Candid wedding photography has become a popular choice for couples seeking to capture genuine moments that truly represent their personalities.
Zoe chose me as her candid wedding photographer because she loved my style, and perhaps because I mentioned candid photography somewhere on my website. The exact reason is a bit hazy now, but the most important thing is that both Zoe and Ryan were thrilled with the authentic wedding photos I took on their special day.
Before the wedding, we met to chat. Zoe wanted to make sure I was a real person and not an AI-generated bot. More importantly, she was concerned about whether I would boss her around and make her pose for stiff, unnatural photos. She asked me about candid pictures at least three times. As a documentary-style wedding photographer, I assured her that the photos would be completely natural and spontaneous. Of course, I explained that some posing is inevitable for group shots.
Even now, long after Zoe and Ryan’s wedding, her repeated question about candid pictures still echoes in my mind. Though I’ve always taken this style of photography, I’ve found myself pondering the meaning of the term. How do we define it? How do others understand it?
What is Candid Photography?
Let’s start by saying that candid photography isn’t exclusively about weddings. Candid photography is a style of capturing natural, unposed moments. Unlike staged photos where people are aware of the camera and often pose, in candid photography, the photographer aims to be invisible to capture genuine behaviours and emotions. For this style, authenticity and sincerity are key. People look as they would in everyday life, not artificially created situations. This often makes these natural wedding photos more emotional and personal.
I’m writing this as a wedding photographer, but also as a photographer who embraces the candid style because not every photographer specialises in candid wedding photography or authentic wedding photography.
Everywhere in this article where I mention candid photography, you could insert ‘wedding’ before it. Such a rule can be applied to all types of photography mentioned in the article. Therefore, I don’t always add ‘wedding’ to indicate a broader context.
Key Features of the Candid Style
Naturalness: Capturing Real Emotions
The essence of candid wedding photography is capturing people in their natural environment, going about their everyday activities without forcing any poses. The aim is to reflect the spontaneity and authenticity of the moment.
Unposed Shots: Letting Real Moments Shine
In authentic wedding photography, the photographer doesn’t ask the subjects to pose or instruct them on how to act in front of the camera. This allows for natural expressions, emotions, and gestures to come through, giving the photos a more genuine feel.
The Photographer’s Unobtrusiveness: Capturing the Scene Naturally
A candid wedding photographer often works discreetly, so as not to disrupt what’s happening. They might use longer lenses to shoot from a distance or blend into the background, ensuring the subjects don’t feel observed. This helps create natural wedding photos that truly reflect the event.
Spontaneity of the Moment: Capturing Fleeting Moments
A key element of candid wedding photography is capturing fleeting moments that are hard, if not impossible, to recreate. This might be a spontaneous smile, a genuine conversation, or an unguarded gesture.
No Direct Interaction with the Subjects
The people in the photos are often unaware they’re being photographed, which makes their behaviour and reactions more natural. Candid photography is all about recording reality as it is, without interference from the wedding photographer.
A Style Used in Documentary and Wedding Photography
Candid wedding photography is particularly popular in documentary and reportage photography, where the aim is to capture reality as faithfully as possible. It’s also highly valued in wedding photography, as it allows the photographer to document real emotions and spontaneous moments during the celebration.
A Brief History of Candid Photography
The pioneer of the candid style is considered to be Erich Salomon (1886–1944), a German photographer who gained fame in the 1920s and 1930s for his photographs of politicians and diplomats. His approach, which involved taking pictures without the subjects being aware, was groundbreaking and laid the foundation for what we now know as candid photography. Salomon used the term ‘candid’ when discussing his photographs, though it’s unclear if he was the one who formally introduced the term into common use.
The concept of candid photography is also closely linked to the work of Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898–1955), an American photographer and another pioneer of this style in the USA. Eisenstaedt worked for Life magazine, where his photographs capturing spontaneous, natural moments became widely popular.
His most famous image, The Kissing Sailor, taken in Times Square in 1945, is an iconic photograph that captures the joy and relief of Americans celebrating the end of World War II.
Since we’ve already talked about Salomon and Eisenstaedt, it’s worth mentioning another master of candid photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004). Often regarded as the father of reportage photography and one of the pioneers of candid photography, Cartier-Bresson introduced the concept of the ‘decisive moment’ — the idea that the perfect photograph happens when form and content come together at just the right moment to tell a complete story in a single frame. His approach significantly influenced the development of documentary and journalistic photography.
The Formality of the Term Candid Photography
While ‘candid photography’ doesn’t carry the same formal weight as terms like ‘documentary photography’ or ‘photojournalism’, it’s far from being an amateur or unprofessional label. It’s fully recognised within the photography world, especially when it comes to unposed images at events, weddings, or in everyday life.
- Popularity. ‘Candid photography’ is widely understood, particularly in the context of wedding, street, and event photography. It refers to a style of capturing authentic, natural moments.
- Professional Context. Although ‘candid photography’ isn’t a technical term you’d find in photography textbooks alongside terms like ‘documentary photography’ or ‘photojournalism’, professionals still use it. That’s because it accurately conveys the concept of spontaneous, unposed shots.
- Everyday Understanding. The term is easily grasped by the general public, as it doesn’t require deep knowledge of photography theory. This is why clients often use it when they’re looking for natural, unposed images.
Differences Between Candid Photography and Other Styles
Candid photography, documentary photography, journalistic photography, and reportage photography are closely related styles, but they have subtle differences that arise from their goals, context, and approach. Each style is focused on capturing reality, but they do so in slightly different ways.
Candid Photography
- Main Feature: Capturing natural, unposed moments, usually without the subjects being aware they are being photographed.
- Goal: To photograph genuine emotions and moments, often in everyday situations. Candid photography doesn’t focus on a specific narrative or theme; it’s more about capturing spontaneous moments as they happen.
- Usage: It can be applied in various contexts — from weddings to social events or street photography. Candid photography doesn’t require a deep historical or social context but focuses more on individual moments.
- Example: A photo of wedding guests laughing naturally, unaware of the photographer’s presence.
Documentary Photography
- Main Feature: A long-term approach to capturing reality to tell a story or present a specific subject.
- Goal: To provide a broad, often long-term view of a phenomenon, situation, event, or social issue. Documentary photography aims to capture the full context to tell a story or present reality more comprehensively.
- Usage: It is commonly used in photo essays, and projects focused on social issues and historical events. Documentary photographers often work over extended periods to show how reality evolves.
- Example: A long-term project documenting the lives of refugees in a camp or the everyday life of a specific region in the world.
Journalistic Photography (Photojournalism)
- Main Feature: Photojournalism, also known as news photography, focuses on documenting current events and delivering information.
- Goal: To document events quickly, accurately, and objectively to inform the audience about what’s happening in the world. The images typically have a reportage style and are often tied to current news stories, frequently published in the media.
- Usage: Found in newspapers, magazines, online news outlets, and for documenting political, social, or cultural events. Journalistic photography aims to capture key moments from events of public importance.
- Example: A photograph from the scene of a natural disaster, a political protest, or coverage of a sporting event.
Reportage Photography
- Main Feature: Capturing events and telling a story through a series of images, typically without disrupting the natural flow of the event.
- Goal: Similar to documentary photography, reportage photography aims to tell a story. However, it focuses more on current events (like photojournalism) but with a more artistic approach. It’s often about capturing the atmosphere of the event, rather than just conveying information.
- Usage: Commonly used in weddings, cultural events, festivals, and social gatherings. It’s particularly popular in wedding photography, where the photographer seeks to narrate the entire day, from start to finish, without interrupting the natural course of events. The images have a more artistic and storytelling quality.
- Example: A series of photographs documenting a wedding day, from the preparations to the reception, focusing on capturing the atmosphere, emotions, and interactions between people.
How Different Photography Styles Compare?
Here’s a breakdown of pairs of photography styles, highlighting their key features to easily spot the differences.
Candid Photography vs. Reportage Photography
Candid Photography
- Focuses on capturing individual, unposed moments.
- It doesn’t need to be part of a broader narrative; it’s about freezing spontaneous moments as they happen.
- There’s no structured story; the emphasis is on capturing authenticity in isolated moments.
Reportage Photography
- In contrast, reportage photography arranges these unposed moments into a cohesive narrative, telling the story of an event.
- It’s more structured and intentional, often presenting the entire process or a sequence of events, not just isolated shots.
- The goal is to narrate the flow of the event through a series of images, rather than focusing solely on individual moments.
Documentary Photography vs. Reportage Photography
Documentary Photography
- Typically involves long-term, deeply rooted projects that document social or political issues.
- The goal is to provide a broader view of reality, often with the intention of raising awareness or provoking thought on significant societal or global topics.
- It tends to focus on wider contexts and requires in-depth exploration, capturing the ongoing evolution of the subject matter.
Reportage Photography
- Reportage is more about narrating a specific event or day, with an emphasis on key moments and the atmosphere.
- It doesn’t necessarily have to include a deep social or political context. Instead, it focuses on the relationships and flow of the event, often tied to current happenings like weddings, festivals, or social gatherings.
- This style is more event-driven, capturing the essence of what’s happening in real time without needing a long-term or deep contextual framework.
Journalistic Photography vs. Reportage Photography
Journalistic Photography (Photojournalism)
- Is closely related to reportage but primarily focuses on informing the public.
- The images are often produced quickly to illustrate a news story, capturing key facts or moments to provide an accurate representation of current events.
- The main goal is to convey factual information, so the focus is on delivering news, and the photos serve to support that objective with clarity and speed.
Reportage Photography
- Doesn’t necessarily aim to inform in the same way. Instead, it focuses more on storytelling and conveying the atmosphere of an event.
- While both styles may cover the same events, reportage leans more towards creating a narrative, weaving a story through a series of images.
- Reportage is less about facts and more about capturing the emotional and relational essence of what’s happening, with an emphasis on mood and flow rather than just relaying information.
Storytelling in Photography
It’s essential to mention storytelling, as it plays a key role in all the photographic styles discussed above and is especially significant in candid photography.
Storytelling is the art of telling a story in a way that engages the audience, conveys information, emotions, and values, and builds a narrative around specific events, characters, or themes. It’s the process of crafting and presenting a story through words, images, sounds, or other means. Storytelling applies to literature, film, theatre, marketing, and, of course, photography—where a series of images, or even a single photograph, can tell a coherent story.
In the context of photography, storytelling is about narrating through visuals. This can be a single image that captures emotions or a situation so powerfully that the viewer immediately understands the narrative. Alternatively, it can be a series of images that together tell a full story, documenting an event, process, or person’s journey.
Let’s explore how storytelling unfolds in different photography styles.
Documentary Photography and Storytelling
Documentary photography focuses on the long-term documentation of reality, often intending to tell a broader story. Through a series of images or even single shots, documentary photography builds a narrative around a specific subject, such as community life, social issues, crises, or everyday moments. Documentary photographers aim for their work to speak for itself, telling stories in a natural but thoughtful way.
In this style, storytelling is a crucial element, as the entire purpose of documentary photography is to present a narrative, often one that is socially or politically significant. Photographers frequently spend years working on a project, constructing a story that resonates with audiences on multiple levels. These stories are often layered and complex, inviting viewers to engage with deeper themes and reflect on broader societal or cultural issues.
You should check out this post about the Power of Storytelling in Documentary Wedding Photography.
Journalistic Photography and Storytelling
Journalistic photography (or photojournalism) is another form where storytelling plays a key role. The primary goal of photojournalism is to inform the public about current events, and the images must tell the story quickly, concisely, and clearly. The viewer should be able to instantly grasp the context, emotions, and significance of the event from a single image or a series of photographs.
In photojournalism, storytelling is less elaborate than in documentary photography, as it often focuses on real-time events and is more fact-driven. However, the photographer still needs to capture the decisive moment that tells a complete story, even if it’s just one frame. Each photo must convey enough information to inform the viewer while also engaging them emotionally, delivering the core of the event in a snapshot.
Candid Photography and Storytelling
Candid photography focuses on capturing individual, spontaneous moments. The key difference is that candid photography doesn’t aim to tell a broader narrative but rather captures moments as they are, without interference and the typical structure of a story.
Storytelling in candid photography can emerge when a series of images or the context of an event gives meaning to individual shots. For example, in wedding or event photography, candid moments contribute to the overall narrative of the day, but each photo on its own is more about capturing the emotion or atmosphere of that particular moment rather than fitting into a structured story. While each shot stands alone in its authenticity, together they weave a bigger picture of the day’s events.
What is Candid Wedding Photography?
In the simplest terms, these are natural, unposed photographs.
This article aims to provide a broader context, as any type of photography can be applied to weddings. It’s the photographers specialising in a particular style who adapt it to wedding photography, taking into account its unique characteristics.
By comparing different styles and highlighting their differences, I wanted to demonstrate how to understand the concept of ‘candid photography’ and its place among them.
As the comparison of photographic styles above shows, there are subtle differences between them. In some cases, these nuances blur the lines, and people often use the terms interchangeably in everyday conversation. I’d argue that only professional photographers consciously differentiate between them.
Candid Pictures
And Zoe? Well, Zoe wanted natural, unposed photos from her wedding — simply candid. She chose me as her candid wedding photographer, and it was the right choice. My goal is always to tell the story of the wedding day through candid shots, or rather, to document the day as it unfolds. While individual candid photos are interesting and can tell a story on their own, creating a narrative flow from them is what truly achieves the desired effect. And, as far as I know, I succeeded. My work allowed Zoe and Ryan to relive their wonderful day once more — and probably not for the last time.
