You might have heard the terms posed photo or candid photo used before and wondered, "what is the difference between posed and candid photo?". Maybe you have a general idea of what it means. Maybe it's completely new to you. Either way, I'm here to help!
Start by asking yourself these questions. When looking for a photographer, what do you seek most from your photographer? Do you want photos smiling at the camera or do you want to capture moments of interaction between you and your loved ones? Knowing this info is a helpful step to selecting a photographer that is right for you!
Generally speaking, posed photos are photos captured with guidance from your photographer. Many times people assume this means smiling at the camera. However, that is not always the case. A lot of time a posed photo might have you looking at one another or having you tilt your head in a certain direction to look down. These are all posed photos that are directed by the photographer.
Candid photos are typically captured from a far with zero instructions from your photographer. These are more of a documentary style photography where your photographer will just watch, wait and see. For example, during your wedding ceremony or toasts, dances, etc, this is a candid photo because your photographer is capturing a moment.
Just like photography styles, there is a range between candid and posing. I like to consider myself a posed-candid photographer. In my definition, I give my clients guidance for posing with action. I will help you into a pose then give you an action to complete. This gets you in a placement that is flattering while allowing me to capture a real reaction. During your action, I watch and wait to document the best moments.
Now, I do feel there is a need to have smiling at the camera, traditional posed photos. Family portraits on a wedding day is one time it is a necessity. However, I do favor interactions between people instead of interactions with my camera. By allowing clients to interact with one another, I can capture the love between them in a much deeper way than smiling at the camera.