Orlando Wedding Photographer | Capturing Candid Photos
Candid photos tell stories and capture real emotion. They are wonderful to look back on and remember exactly what you were thinking and feeling in that moment. One of the top requests I get from my couples when talking about their wedding day photography is that they want genuine and candid photos that are not stiff, cheesy or posed.
Capturing candid photos is an art and it takes a pro to do it right! But there are also some things YOU can do to help your photographer capture them best.
How we do it:
As a wedding photographer it is my job to anticipate moments so that I am ready to capture them and so I know when to click the shutter. It’s easy to think that if we just hammer down the shutter button we will capture something, but surprisingly enough it’s not that easy. Milliseconds make a difference, so as a photographer I have to wait it out and know when the time is right. This comes with experience and is something I have learned to do over time.
It is also my job to help create moments through natural posing especially during your couples portraits. This part of the day is when I will step in to guide and direct you, but I will pose you in a way that is both natural and flattering so that it still looks and feels totally candid and authentic.
Another big piece of it is me doing my best to consciously create an environment where you and your loved ones feel totally comfortable around me. I do my best to build rapport from the start, yet stay out of the way so that I can blend in and so that nobody is overly focused on me as the photographer.
Having two photographers also helps us capture more candid moments because things are happening quickly around us so two sets of eyes in this case are definitely better than one!
Lastly, using the right gear makes a big difference when I am trying to ‘spy’ on you! If I’m in your face with my camera all day it can be tough to just let loose, but when I shoot with a zoom lens I can be standing clear across the room and you would never know I was taking a photo! Very, very sneaky indeed. ;)
How you can help:
I can’t capture candid moments if I’m not physically there right? So when you are planning where to get ready before the ceremony, staying in close proximity to your fiancé, whether at the same hotel on different floors or within a quick drive of one another will allow me to spend time capturing moments of you both!
Also try to avoid packing the timeline because running around frazzled and stressed out is not a good look. Build some padding into the timeline (more on this in a later post!) so that you can truly relax and enjoy the moments happening around you.
The biggest part though is to just be yourself and don’t sweat the small stuff. Trust me as your photographer and let me handle the little details. After all, we will have already discussed everything you want captured before the wedding day– so now it’s time to sit back, relax and let me do what I do best.
If I need something from you I will ask, but otherwise just try to be in the moment and forget I am there. If you are busy being overly self-conscious, micromanaging things or treating the day like an 8-hour photo shoot you won’t be able to relax enough to let those candid moments shine through.
Author: Elle Baez, Orlando wedding & proposal photographer and cuddle addict