Journal · Weddings
How to choose a wedding photographer and videographer in Bali
You will look at the photos for decades and watch the film on every anniversary. A few questions now make sure the team behind them suits the day you are planning.
Start with complete galleries
Every photographer’s Instagram shows their twenty best frames. A complete gallery from one wedding shows the rest: the getting-ready room with poor light, the family photos in hard sun, the dark reception, the speeches. Ask for two or three full galleries, ideally from venues like yours, and look for:
- skin tones that stay natural in shade and under warm bulbs;
- moments caught as they happen, not only posed portraits;
- family photos where everyone’s eyes are open and nobody is cut off;
- reception photos that are sharp and still feel like a party.
Style comes next. Some couples want documentary photos that tell the day as it happened; others want a directed, editorial look. Most good teams can do both and lean one way. Choose the lean you like.
Photo and film from one plan
In Bali many couples book photo and video from different vendors and meet the second team on the morning of the wedding. It can work, but both teams will want the same spot at the same moment: the end of the aisle, the first kiss, the first look. A team that shoots both plans its positions together, keeps colour consistent between the photos and the film, and works from one timeline instead of two.
Artie shoots wedding photography and film as one team, from getting ready to the last song, with a highlight film and an album. More on the weddings page.
Ten questions to ask before you book
- Have you shot at our venue, or one like it: clifftop, beach, jungle, ballroom?
- How many photographers and videographers will be there, and who are they?
- Which hours are covered, and what happens if the party runs late?
- What is included: highlight film, full ceremony film, album, drone, same-day edit?
- How long until we receive the photos, and the film?
- How are the files delivered, and for how long can we download them?
- How do you back up the memory cards on the day and afterwards?
- What is the plan if it rains, or if the wind picks up on the cliff?
- Do you know our ceremony: a Balinese blessing, a church service, an akad nikah, a tea ceremony?
- Are there travel costs for venues outside the south, for Nusa Penida or for an early start?
Put the answers in the contract. A friendly chat on WhatsApp is a good start, and a poor record of what was promised.
Build the day around Bali’s light
Sunset in Bali falls between about 6:00 and 6:45 pm all year. Most outdoor weddings work back from it: the ceremony in the late afternoon, family photos while the light is still even, couple portraits in the last hour of sun. A noon ceremony on a clifftop means squinting faces and hard shadows, and no amount of editing fixes that.
A dry-season wedding with sunset at 6:15 pm might run like this:
- 13:00
- Getting ready: details, the dress, rings, letters.
- 15:00
- A first look, or a quiet moment before the ceremony.
- 16:00
- Ceremony.
- 16:45
- Confetti and hugs, then family and group photos.
- 17:20
- Couple portraits through golden hour.
- 18:15
- Sunset and drinks with your guests.
- 19:00
- Reception: entrance, speeches, first dance.
- 21:00
- Party.
Ask your planner for the exact sunset time on your date and set the ceremony about two hours before it.
Rain, wind and the wet season
From about November to March, Bali’s showers are heavy and usually short. Book a venue with a covered plan B and agree with your planner when the call will be made, instead of watching the sky until the last minute. Rain photographs well: clear umbrellas, wet stone, glowing reception lights. What hurts is a schedule with no slack.
Clifftop venues around Uluwatu are often windy in the afternoon. Veils fly, hair moves and wind noise can bury the vows on film, so ask your videographer how they will record sound, for example with small lapel microphones on the couple and the celebrant.
Ceremonies, families and culture
Weddings in Bali take many forms, and each has moments when the camera should step back.
- Balinese blessing. Often led by a pemangku, a temple priest, with offerings and holy water. Photographers stay low and quiet.
- Church and chapel ceremonies. Some chapels limit where photographers can stand. Ask early.
- Akad nikah. At home, at the venue or at the KUA, the local religious affairs office.
- Lamaran and sangjit. Engagement ceremonies for Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian families, with gifts, speeches and both families. Artie keeps the camera down for the prayer.
- Tea ceremonies and mixed-culture weddings. Share the order of rituals in advance so nothing is missed.
A note on the legal side
Indonesian law has its own requirements for registering a marriage, including rules on religion and documents from your home country. Many international couples sign the legal papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony or blessing in Bali. If you want your marriage registered in Indonesia, start early with your planner and your embassy. None of this changes the photography, but it can change the timeline, so tell your photographer which ceremony is the legal one.
What you receive, and when
Get the delivery list in writing. Artie’s wedding coverage includes:
- a highlight film and an album;
- every file delivered on Google Drive;
- editing within thirty working days;
- same-day edits on request, to show at the reception;
- drone where the venue and the rules allow it.
Still at the proposal stage? Artie photographs that too, from a polite distance. And for the shoot before the wedding, read the prewedding guide to Bali.
Questions couples ask
How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in Bali?
For dry-season dates, especially weekends from July to September, many couples book six to twelve months ahead. Wet-season and weekday dates are usually easier to find.
How long does it take to receive wedding photos and the film?
At Artie, wedding editing takes up to thirty working days. Same-day edits can be arranged for showing at the reception.
Can you fly a drone at our wedding?
Where the venue and the rules allow it. Flights are restricted around Ngurah Rai Airport and over temples and ceremonies, so check your venue early.
Do you photograph akad nikah, lamaran and sangjit?
Yes. Artie covers the proposal, lamaran and sangjit, prewedding, akad nikah and the wedding day.
What happens if it rains on our wedding day?
The day moves to the venue’s covered plan B, agreed in advance with your planner. Rain photographs well with clear umbrellas and warm lights; what matters is slack in the schedule.
