Carrying a 70 200 makes us a candid photographer?

In wedding photography it is classified as traditional and candid style photography. The traditional photographer meant to cover all the rituals right from the exteriors of the mandap to all other rituals. The T.P(Traditional Photographer) meant to ask people to pose for every time even during tying the knot. 

     On the other hand it is the duty of the C.P (Candid Photographer) to capture candid moments. As the name suggests the subject in your frame shouldn't be posing for the picture. Its all about capturing people/emotions/moments as they happen. Its a pure art.  

  I've shot weddings in both styles. When i assigned to shoot candid pictures to an engagement, i was given a set of lenses except the mighty 70-200. But there were other lenses like 24 70, 50mm as such.

  But when i was starting with wedding photography i had this thought that it is impossible to shoot candid pictures without the 70 200 2.8. That day i started arguing with the assistant like i should've given that lens to shoot candid pictures. I believed that framing a person from a distance at 200mm makes a picture candid one. With all those philosophical confusions i somehow covered that event and i wasn't satisfied at all. I couldn't sleep that night. 

  Later i had to cover events in traditional way where i was given a single lens which is a 24-70 2.8 unlike the C.P where he/she gets variety of lenses mostly to shoot close ups which made me jealous!. 

  After shooting couple of other such events, I found later that i was more spontaneous with the 24 70. I barely missed a moment. I never had to worry about whether to choose 50 or  35mm. I never had to keep on looking for the assistant to change lenses. 24 70 given me a convenient range to go from wide to mid close ups.That lens made me concentrate to more on moments than bothering about the right lens. The pictures might not be bokeh-enough but the f2.8 renders the decent depth that you want. 

The thing is people (photographers and the clients) has different views on a C.Ps and a T.Ps which is a C.P has to be creative and the T.P just have to make sure he covered all the people at the event. But despite the role (C.P or T.P) you play at the event you can be creative with any kit you have in your hand and no one is lesser than the other is what i learned later on.

   While shooting big Tamil weddings where they do tonnes of rituals and playing , you can not take your eye away from the viewfinder because you have a very little time to respond to every frame.    Since the Candid photographer doesn't expected to cover all the ritual details, the traditional Photographers meant to cover 'em all .  

  

It could be the 101th elder person wishing the couple but as a T.P you should give the same importance as you gave for the first person. That's where i found all those small lovely moments happening in between those rituals. But its a pain the way that the T.P and C.P are getting paid. They should get paid by the content they produce not the title they hold.

  Even as a T.P i doesn't interrupt couple/people to pose for each and every damn picture. I believe that is utterly pointless. By calling them to pose during a moment, what i do is making 'em to miss the nature essence of the moment which also ruins the picture.

 In the beginning of my carrier i didn't quite like it when i assigned to cover the event in traditional way. Now, i believe if i had refused those assignments, i would not be taking the pictures that i shoot today in weddings.

I'm not a pro but i want to conclude this topic by saying this to people who are starting out. I believe a 35mm camera and a 24 70 lens are all you need  to cover a wedding professionally. Wedding photography is not about shooting at f1.4 or 200mm. It becomes more interesting when we trained our eye to see 'the moment' and respond to it.

That's all folks!