Natural, Fun Wedding Photos Without Stiff Posing
A Candid Wedding Photographer in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
If the thought of spending your wedding day standing perfectly still while someone tells you where to put your hands makes you uncomfortable, you’re definitely not alone.
One of the most common things I hear from couples is:
“We want our wedding photos to feel natural.”
Usually that is followed by some version of:
“We don’t want everything to look posed.”
“We want lots of candids.”
“We want photos that actually feel like us.”
“We want beautiful photos, but we also want to have fun.”
And my personal favorite:
“We’re awkward in front of the camera.”
That’s completely okay.
You don’t need to know how to pose. You don’t need to practice your smile. And you definitely don’t need to spend your wedding day worrying about whether you’re standing in the right place.
As a Wisconsin wedding photographer, I combine candid and documentary wedding photography with just enough direction to create beautiful, intentional photographs without making your wedding day feel like an eight-hour photoshoot.
The result is a wedding gallery filled with the big moments you expected, the little moments you never saw happening, and photographs that actually feel like the people in them.
What Does Candid Wedding Photography Actually Mean?
“Candid” gets used a lot in wedding photography.
Sometimes couples hear candid and picture a photographer standing across the room with a giant lens taking photographs without anyone knowing.
My team and I do some of that because it’s in the moment.
But great candid wedding photography is more intentional than simply taking pictures when people aren’t looking at the camera.
It’s about anticipation.
After photographing hundreds of weddings, you begin recognizing the little signs that something is about to happen.
Dad seeing his daughter in her wedding dress.
Grandma reaching over and squeezing someone’s hand during the ceremony.
The flower girl getting bored halfway through family pictures.
Your best friend starting to tear up before she’s even halfway through her speech.
Your parents quietly dancing together while everyone else is partying around them.
Your spouse looking at you when you’re paying attention to someone else.
Those moments happen incredibly quickly.
My job is to notice them.
Some of my favorite wedding-day photographs aren’t necessarily the ones we planned. They’re the ones that happened in the few seconds between everything else… and that’s what I personally call “candid”, and that comes with knowing and reading the room and setting up for those special unplanned moments.
Natural Wedding Photos Don’t Mean Zero Direction
There’s an important distinction here.
Being a candid wedding photographer doesn’t mean I’m going to stand 50 feet away and leave you completely on your own.
Because eventually you’ll probably look at me and ask: “Okay…what do we do?”
That’s where direction comes in.
Rather than putting you into a complicated pose and asking you to hold it, I tend to give couples simple direction or movement.
Walk together, hand in hand.
Get close and gently touch your nose to her cheek.
Talk to each other.
Sway back and forth trying not to tip over.
Let’s look a little less like serial killers for this click, and I usually get a little snicker that’s candid.
Look at each other and give each other your best winky face, and then I usually see a busted-out laugh… capturing that candid.
Sometimes I’ll adjust something small because I know it’ll photograph better and it sets up the “pose” but yet it’s natural and with some gentle prompts or guidance… you’ll see that candid come to life that nobody else knows what we were doing or what was taking place… other than “OMG… that looks incredible!” when you see that image in your gallery.
Sometimes I’ll put you in beautiful light and then let something happen so you can enjoy some quiet time as I work around you, creating multiple angles and looks without it feeling stiff or awkward.
And sometimes I’ll give you absolutely no direction because what’s already happening is better than anything I could manufacture or guide you into.
That’s the balance.
I don’t want every photograph to be completely uncontrolled, and you don't either.
But I also don’t want your wedding gallery to feel like a collection of poses.
Movement Makes Wedding Photos Feel Different
Movement is one of my favorite tools when photographing couples. People tend to stop thinking about the camera when they’re doing something.
If I tell you:
“Stand here and smile.”
You immediately become aware that you’re being photographed and start down the rabbit hold of:
Where do I put my hands?
Am I smiling weird?
Where should I look?
What should I do?
But give someone movement and suddenly that changes.
Walking together.
Turning toward each other.
Laughing.
Fixing a jacket.
Holding onto an arm.
Dancing.
Skipping down the sidewalk through downtown Milwaukee.
Walking through a tall grass field in Western Wisconsin or in the fields of St.Croix or Dunn County.
Running outside for ten minutes during sunset, stopping traffic in the middle of a local small town like Canal Park in Duluth, MN.
Movement creates interaction.
Interaction creates expression.
And expression creates photographs that actually feel like you.
Documentary Meets Editorial
I don’t believe couples should have to choose between beautiful photographs and real moments.
You truly can have both.
That’s where documentary and editorial wedding photography meet.
Documentary photography is about observing what’s happening and preserving it honestly.
Editorial photography brings in composition, lighting, intentionality, movement, and occasionally a little direction.
Put the two together, and you get something much more interesting.
You can have a beautifully composed portrait that still feels like you, and like you as a couple.
You can have a wedding-party photograph that doesn’t look like a school class picture.
You can have gorgeous reception photos that still show what the party actually felt like.
And you can have quiet, emotional photographs that weren’t planned at all during our sunset time.
That’s the balance I’m constantly looking for throughout a wedding day.
Your Wedding Shouldn’t Become a Photoshoot
This is a big one for me.
You hired a wedding photographer because your photographs matter. But you’re also throwing a wedding because you want to experience it.
I don’t want to pull you away from your guests every 20 minutes because I found another place to take a picture.
Instead, good planning lets us create great photographs efficiently, then get you back to your wedding.
Before the wedding day, I work with my couples on the photography timeline so we know where photography fits naturally.
We’ll talk about things like:
Getting ready.
First looks.
Wedding party photographs.
Family photographs.
Couple portraits.
Ceremony timing.
Reception details.
Sunset.
And anything else that’s particularly important to you.
That preparation means we’re not figuring everything out while your wedding is happening. When the day arrives, you can actually enjoy it, and my team and I take care of the rest! I ask all my questions during our planning stages; you shouldn’t need to make many decisions on the wedding day, and you should enjoy it because the stage is set.
The In-Between Moments Matter
Wedding photography isn’t only about documenting the scheduled events.
Of course I’m photographing the ceremony.
The First Kiss.
The first dance with your father as the bride.
The speeches of your best man and Matron of Honor, or even Grandpa sharing his special memories.
The cake.
The wedding party enjoying time together.
The family photographs.
Those things matter and those moments matter.
But there’s an entire wedding happening between those moments.
Your mom helping with the final button on your dress.
Your friends losing it when they see you completely ready.
Someone fixing Grandpa’s boutonniere.
The hug immediately after your ceremony.
Your wedding party laughing when you’re supposed to be taking a “serious” photograph. There’s always a ‘class clown’ in the group, and that’s encouraged because we get to feed into the fun as well!
Kids sliding across the dance floor.
Someone wiping away a tear during a speech or sharing a special time together.
Your parents watching you during your first dance.
The expression you make immediately after the camera-worthy moment after your first look.
Those photographs are often what make a wedding gallery feel complete.
You might not even know some of them happened until you see your photographs afterward.
What About Family Photos?
Heck yes, we still take them.
Candid wedding photography doesn’t mean abandoning the photographs that will become important pieces of your family’s history.
Some photographs are worth slowing down for.
Your parents.
Grandparents.
Siblings.
Immediate family.
Wedding party.
Those photographs become incredibly important as the years pass.
The difference is that they don’t need to consume an enormous portion of your wedding day.
We’ll organize them ahead of time, work through them efficiently, and then move on.
Because after we get the photograph of everyone smiling at the camera, there’s usually another photograph waiting to happen immediately afterward.
That’s often when personalities come back out.
“But We’re Really Awkward in Photos”
Perfect. This is my favorite, and I accept the challenge with open arms.
Seriously. No joke. And I promise you’ll laugh, and your significant other who hates photos will tell you they are glad they spent the extra money on me and my team because it was way more fun than they thought, and it’s worth every penny.
Most of my couples aren’t professional models.
Nobody arrives at their engagement session knowing exactly what to do. That’s one reason I love engagement sessions.
I think of it as our trial run for your wedding day. I get to learn how you two interact.
You get to learn how I photograph.
I find out what feels natural for you and what doesn’t.
You discover that having your photograph taken isn’t nearly as uncomfortable as you expected.
By the time your wedding arrives, we’ve already worked together. You know what to expect from me. And I know what works for you.
That familiarity makes a tremendous difference.
True To Color Wedding Photography
Editing style matters.
Photography trends change constantly.
Very dark and moody.
Extremely bright and airy.
Muted colors.
Heavy film effects.
Desaturated greens.
Orange skin tones.
Trends come and go.
My approach is intentionally more timeless.
I want the colors in your photographs to feel like the colors that were actually part of your wedding.
If you chose a particular shade of flowers, spent months selecting bridesmaid dresses, carefully designed your reception space, or waited for Wisconsin’s fall colors, I want those colors represented beautifully.
My editing is natural and true to color while still giving photographs the polish and consistency you’d expect from professional wedding photography.
Your wedding photographs shouldn’t only look good on Instagram next year. They should still look good decades from now.
What I Watch For During a Wedding Day
Some moments are obvious to photograph. But experience teaches you to watch beyond the obvious.
During a ceremony, I’m not only watching the couple.
I’m watching parents. Grandparents. The wedding party. Guests. Kids.
Reactions of each person there.
During speeches, I’m watching the person speaking, but I’m also watching the two of you and the people around you looking at who’s speaking.
During your first dance, I’m photographing the dance, but I’m also watching your parents watching you across the room.
During the reception, my second photographer photographs what’s happening on the dance floor, and I look for what’s happening just outside it. Those are the candids that you’re wanting, and you bet I’m covering it for you.
That’s one of the reasons wedding photography requires so much situational awareness and a big benefit of having two photographers.
There can be several stories happening simultaneously, all of which you may never see until your final gallery.
Why Experience Matters With Candid Wedding Photography
I’ve photographed more than 700 weddings throughout my career, with over 20,000 hours spent behind a camera.
That experience doesn’t mean every wedding is predictable.
Actually, it’s the opposite.
Weddings are wonderfully unpredictable, and that’s exactly why experience matters. It’s also one of the things I love most about photographing them.
Weather changes. Timelines move.
Someone disappears right before family photographs.
The ceremony starts late.
Your bustle breaks.
The light changes faster than expected.
Dinner runs behind.
A speech happens that wasn’t on the timeline.
Someone important arrives at the last minute.
And the best candid moments certainly won’t wait for the photography schedule.
Experience means knowing how to adapt when all of that happens without making you feel like something has gone wrong.
It means recognizing beautiful light quickly, anticipating moments before they happen, adjusting the timeline when necessary, helping solve problems with your vendor team, and continuing to photograph the moments happening around you while everything else is being figured out.
My goal is for you to actually enjoy your wedding day while I handle the photography decisions and small problems happening behind the scenes.
In many cases, you’ll never even know there was a problem to solve.
That’s how it should be.
A strong wedding vendor team makes an incredible difference, and photography is a big part of that team. My responsibility isn’t simply to show up and take beautiful photographs. It’s to pay attention, anticipate what’s coming, communicate with the people around me, and make decisions that are in your best interest throughout the day.
Because candid wedding photography isn’t just about being in the right place at the right time.
It’s about having enough experience to recognize when that moment is about to happen.
Wedding Photography in Milwaukee and Throughout Wisconsin
I’m based in Wisconsin and photograph weddings throughout the state and beyond.
That includes weddings throughout Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Western Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, and destinations throughout Minnesota and the Midwest, including Duluth, western Minnesota, and the Twin Cities.
Every venue and every wedding creates different opportunities.
A downtown Milwaukee wedding might give us architecture, city streets, interesting light, rooftops, and movement.
A Western Wisconsin wedding might give us open landscapes, woods, water, and incredible sunsets.
A historic venue creates something completely different, like the Greysolon in Duluth, MN.
A modern venue creates something different again, like Woods & Co in Pepin, WI.
Rather than forcing every wedding into the same photography formula, I want to use the environment you’re already in.
That’s part of what keeps every wedding gallery unique.
What Should You Look For When Hiring a Candid Wedding Photographer?
Don’t judge a photographer exclusively by their ten best Instagram photographs.
Look deeper.
You should be evaluating:
Can they photograph people interacting naturally, and do the people look comfortable?
Can they photograph a dark reception area with and without flash without a grainy or underexposed (dark) look?
Can they handle direct sunlight with the sun directly above at noon?
Do skin tones look consistent and true to color?
Can they create beautiful portraits at sunset with low lighting?
Can they direct and manage large group families or multi-generational portraits?
Do you see emotional moments that are unstaged or unposted?
Do you see photographs where people aren’t looking at the camera and are having a great time?
Do the photographs feel repetitive, or does each wedding feel like the people who were actually there?
And perhaps most importantly:
Can you picture yourselves in that photographer’s photographs?
A photographer’s portfolio should help you imagine what your own wedding might feel like.
The Best Wedding Photographs Feel Like You
There’s nothing wrong with having a few photographs where everyone is looking at the camera.
Your parents will probably want one.
Your grandparents definitely will.
And you’ll probably be glad you have them someday.
But that shouldn’t be your entire wedding gallery.
I want you to have the beautiful photographs.
Then I want the photograph immediately afterward when someone says something inappropriate, and everyone starts laughing for that candid moment.
I want the epic sunset photograph.
But I also want your spouse’s expression as you walk back toward the reception.
I want the first dance.
But I also want your mom watching from the edge of the dance floor.
I want photographs that are beautifully composed.
I also want photographs that feel alive.
Because ultimately, the goal isn’t simply to prove that your wedding happened.
It’s to help you remember how it felt.
Are You Looking for a Wedding Photographer?
If you’re planning a wedding in Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Western Wisconsin, Minnesota, or somewhere completely different like Montana or Hawaii, and you’re looking for wedding photography that feels natural, candid, true to color, and full of personality, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
My wedding collections begin at $2,990, with options that can include engagement photography, one or two photographers, different amounts of wedding-day coverage, heirloom wedding albums, save-the-date cards, thank-you cards, guest signing books, and more.
As a full-service wedding and portrait studio, my goal isn’t simply to photograph your wedding and send you a gallery of digital files. I want to help you plan for photographs that mean something to you and create something from them that you’ll enjoy long after the wedding.
But before we figure out which collection makes sense, I want to hear about your wedding.
And before you decide whether wedding photography fits within your budget based on a number alone, I want you to understand what’s included, how I work, and what you’re actually investing in.
When you reach out, you don’t need to have everything figured out. Just tell me a little about what you’re planning:
Where are you getting married?
What are you most excited about?
What matters most to you when it comes to your wedding photography?
Do you want your photographs to feel candid, emotional, editorial, fun, or a little bit of everything?
And maybe the most important question:
Years from now, what do you hope your wedding photographs help you remember?
That’s where we start.
Some additional resources you will find helpful:
