It has become more and more popular for clients to request “more” candid photos on their wedding day. If you want to be able to deliver on their request, there are a few things you need to know about how to capture candid photos on a wedding day.

Anticipation

There are several moments during a wedding day that often lead to great candid photos. If you can anticipate these moments, you will already be ready with your camera for them to happen. The tricky part about this is when you know one of these moments are going to happen but you are still required to capture the more traditional photo that is happening simultaneously. That’s why having a second shooter is a great way to capture candid photos.

Second Shooter/Assistant

There are several advantages to having a second shooter with you on a wedding day. One of those being that while you are photographing all of the safe and required shots of the day, your second shooter is capturing candid moments. An example of this could be that you want to photograph the groom’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time but you also want to photograph the reaction of the person walking her down the aisle. Make sure that you discuss ahead of time with your second shooter so that they know what photos they are responsible for.

Times During the Day

There are a few specific times during the day that typically result in great opportunity for candid photos.

• Getting ready photos
• Guests sitting at the ceremony waiting for the bride and groom
• Throughout the ceremony
• During bridal party photos
• Guests at cocktail hour
• Entrance into the reception – Couple and also crowd reactions
• Cake cutting + the moments after

These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head that you can prepare yourself for.

Step Ahead

You want to try your best to be one step ahead of your couple. Both mentally and physically.

Think about the possible moments that will unfold before they occur. Then get there, prepare your camera settings for the lighting situation you’re in and then wait for the moments to happen.

I hope that this is helpful for you to prepare for capturing candid photos!

Grab my Ideal Wedding Day Timeline PDF to best prepare for the big day!

If you found this post helpful, you may enjoy reading How to Ask Wedding Guests Not to Take Photos.