Ever wondered why looking at pictures of toddlers fills our hearts with so much delight? That carefree grin, mischievous glances– it’s as if that joy magically finds a way into our hearts through the pictures. Well, photographs of children in all their forms and moods have one thing in common– they are often candid, taken without staging the surroundings or altering the moment too much. And because kids always live in the moment, it is easier to connect with their emotions and capture life’s natural, blithely moments. In itself, this is the definition of candid wedding photography. The art of freezing instances where the backdrop is not staged, the subject is living in the moment, and the emotions are all true.
As an art form, candid photography is celebrated across niches, including the kaleidoscopic genre of wedding photography. However, candid wedding photography is nothing like clicking a picture of a child in a garden or following and shooting your subject across the streets of your hometown. Because in documenting weddings, you must be present to capture all the ceremonies, conversations between loved ones, and precious exchanges between the bride and the groom. And in my 10+ years of experience shooting wedding candid photos, I have made some vital realisations that are now a guiding principle for all my shoots. They allow me to anticipate moments worth clicking and freeze fleeting emotions graciously. And in this blog, I’m sharing these little gems of wisdom with budding photographers who wish to master the skill of wedding candids.
I don’t mean just their names, wedding dates, and ceremony venue. You need to know them in a short time frame. Are they fun-loving or shy? Do they enjoy sharing inside jokes? Or are they more poised? Understanding their nature can help you anticipate emotions during the wedding day since you will only observe them from afar.
Further to getting to know their personality, you must understand who the couple is close to. Is there a childhood friend visiting from far away, or are there siblings they are fond of? Because when you finally see these people approaching the bride or the groom on the wedding day, you can be prepared in advance to document their union. After all, there could be a precious hug or a bout of laughter that would go unnoticed if you were not aware of the couple’s close group beforehand. This way, through your wedding candids, you can freeze crucial moments in time and help the couple with pictures and moments that are truly important to them.
Tip: People wrongfully assume that candid wedding photography is simply about walking into the wedding venue and taking pictures of the events as they happen. Instead, wedding candid photos are about understanding the moments and people important to the client. This action will help you do justice to these interpersonal relationships and dynamics through the pictures you take.
As a professional in Indian candid wedding photography, knowing the series of events makes a huge difference. This way, you can prepare yourself with the correct gear, lenses, and situations too. For example, taking pictures of a Haldi ceremony would be entirely different than when you’re documenting guests greeting the newlyweds on stage. Moreover, if you start prepping for a ritual when it has already begun, you risk missing out on capturing crucial moments.
On top of everything, candid moments are always occurring because weddings are an ecstatic gathering of all relatives and friends. So, understanding the details of the wedding and figuring out how you will spend each hour of the day can prove helpful. This simple trick will prepare you with the correct lenses, angles, lighting, and mindset.
Tip: In candid wedding photography, make sure to get shots of the bride’s entry for various ceremonies. These are some money shots that all clients appreciate to the core. Understanding the chronology of events is the only way you can do justice to the bride’s wedding candid photography.
A photographer relies on lenses the way a sail relies on the winds. And like most other genres, you would need the right lenses to capture the singular beauty of Indian candid wedding photography with each changing moment.
So, once you have understood the event flow in advance, it is time for you to gather all relevant lenses, lights, and gear as per the schedule. For example, you would need a wide lens to capture when the mother walks up to the bride to apply Haldi. At the same time, you would also need to switch to a telephoto lens or use your secondary camera to capture the emotions stirred by a tender hug they share seconds later. Thus, anticipating what can unfold in each ritual, you must think of possibilities beforehand and prepare yourself with appropriate gear accordingly.
Tip: A wedding is an event where emotions are always running high. So, you must be meticulous in observing things as they unfold. It is advised to be proactive and prepared for all scenarios
Candid moments happen briskly and without a big announcement. So, to get the hang of this art, you have to pry for special moments and deliver your best when the moment happens. This is why you should know all the buttons and settings on your camera. So that when the groom’s favourite cousin lifts him or when the confetti goes flying over the couple, you can capture the sweet moment right before it passes.
Remember that in such fleeting moments, you won’t have the time to fiddle with the settings or stop and figure out where the correct button is. So, master the art of swiftly changing the shutter speed, refining the ISO, and other go-to settings. This way, you can capture the sharpest moments without wasting precious time.
Tip: Whenever you practise photography, try to master the art of operating your fingers on the camera without having to look at the buttons and read the markers. This will help you refine your candid wedding photography pictures.
Wedding photography demands that you step out of your comfort zone and capture the moment despite the hurdles you may face. For example, imagine you’re clicking a picture of the bride and groom sharing a beautiful moment, and a relative comes in the way of your frame. In such a situation, you must be agile and quick to move aside, stand on a chair, or do whatever is in your capacity to get the shot.
After all, candid wedding photography is not one of those genres where you can decorate a whole platter of frames and elements that you can shoot with ease. You must run to the dais from across the room for a unique capture, bend backwards to get the correct angle, and even navigate a sea of people enveloping the bride and groom.
Tip: Mastering candid wedding photography will require you to work on your interpersonal skills, stamina, and much more. When needed, you will have to request people to move politely– you cannot be shy and lose moments significant to the client. Similarly, weddings may involve a lot of running around, so having the energy to be up and about all day can help a great deal on shoot days.
So far, I have talked about how much candid wedding photography is about taking pictures in the spur of the moment. However, there will be instances when the moment lasts for 15 or 30 or even 60 seconds, leaving you with considerable time to take the shot. In this scenario, avoid taking repetitive photos, clicking one or two pictures, and then leaving the scene. Experiment with different angles, backdrops, and frames while you have the time. If two people in the frame face each other, you may want to get the opposite angles showing both their faces one by one. Or perhaps you can figure out a better background where no people are loitering?
Tips: Pre-visualise the many frames you can get out of a moment, and keep moving and exploring them all. Figure out how you can improve that story, take close-up and wide-angle shots, and experiment till you have covered all possible angles and expressions.
With these tips on bride wedding candid photography and more, you are all set to venture into the fast-paced, frolicky, and exciting environment of Indian weddings. While you may try to achieve it all with your first few candid wedding photography gigs, please understand that this final lesson is better understood and mastered with time. Even with more than a decade’s experience in wedding photography, I still learn something new each time I pick up the camera at a wedding. So, spend all the time you need to brush up your skills and try showing up to each new wedding gig slightly more prepared and educated than the previous one. I promise you; it will go a long way.
