I think you and I prefer the more natural images of ourselves and others. It’s because we’re far more relaxed, involved with something besides photography, usually just enjoying ourselves.
So when you’re looking for someone to photograph something as important as your wedding day, you might look for someone with a candid approach, or someone who mostly takes candid images.
Because you don’t want to be feeling uneasy or over manipulated on a day where you’re meant to be celebrating with all your loved ones around you.
But I think it’s important to see the difference between something you might call a candid, over something you might associated with photojournalism (telling a story through images). As the difference is huge, and if you can see this, you’ll be a step closer to employing a photographer who’s work you love & trust, rather than merely like in patches.
Firstly, a candid image means it is taken informally, usually without the subject’s knowledge – that is it. It should really only be an ingredient in an image, as with this alone we can’t really gather too much information from an photo. Other than seeing they existed in that time and space. Or maybe just that they were existing, as you might not be given any idea of where they are.
Photojournalism is telling a story through images – so images taken in this capacity have to do a lot more. They have to show, of course, some sort of story, something that is happening. Some sort of meaning to the subject and the viewer, something that shows an idea beyond the surface. We can learn a lot more from photographs like these, and the feeling and connection we have to them will be much stronger.
So to give an example…
This image of Neha being lead down the nave by her father to begin the ceremony. See how we’re focused in on the contrasting expressions? We can see the pride in her father’s face, compared with the slightly nervous look shown by Neha, who doesn’t even want to look up because of the potential for the emotion to overwhelm her. If you’re anything like me, you’ll put yourself in their shoes, and you’ll begin to imagine what they would have been going through in that moment. We can do this because of the depth within the image – we can see the story.
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This image of Peter waiting only moments before the beginning of the ceremony. Just before the bride enters, this is when you usually see the groom lost in his own thoughts, clenched hands, beads of sweat on his forehead, shifting with unease… or maybe a combination of all of those! It’s perfectly normal, as whether he lets on or not, it does mean a lot to him too. That’s why the incredibly relaxed gesture shown by Peter here is quite revealing. It’s amusing. But it’s an intrinsic level of depth which gives the image a sort of meaning – it tells us something explicit, and in that we see the story.
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You want to know the secret?
These things happen all the time on some level… if you see them. But most of the time we’re too busy being lost in our own world.
Over time I’ve begun to realise it’s not so much about what you see, but weather you really see anything at all.
