The Future of Wedding Photography Trends.
A “plandid” (short for “planned candid”) is a photograph that is meticulously planned and staged but appears to be spontaneous and natural. It’s a way to create a visually appealing and relatable image that gives the impression of a candid moment, but with the control and direction of a posed shot. With the growing creativity juices flowing in the minds of photographers and creators, and the inspiration that feeds the creative community with images and videos of creative shots freely available online to see and seek inspiration from, Photographers started not only shooting candid moments at wedding but also started planning out shots with the couples, families and friends to get stunning meaningful memories. I call this the Plandid era of photography which is a trend for the future that will blend in with tradition and candid photography & cinematography.
We`ve all heard of tradition and candid photography for quite some time now, the term “candid photography”. Candid photography, as a distinct style, emerged in the 1920s, particularly in Germany, with the development of smaller, more portable cameras that could capture images without flash, but it got it`s true recognition since the early 2000`s once digital cameras superseded the conventional DSLR`s, the most important aspect for this change was that there was no additional cost for taking multiple images from a digital camera, shooting on a conventional DSLR camera had the expense of using negative rolls, post processing and there was a wait time to see the final result, where as the final output from a digital camera was immediate and did not incur any cost of post processing, the only cost was that of a memory card and that too was a capital cost.
A “plandid” (short for “planned candid”) is a photograph that is meticulously planned and staged but appears to be spontaneous and natural. It’s a way to create a visually appealing and relatable image that gives the impression of a candid moment, but with the control and direction of a posed shot. With the growing creativity juices flowing in the minds of photographers and creators, and the inspiration that feeds the creative community with images and videos of creative shots freely available online to see and seek inspiration from, Photographers started not only shooting candid moments at wedding but also started planning out shots with the couples, families and friends to get stunning meaningful memories. I call this the Plandid era of photography which is a trend for the future that will blend in with tradition and candid photography & cinematography.
We`ve all heard of tradition and candid photography for quite some time now, the term “candid photography”. Candid photography, as a distinct style, emerged in the 1920s, particularly in Germany, with the development of smaller, more portable cameras that could capture images without flash, but it got it`s true recognition since the early 2000`s once digital cameras superseded the conventional DSLR`s, the most important aspect for this change was that there was no additional cost for taking multiple images from a digital camera, shooting on a conventional DSLR camera had the expense of using negative rolls, post processing and there was a wait time to see the final result, where as the final output from a digital camera was immediate and did not incur any cost of post processing, the only cost was that of a memory card and that too was a capital cost.
Early photography, while capable of capturing images, often required long exposure times and bulky equipment, making spontaneous, unposed shots difficult.
The introduction of smaller cameras like the Ermanox, which could operate without a flash, allowed photographers to capture more natural-looking images in a less intrusive way.
Salomon’s work, capturing the un posed moments of social elite, politicians, and diplomats, became influential and established the style of candid photography.
The development of 35mm film further facilitated the creation of candid photography by making cameras even more portable and unobtrusive.
Candid photography quickly became an established style within photojournalism, with photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Weegee further popularizing it.
As digital cameras became more accessible and advanced, candid photography continued to evolve, with photographers experimenting with new techniques and styles.
This revolution from the conventional DSLR`s to Digital cameras was instrumental in photographers becoming more daring with the use of their cameras, they started capturing more images at a wedding than ever before, from using 10 rolls at any wedding which amounts to 360 images (36 images each roll) to shooting 5-10k images at the wedding was a great change as no additional cost was incurred, the ability to try different angles and capture moments without having to tell the people to look into the camera was now easier. Capturing expressions of people without them knowing that they have been photographed was the new trend and these images were termed as Candid shots or Candid Photography.
So now at any wedding we had the blend of Traditional & Candid Photography which gave the photographer more room to capture images and use them to design coffee table books and Albums.
This created waves and ripples amongst the wedding industry and from then on this is the desired shooting instructions that were given to photographers and cinematographers to capture more of candid shots to form as part of the final deliverables for client’s whether it be for films or for images.
Now the new generation of photographers got an early start to capture these candid moments and technical use of the cameras too started becoming useful, photographers started using the features
in the camera to create shaky & blue shots in stills and time lapse, slow motion and slow shutter shots to create effects for their films, traditional cameras for shooting traditional films was a thing in the past, camera technology had upgraded from DSLR`s to Digital DSLR`s in the early 2000`s and then a slow transition from Digital DSLR`s to Mirrorless cameras when Panasonic released the first commercially marketed mirrorless camera was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, released in Japan in October 2008. It was also the first camera to adhere to the Micro Four Thirds system standard, which was developed specifically for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. With no mirror to flip up when you press the shutter, mirrorless cameras can take photos without making a sound. Stealth is a huge advantage in event photography or weddings, where you need to be as unobtrusive as possible. Mirrorless cameras are often considered better than DSLRs due to their smaller size, faster autofocus, and advanced video capabilities, while DSLRs offer a more traditional shooting experience and potentially longer battery life. The choice between the two ultimately depends on individual needs and preferences, this new technology took some time to be accepted and recognised but now in the 2025`s most professional photographers & cinematographers have shifted to mirrorless systems.
With an array of new features in these cameras the scope for creativity has expanded, a weapon created to capture and create images and videos with a difference, it`s like giving the artist a single tool, which has all the sizes of brush, scallops, colours, pencils, water/oil paint and all the other features required to paint the Mona Lisa or a Rembrandt.
There was a time before the digital era where each and every image shot on the camera had an expense, the time was when we used to shoot on negatives and film, not only the cost of the negative but the cost of processing the roll and printing the image was an expensive proposition. That`s where traditional photography was most prominent as the image was shot by making people face the camera and to get a clear shot so as not to waste the film, having said this there were some photographers that were experimenting with candid shot during this era too but the numbers were few.
The time when digital DSR`s came in the hands of photographers that’s when they go a little bold in their approach while shooting a wedding and started taking multiple shots as well as candid moments of the couple, families & people attending as there was no additional cost to this exercise, only the camera shutter click count that would increase. This time was where creativity started creeping into the minds of photographers since they could shoot and see the output simultaneously unlike in film where you had to wait for a couple of days to see the final result.
A trend that will be there for a very long time, with ever growing creativity in the artist and deep thirst of the consumer to see more creative content, the visuals that will speak volumes since its created and to look is candid. Like feature films that, even weddings shot today and in the future will have planned shots to be a part of the final deliverables, whether it be for their personal consumption in the way of coffee table books, wedding films/teaser film for friends and family, images in an external hard disc drive, social media, even using an app to showcase some images and films to all the close and dear ones of the couple, these plandid shots will formulate some of the better moments in their films and books.
This new technology has expanded the scope of creativity, giving photographers the tools to experiment with motion blur, time-lapse, slow-motion, and cinematic effects.
The demand for creative storytelling photography continues to grow, especially in the wedding industry. Couples want images that look real, artistic, and emotional, even if they are carefully directed. Plandid photography allows:
As social media becomes central to sharing life events, plandid shots are becoming the preferred choice for influencers, celebrities, and modern couples.
The growth of ideas and the means to achieve them with thanks to the technological advancement of cameras and equipment have made it possible to change the shooting style from Traditional to Candid and now to Plandid Photography.
As an inspiration that feeds the creative community, people would like to see the influencers, mentors and celebrities using Plandid shots on their social media handles creative shots freely available online to see and seek inspiration from, Directors directing events and wedding with scripts to ensure getting Plandid shots with the couples, families and friends to get stunning meaningful memories.
We at PK Suri Worldwide Studios give our clients the option for us to direct the plandid moments along with their event planners and themselves to ensure a seamless flow of event while getting some stunning shots for the films and coffee table books.
Please fill our short form and one of our friendly team members will contact you back.
