What is Candid Wedding Photography?
When you’re choosing all the little details about your big day, photography is probably high on your list. You have to choose a wedding photographer – but what about a photography style? One wedding photography style you might consider is candid photography.
Given its rise over the last decade, you’ve probably heard about candid wedding photography even if you don’t know what it is. Candid photography seeks to document authentic, realistic moments in time as they happen. Some call it “documentary-style” photography, as the photographer is telling the story of the event (in this case your wedding) through images. Candid wedding photography prioritizes the emotions of the day to showcase the moments – big and small – that stay with you long after the vows are given, and the reception ends. It’s about spontaneity and capturing the natural energy of the day.
It is one of the most popular types of wedding photography today, growing out of the principles of photojournalism – to document an event – and incorporate the elements of wedding photography to capture all the little moments of your day, treating them with just as much importance as the big ones.
Traditional VS Candid Wedding Photography
One of the easiest ways to define candid photography is to compare the style to traditional wedding photography.
When people realize there is a camera pointed at them, their behavior changes. It can be small things, like the tilt of a head or simply turning to put that specific angle forward so that you feel at your best. It is to capture the large elements of the day – the dress, the rings, the wedding party gathered to celebrate – in a carefully constructed, gorgeous image that you’ll keep for a lifetime. Traditional wedding photography builds upon that, expertly crafting photographs that show the most pristine version of your wedding day. These are the formal wedding photos we all take: posed and proper and smiling at the camera with the happy couple, family, and wedding parties. The subject of the photograph always knows exactly where the camera is and what the photographer wants from them.
Candid wedding photography takes the opposite approach. It builds on spontaneity and applies the tenants of photojournalism. Both take considerable skill to do well. Candid photographers must understand the same concepts of photography as their traditional counterparts as well as being prepared to catch their subjects in motion at any given time. They want to catch the moment the couple see one another at the altar and the laughter of a grandmother dancing at the reception. Candid photographers want natural, relaxed expressions and moments where everyone is just being themselves and enjoying your day together.
The photographer blends into the background, letting the focus be solely on the bride and groom as well as their guests enjoying themselves. They let the events dictate what they photograph instead of traditional photography where certain shots may require set-up or do-overs. The difference is in the framing of the subjects and depends on the mood and context of each shot.
Photographers often employ a combination of the two. At Parrot Media Wedding Photography Geelong, we want you to have the best of both worlds. Planning a wedding In Victoria and looking for a photographer? Why not take a look at our wedding Photography Geelong Packages?
