The Art of Candid Wedding Photography!

    These days every bride in Ottawa wants a wedding photographer who shoots candid shots.  Candid wedding photographers need just as much knowledge in social dynamics as they do in technical photography.  Here are some things to keep in mind when shooting candid wedding photography.  These are guidelines not rules. 

1. Both eyes of the main subject should be showing.
2. The eye closest to the camera should be in focus.
3. The best expressions for wedding pictures are smiles and surprises.
4. The best candid shots are taken when the subject doesn't know you took a picture until after its taken.
5. Even the most serious of people will smile at some point during the wedding you need to predict that moment.
6. My favorite time to take candid shots is during the speeches.  Most people will give you tons of great expressions during speeches.
7. Use a telephoto lens so you can photograph people from far away.  You don't want the presence of your camera to ruin the moment you are trying to capture.
   

      The shot below was taken during the speeches at a wedding I did last summer here in Ottawa.  This shot was of the brides father.  I knew he would respond well to the brides speech no matter what she said, so as soon as she started talking I pointed the camera at him.  This shot was taken at 200mm at f3.2, shutter of 1/60 and iso 400.  I bounced my flash off the ceiling in order to compensate for the low light, give me a sharp image.