How to Get More Candid Wedding Video

Want your wedding footage to feel natural instead of staged? Use these simple tips to capture more authentic, candid moments.

Almost everyone says the same thing:

"We want it to feel candid."

But candid footage can be surprisingly difficult to create.

The second people know they're being filmed, they become aware of the camera.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to make your wedding footage feel much more natural.

Give the Camera to People You Trust

This may be the biggest one.

People relax around friends.

If the person behind the camera has known you for ten years, you're probably not thinking about whether your smile looks weird.

You're just interacting with your friend.

That's one of the reasons guest-filmed wedding footage can feel so intimate.

Don't Constantly Tell People You're Recording

You don't need to sneak around.

Just don't make every clip an announcement.

Instead of:

"HEY GUYS, LOOK AT THE CAMERA!"

Try simply capturing what is already happening.

Keep Recording After the "Moment"

Someone gives a toast.

Everyone laughs.

The toast ends.

Don't immediately stop recording.

Often, the reaction afterward is better than the thing you originally wanted to capture.

This applies throughout the wedding.

The moments immediately before and after the official moment are often gold.

Ask Questions

If you do want people to interact with the camera, give them something to respond to.

Try:

"How do you know the couple?"

"What's your favorite story about them?"

"What's your marriage advice?"

"Where do you think they'll be in 20 years?"

Or, after several drinks:

"Tell us something they absolutely should not know."

Use that one at your own risk.

Film From Inside the Party

Don't spend the entire reception standing at the edge of the dance floor zooming in.

Walk into it.

Dance while filming.

Pass the camera around.

Some of the footage may be shaky.

That's fine.

You want it to feel like someone experiencing the wedding rather than documenting it from across the room.

Stop Trying to Make Every Clip Beautiful

This might be the most important rule.

A wedding film can be beautiful without every individual shot being beautiful.

The value comes from what is happening.

Your grandfather dancing doesn't need perfect lighting.

Your best friend's laugh doesn't need perfect framing.

Sometimes the imperfections are what make a clip feel alive.