Photographing a Nikah and Walima with care

Why does consent come first at a Nikah?

Because families differ widely, and the wrong photograph can hurt. Some families want every moment covered. Some do not want the ceremony photographed at all. Many are somewhere in between: happy for the couple and close family to be photographed, and not for women guests in a separate area. None of these is unusual, and a photographer who treats them as obstacles is the wrong photographer. The couple are often not the right people to answer alone, either: a parent or elder usually knows what the wider family expects, and it is kinder to ask them early than to find out on the day.

Ask the family, before anything is quoted, which parts of the day may be photographed, whether women guests would prefer a woman photographer or no photography in certain areas, and whether any images must never be shared or published. Put the answers in writing.

What happens during the Nikah?

The core is widely documented, though customs vary between families and communities. The ceremony is conducted by a qazi or an imam. There is ijab-o-qubool, the offer and acceptance, with witnesses present. The nikah nama, the marriage contract, is signed, and the mehr agreed for the bride is part of it. It is often short. Many families seat men and women separately, and the bride and groom may give their acceptance in different rooms or areas.

Some Nikahs take place in a mosque, and photography inside may not be permitted, or may be allowed only in certain areas. Ask the mosque committee, not just the family, well before the day.

Where should the photographer be?

1. With the groom's side for the acceptance, if the family agrees, placed where the qazi and the witnesses are visible without the camera being in anyone's way.
2. With the bride's side, by a woman photographer if the family prefers, or not at all if that is the family's decision.
3. At the signing of the nikah nama. The hands, the pen and the faces of the fathers or witnesses are often the frames families keep.
4. After the ceremony, for the couple together and for family portraits in whatever arrangement the family is comfortable with.

What light should you expect?

Nikahs held in homes and halls often have mixed indoor lighting, and daytime ceremonies in a mosque courtyard can have hard sun next to deep shade. If flash is not welcome, which is common during prayers and the ceremony, the photographer needs fast lenses and a position chosen for window or doorway light. This is worth scouting, because the ceremony is often too short to fix mistakes.

What about the Walima?

The Walima is the reception, hosted by the groom's family, usually after the Nikah. It is often larger and more relaxed, and the photographic job changes: long receiving lines, a stage, family groups and a meal. Stage lighting at receptions is designed for guests' eyes, not cameras, so a colour decision made beforehand saves the faces. Ask the same consent questions again, because the rules at the Walima may differ from the Nikah.

In Kerala, Mappila Muslim weddings may include a mehendi evening and, in some families, oppana, a song and clapping performance around the bride. Whether either is part of your wedding, and whether it is photographed, is a family decision to confirm.

What should be agreed in writing?

• Which parts of the Nikah and Walima may be photographed or filmed, and which may not.
• Whether a woman photographer is needed for the bride's side or for women guests.
• The mosque or venue's own rules on cameras, confirmed with the venue.
• Whether flash is acceptable at any point.
• What may be shared with the couple only, and whether anything may ever be published.

The same questions about crew and delivery apply as for any wedding. Here is the full list, and here is how observed and directed photography are balanced on the day.