True happiness isn't posed, it's captured

There is nothing more challenging in the world of wedding photography than capturing true joy and happiness. The reason this is so hard is that you can’t pose it.

In fact, the more posing you do, the more out-of-reach true expressions of joy and happiness are.

I admit, there are some wedding photographers that are quite good and skilled at posing this kind of photograph. But they’re very few and far between. For me, it’s better to return to my roots as a photojournalist when I'm working on a wedding day; to watch, observe and be ready for moments as they happen.

I’m reminded of the power of photojournalism at weddings when I look back into my portfolio on occasion. The images that stick around are the ones that are undoubtedly honest, joyful and spontaneous moments of emotion. Capturing pictures like this demands more than being a witness. Photographing emotion takes anticipation, patience and a willingness to really allow events to unfold.

Perhaps the most challenging part of all of is your command of your camera equipment. The camera has to be an extension of your mind’s eye and after hundreds of thousands — maybe even millions? — mine is. There's no margin for error on a wedding day.

The idea, of course, is to blend in with your surroundings in such a way that your subjects forget you are there. If you’re fussing with your equipment that is all but impossible to do.

Here are a few images from my wedding portfolio that I really love, and they all have one thing in common: honest-to-goodness expressions of emotion. 

If you’re just learning how to use a camera, there's no substitute for practice. And if you’re beginning to photograph events like weddings, resist the urge to pose people.

Instead, trust your instincts to capture pictures that are honest and truthful representations of the wedding day and how people really experienced an emotion-filled day. 

These images will be the ones you and your subjects cherish the most.