Candid Wedding Photography

I chose this candid wedding photography image from the hundreds of photos I looked through for this blog post, because it really made me smile when I saw it. In fact it made me laugh out loud. This photo has a sense of everything I think is best about weddings. The joy of sharing a fantastic day with family and best friends. Celebrating love and friendship.

Celebrating Love And Friendship

This photo holds the key to why I became a Sussex wedding photographer. I took this shot after the ceremony at Cissbury Barns when everyone was relaxing with a drink. I shot it totally candid, Ali and her friends didn’t know I was there and were sharing one of those remarkable moments where you laugh with total abandon. It happens a lot at weddings, more rarely at other times.

What Are They Laughing About?

I will probably never know what they are laughing about, but unusually in this situation I can have a good guess. I knew that doing a blog post about Ali and Ian’s wedding, I would have to at some point mention Ian’s amazing five marathons in five days. It was mentioned in the ceremony, which is what I suspect they are laughing about. Even if it isn’t, I like to think it is!

How I shot This Candid Wedding Photograph

At this point on a wedding day, after the preps and ceremony, I can stop for a few minutes to get my kit sorted and ready for the rest of the day. I often put my 35mm and 85mm equivalent lenses on my Fuji XT3’s and have a little wander around all the guests looking for shots like the one I’ve chosen above. I tend to shoot with quite a shallow depth of field, so as to isolate the person I’m featuring in the shot, and frame carefully to get the maximum effect. Patience is key at this point. Sometimes I will have to wait several minutes until I know I have got the best out of the situation. Whereas at other times of the day I often have to move on to the next shot quickly without really looking at what I’ve shot, during the reception I can take my time and really make sure I’ve captured the moment.