Best Photography Style for Weddings | The Power of Both Candid & Posed Photography
Denver Colorado Wedding Photographer
I am a wedding photographer based out of Denver, Colorado that takes pride in creating bold and striking imagery behind every meaningful moment. Contact me here for booking and availability.
As a Colorado wedding photographer I am spoiled with unbelievable backdrops and scenery, But the heart of the image isn’t about the mountain peaks and rolling hills of beautiful Colorado, its you. Your wedding day is a beautifully complex story filled with fleeting moments of joy, happy emotions and crafted portraits that capture you, your style and your love. While posed photography art and mastery, candid shots reveal the genuine emotion and energy that show your uniqueness on your wedding day. Both are essential, and when combined thoughtfully, they create a narrative that you and your loved ones will cherish forever.
Candid Photography: Heartbeat of Your Day
Candid captures are about the real, unfiltered raw moments—those spontaneous expressions that happen naturally. These images show your love in its purest form: laughter, tears, surprise, and intimate interactions that happen when you’re least expecting them.
Why Candid Photos Matter:
They reveal your authentic personalities and reactions—whether it’s a surprised gasp at a heartfelt speech or a tear rolling down your partner’s cheek.
They capture moments you won’t even notice. Behind-the-scenes, guest interactions, or precious reactions happening when you’re engaged elsewhere. They create a fly-on-the-wall gallery of all the things you didn’t see.
They keep your memories genuine and lively, telling the full story of your celebration in an honest, heartfelt way. That’s why photography is such a luxury—these memories will only gain value as the years pass. Priceless.
The Photographer’s Role:
I feel a talented wedding photographer must have a candid mindset. To observe quietly and anticipate fleeting moments, waiting patiently to click when just the right expression or interaction occurs. I had a review that made me smile. "Jason was seriously like a ninja on our wedding day, and I am still trying to figure out how he got so many different pictures from a million different places during such a short ceremony.”— As a photographer, I feel during the whole wedding day my radar is alert. To capture that unseen moment without anyone knowing it was frozen in time.
Tips to Maximize Candid Shots:
Share your desire for authentic moments with your photographer beforehand. I feel as a photographer, my job is to dig deep into what your vision is for your wedding day before it even happens.
Trust their instinct to capture important reactions. And by doing that, it flows easy and makes the next point happen smoothly.
Stay relaxed and focus on enjoying your day. Genuine expressions happen when you and your partner are present.
Posed Photography: The Artistry of Elegance
While candids tell the story of the day in a journalistic still movie, posed photographs bring a refined, artistic layer to your wedding imagery. These posed and composed portraits add a timeless charm to your collection, showing your style and creating wall hanging magic.
Why Posed Photos Are Important:
They deliver iconic, polished images from your photographer—family group shots to romantic couple shots—that you and your loved ones will display in your home for years.
They give you control over lighting, composition, and styling, making sure every detail looks perfect.
They ensure loved ones are captured looking their best, especially during family and group portraits. This is specially important for the older generation. The image on their wall will most likely be a formal family portrait of all their loved ones—and not a candid moment of the day.
They can incorporate meaningful backgrounds or scenic views like the Colorado rockies or a beautiful mountain venue with your personality stamped on it.
How to Make the Most of Posed Shots:
Work with your photographer on a pre-planned shot list, sharing inspiration and preferred poses. Bring some of your favorite images they have captured to your meeting with them to show why you chose them in the first place.
Keep your posture firm and relaxed—this is were your photographer will take the lead. To make you feel comfortable (that shows in photos if you are not), posing you to look your best, and giving you free range direction to be yourselves. This actually can add a flair of candidness to your posed images.
Incorporate movement—like walking hand and hand, twirling, and adding a playful touch to keep your portraits lively and authentic. Again, it doesn’t have to be just looking at the camera with a smile next to each other. If you have a professional leading you—it will be a mixture of authentic portraits.
Choose locations or backgrounds that reflect your style, whether it’s rocky mountains, rolling hills, or a city scape.
Remember—the goal is to look beautiful while feeling comfortable. If your enjoying the moments of creating the images, when you look at the final pictures, that feeling will bring you back every time.
Why Both Styles are Essential
A complete wedding story balances the best of both worlds—embracing the spontaneous beauty of candid moments and the refined bliss of posed photography. Neither style alone can live without the other on a wedding day. Candid photos preserve the unexpected joys and unguarded emotions, while posed images provide stunning, controlled portraits that celebrate your style and relationships.
The Photographer’s Role: Capturing Every Moment
A skilled wedding photographer understands how to blend both styles seamlessly. The most important style is all the styles if that makes sense. Again, one can’t breathe without the other. They set you up in the best places, use off camera lighting, pose you in your comfort with confidence and a calm demeanor. They are capturing priceless moments happening in the background for you—while you are enjoying the space you are in. Moments you get to see with aww and excitement—so many moments you didn’t even realize that were happening on your wedding day.
Final Tips for a Complete Collection
Choose a versatile photographer experienced in both candid and posed photography.
Communicate your vision for both styles during planning.
Relax and enjoy your day; authentic happiness happens when we feel content and calm.
Trust your photographer to document every beautiful moment, big and small. They do this for a living. Let go of the reins and enjoy every moment—it will go by fast.
If you have any questions on your specific day and timeline, I am an open book. Please feel free to message me anytime. And if you want to no more about my booking process or availability, I look forward to hearing from you.
