The wedding day for the bride and groom is a once in a lifetime event. It is a very unique day where emotions run crazy and anything can happen. As a photographer you need to capture this feeling: that it is a one of a kind day not only for the bride and groom, but also for everyone invited to the wedding. The photographer needs to focus not only on shots of the bride crying or the groom looking nervous, but also on candid photos of the guests.

These candid shots of the guests portray how the bride and groom would like to remember their wedding- a unique day in the lives of everyone in attendance. A candid photo of an uncle getting emotional, or a quick shot of the always shy college roommate showing off his moves on the dance floor will confirm to the wedding couple that everything was a little different on their special day.

Be aware of everything that is going on around you is the best advice I can give for photographing great candid shots of the guests. Being aware will help you to be able to expect what is going to happen before it happens. This is the key to taking candids.

An example of knowing what to expect during the ceremony: when the priest is talking to the bride and groom. You should get your normal couple shots of the bridal couple at this point. Great. But for the next few minutes you know that the priest will keep talking, and the bride and groom are pretty much going to look the same. This is the time to turn around and see what the guests are doing.

But remember it needs to be candid. So what I do is I kind of take a general sweeping look at the guests behind me and face forward again. Nobody knows that I was looking at him or her, it just seems that I was looking around. Still facing forward, I have in my head the image I want to shoot of one guest in particular who I think looked to be in a moment. So I set my camera settings, then quickly turn around and get the shot before the guest realizes he or she is a photo opp.

To use another example of knowing the wedding flow to be able to anticipate candid photo opps is when the music starts at a reception. Normally people are still too shy to start dancing, but because you are the super wedding photographer you know that the children at this reception are going to run out and play on the dance floor. This is because it’s finally time where they don’t have to sit still and listen to speeches and they can get rid of all the pent up energy. As you are walking over to them I hope you are adjusting your camera to high speed settings. Kids are always great for candid shots. This means it is a good idea to kind of know where they are in the back of your mind as you are getting other shots. If you see something out of the corner of your eye, and there is a lull, go shoot it. If you do this you’ll get some great shots.

Thanks a lot for reading, and see if this tip works for you at your next wedding.

Kevin Heslin is one of the foremost Wedding and Commercial Photographers in Costa Rica. Besides commercial and wedding photography, Kevin also specializes in Travel and Cultural Portraits. To see more photo tips click on his blog Costa Rica Photographer Or to see photos of his weddings in Costa Rica, or travel and cultural photography in Central America check out his website Costa Rica Photography. This article, Make Your Wedding Photos Unique by Capturing Great Candids of Your Guests is available for free reprint.