Candid images provide many unique - and often touching - memories..

Speaking Candidly
By Eric Wallace

Could 'candid' wedding pictures be right for you? Seven Alaskan photographers share their views on this popular photo style.

Open any wedding album. Which photos most catch your eye - formal or candid?

Formals provide a lovely, essential record, but it's the candid shots that show the vitality, the magic and the full sense of all that happened.

Whether called wedding photojournalism, documentary photography, or simply "candids," these images are unposed - usually shot with available light - revealing intimate moments, behind-the-scenes happenings, and a myriad of tiny details.
"These frozen slices of time are emotionally powerful and captivating," says Janna Maile of Photo Arts.

Amateur or Pro?
To some, the word "candids" suggests friendly old Uncle Kevin, juggling his vintage Kodak with a plate of canapés. His results will be, well - mixed.

"Uncle Kevin might get a few good shots," chuckles Mari Nordby of Nordby Photography in Anchorage. "But the professional isn't looking for just one or two good shots. She wants to document the wedding with many sensational shots."

Tasha Grossl of Grossl Photography in Soldotna puts it more bluntly: "Ask someone who had friends or family take the candids if they'd do it again. More often than not the answer is no!"

Choosing Your Photographer
You only need one professional to cover your entire wedding. But that photographer's style of shooting candids needs to truly "click" for you and your fiancé.

"The best way to determine if you like a photographer's documentary style is for the two of you to look at complete sets of wedding," says Jeff Nordby of Nordby Photography. "Never make your decision having only seen a "best of" album."

Since candid styles vary significantly, interview as many photographers as it takes, closely checking their documentary work. Don't stop hunting until you find a style that deeply appeals to you.

After you've chosen the photographer, discussed basic logistics, and agreed upon a budget (most wedding packages include the cost of documentary shooting - but ask how many prints that gives you), there are a couple of questions to address. The first is an aesthetic one.

Color or Black and White?
What's a couple to choose? The vibrancy of color or the uniqueness and classic moods of black and white? (Hint: "Both!" is an acceptable request.)

Bill Zervantian of Farrar Photography in Anchorage says the majority of his favorite candids are black and white because of "the elegant and timeless quality."

"When you take out the color," says Mari Nordby, "you remove less-important information, and you're left with the subject and the emotion - the two things we look for in a great image."

Although black and white is her preference for documentary work, Melissa Laggis of The Picture Lady in Wasilla recommends selectively shooting color, as she does. "Good photographers know when a color image will stand out and give the right impression."

Shooting Rules
Discuss a critical tactical issue with your photographer: how much freedom is allowed for behind-the-scenes photos? Can the photographer wander anywhere he likes? Shoot whatever she wants?

A photographer should know up front what the bride and groom will and won't allow to be photographed, says Jeff Nordby. "Good, clear communication is the key to knowing what is 'going too far.'"

"Every bride has a different comfort zone," says Bill Zervantian. "A good photographer will ask if it's okay to take photos - or even to be in the room - if he senses it's a sensitive moment."

"Each photographer has to know the comfort level in capturing emotional moments," says Janna Maile of Photo Arts in Anchorage, "and hopefully is keenly aware of the social cues of appropriateness that people being photographed are giving off."

Photo Opportunities
You've set the rules, the great day arrives and your candid photographer starts roaming. What might he or she actually shoot?

"The entire day is one huge opportunity," says Jeff Nordby.

Tasha Grossl watches for "sweet moments such as how the bride looks at her dad when he's delivering the toast. Good candids truly immortalize all the details."

"I particularly like the 'getting ready' shots," says Janna Maile. "I like the tension, the interaction between the bride and her mother, the bride and her bridesmaids. I like photographing the reception: by then everyone lets their guard down, comes out of their shells."

Bill Zervantian thinks the comprehensive nature of photojournalism really hits home when the couple sees their proofs. "They realize there was a lot happening around them that they didn't even know about or didn't remember!"

Moments to Cherish
Candid images provide many unique - and often touching - memories.

"My favorite candid," says Lori Zervantian of Farrar Photography, "is a black and white of a little flower girl pensively standing amongst bride and bridesmaids. I took it at the moment all photographers watch for - when great mood, lighting and composition all present themselves simultaneously!"

Janna Maile loves an intimate series of a groom dancing with his mother. "They became very emotional. They leaned their foreheads together, had tears streaming down their faces, touched one another gently, and spoke privately. I had tears in my eyes, and I felt unsure if I should shoot such a private experience, much less share it with my clients. But I took the photos. Later I was told how very much the groom cherished those images."

Spotting the bride with her grandmother, Mari Nordby quietly aimed her camera. "Grandma was crippled with arthritis. The shot is just of the two subjects' hands and laps - Grandma nearing the end of her years and the bride fresh with hopes and dreams. I like to think that some day after Grandma's gone, the bride will look at that image and remember the moment, now preserved forever."

See beautiful examples of wedding photography in Alaska Bride & Groom magazine, on newsstands now. Alaska Bride & Groom is your complete Alaska wedding guide.