Candid wedding photos are overrated, says wedding photographer

• Joshua Huggett is an Australian wedding photographer and founder of Joshua Huggett Media.
• Most couples want candid photos, but Huggett said they always end up using properly posed photos.
• He says these photos become valuable because they are often the last time the entire family is together.

This essay, as stated, is based on a conversation with Joshua Huggett, a wedding photographer. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I started taking photos in high school because it was a fun and easy subject. After high school, I continued to take pictures of abandoned buildings, but there was no market. So, I switched to event photography – birthday parties and anything I could make money with my camera.

Wedding photography wasn’t even on my radar. But then I photographed a friend’s wedding for free as a favor and I was hooked.

It’s a special experience because you’re spending time with people on the best day of their lives, when they’ve spent months trying to look their best with hair, makeup and everything else. Plus, you’re often in amazing places – with free food and beer that’s hard to turn down.

Now, I shoot 120 weddings a year with a team of 28 people.

Shooting weddings takes you everywhere

I like to say that wedding photography is the “Olympics of Photography” because it pushes every skill a photographer has.

It’s not just about taking candid photos of the couple. There is product photography when photographing rings, dresses and decor. There are nightclub shots when you’re on the dance floor, capturing the couple and guests in motion. And there’s portrait photography when you’re taking family photos.

Our clients range from everyday Australian weddings to high end freelance clients. Wedding photography takes you to all kinds of places. One day I’m shooting a wedding at a five-star hotel, and the next day I’m out on a farm where food is cooked over coal in the bucket of a tractor.

One of the most interesting locations we shot was in the middle of Australia, in a town where the Mad Max movies were filmed. Donkeys roamed the streets and a Mad Max Museum was on the main road. It wasn’t fancy, but it was one of my favorites. I’ve been to places like Peru, where I shot a wedding and visited Machu Picchu

Honest shots are overrated

Couples these days are obsessed with capturing “candid moments” at weddings. They imagine it’s all about those spontaneous, unscripted moments—laughing with friends, mingling during cocktail hour, or quiet conversations with loved ones.

While we take a lot of those photos, most couples don’t realize that after the wedding, when it comes to choosing their favorites, they aren’t the ones that get framed or hung on the wall.

Ultimately, couples really want their big, polished, beautiful photos – the ones where they’re posed right, standing in front of a stunning backdrop, looking their best. These are the images that last.

People might ask for candids, but they’ll almost always value the traditional, well-composed photos they’ve taken. Candid photos are great for filling out an album or scrolling through on your phone, but iconic images that capture the essence of the day almost always involve a little effort in posing and planning.

I only use about six key pictures: one for the profile picture, one for the family, a few to send to the grandparents, and one to hang on the wall.

How to take the best posed photos

When it comes to stills, I like to keep things dynamic, adding movement so it doesn’t look stiff or too formal. It’s all about making people feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera.

A well-posed portrait isn’t just about standing still. It’s about creating movement and making people feel comfortable so they don’t look stiff or unnatural.

This is especially important for older couples who often put off extended photo shoots and simply want wedding coverage, candid shots during the reception, and family photos. They appreciate a more minimal approach and don’t spend hours searching for posed pictures, just enough to capture the essence of the day.

Over the years, I’ve also realized that weddings are one of the last big gatherings where families are together—parents, grandparents, and close friends all in the same place. I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve received from couples thanking me for their photos after they’ve lost their loved ones.

Those images become significant, especially if they were some of the last ones taken. It’s easy to get caught up in the details, but it’s the people in the photos that make them special at the end of the day.

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