortable being around each other. The idea is to make it look elegant." Businessman Arihaant Lodha, who recently got a shoot done, says that the city is opening up to such shoots. "It is very common in places like Mumbai and Delhi. People are getting more broad-minded and opting for such shoots here as well. Whatever has been translated into pictures are genuine feelings that I share with my spouse. For me, the photographer was the biggest plus. He made us feel at ease. He motivated us to try out different poses and eventually, got the best out of us," says Arihaant. He adds that even his family members didn't find these shoots awkward. "I showed it to my parents, and her family, and they all thought it was graceful. I guess families are changing their perceptions about such things, too," he says.

Couples also research before zeroing in on the photographer. "We finalise the photographer only after seeing their work. Getting an intimate shoot done is not easy. It shouldn't end up looking vulgar. So, we skim through various profiles before we finalise one. These pictures are memories for a lifetime. Getting the emotions behind a bold shoot depends on how the photographer picturises it," says Savitha Kumar, who got an intimate shoot done recently. Finance manager Justina Maria, who also got a shoot done, says that these shoots mostly work only after the wedding. "More than pre-wedding shoots, post-wedding ones help us emote better with our partner. When we got it done, there were a lot of onlookers, which made us feel shy. But then, couples, I feel, are more comfortable doing such shoots after they are married. This is something I preferred," says Justina. However, not all couples are open to sharing such pictures on the social media. "Some might like to share it on their Face book pages, while others like to keep them private," Ajay says. And, of course, there are unforeseen hiccups, like the one, as Ajay recalls, "Once I got a couple to pose right after their wedding, on the stage, and immediately their family intervened. It wasn't even intimate, but they asked us to do it privately." Charles also adds that a lot of NRI and north Indian couples who live in Chennai are more open to such concepts. "They are more open to doing bold shoots. For some, we even play with silhouettes to get a dramatic look. But undoubtedly, many couples are open to the idea," says Charles.

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