Tip #3815 - Candid Photography
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Candid
Photography
You must have seen
"Candid Camera" on TV, right? Well, candid photography is something
like that. The only difference is that while those were staged to make
you giggle, these are more natural. And that is what candid photography
is all about. Capturing people, places and things without them posing
for it and sometimes without their knowledge. Given below are a few tips
you can use to get started with candid photography. Please note that these
tips are not about taking sneaky or true paparazzi shots (for example,
photographing people without their permission), but rather, they're about
how to add a more candid feel to the shots you take of the people you
know. Let's get started!
1.) Your camera
should be stuck on you.
Probably the best
way to take spontaneous photographs is to always be ready to do so. Carry
a good quality point and shoot camera that's small and easy to lug around.
It makes it easier for you to whip it out on short notice to capture those
Kodak moments that life presents us with when we least expect it. Taking
your camera with you everywhere also helps people to be more at ease with
you taking their photo. This means they are relaxed and the photos will
be natural.
2.) Get the
most use out of your zoom lens.
Obviously, the further
you are away from your subject, the less likely they will know you're
photographing them and the more natural and relaxed they'll act. Using
a telephoto lens or long zoom enables you to shoot from outside their
personal space, but keep the feeling of intimacy in the shot as well.
3.) Avoid
using your flash and alerting your subject.
Perhaps the most obvious
way you can signal to another person that you're photographing them is
to use a flash. There's nothing like a blinding flash of light in the
eyes to kill a moment. If possible (and it's not always), attempt to photograph
without the flash if you're aiming for candid shots. When in lower light
situations, increase your ISO setting (the speed of your film that can
range from 100, 200, 300, and 400), use a faster lens, open up your aperture
or if your camera has a natural light mode, turn it on. Hopefully, one
or a combination of these approaches will help you blend into the background
a little more.
4.) Take multiple
exposures.
When you shoot multiple
images of a person quickly, you can sometimes get some surprising and
spontaneous shots you never would have gotten if you shot only once. For
example, when you first take a picture of a person, it may be of them
walking down the street. The next moment, he sneezes. If you were taking
multiple exposures, you would have captured that too. So, switch your
camera to continuous shooting mode and shoot in bursts of images. By doing
this, you will increase your chances of getting that "perfect shot."
5.) Location,
location, location.
You probably have
heard this about real estate. Well, it's true of candid photography too.
It is about capturing the spontaneity of a moment and getting that perfect
shot at the right second. If you think ahead and anticipate what is about
to unfold in front of you, you can greatly increase the chances of getting
some good shots. So, for example, at a fashion show, get to the five-star
hotel early (or even go to the rehearsal) and think about what will happen
during the show and think about where will be the best for you to stand
to capture each moment. Which way will people be facing? What will they
be doing? What will the light be like? Thinking through these issues will
save you a lot of running around, repositioning yourself when you should
be shooting images. It will also save you from only getting shots of the
back of people's heads!
6.) Photograph
people in action.
Images of people doing
things tend to be much more interesting than people sitting passively
doing nothing. For one, your subject will be focused upon something that
adds energy to a photo (and takes their focus off you), but it also puts
them in context and adds an element of story to your image. Timing is
everything in candid shots, so wait until they are distracted and fully
focused on what they are doing or who they are with. That way, you'll
inject a feeling into your shots of them being unaware and you'll get
a much better candid shot.
7.) People,
people.
Something interesting
happens when you photograph more than one person in an image at a time.
It introduces relationship into the shot. Even if the two (or more) people
are not really interacting in the shot, it can add depth and a sense of
story into the viewing of the image. Of course, in candid shots, you'd
like some interaction between your subjects, because that adds some emotion
into the shot also, as we the viewer observe how the people are acting.
8.) A wide
angle lens helps.
If your subject is
aware that you're there and that you have your camera out, they might
tense up or act a little unnaturally as they see you raising your camera
to your eye. The beauty of digital cameras is that it doesn't cost you
anything to take lots of shots and it can be well worth shooting, without
ever raising your camera. To do this most effectively, you might want
to set your lens to a wider angle setting, which will make up for any
aiming problems you might have.
9.) Be game
for unusual angles.
The other beauty of
shooting from the hip is that it gives you a slightly different perspective
to take the shot from (for instance, shooting from three feet of height,
instead of six). This adds to the candid nature of the shots. In fact,
sometimes it's the slightly crooked, slightly out of focus or poorly composed
shots taken from this type of angle that end up looking the best, because
they come across as quite random. Of course, you can add all these new
perspectives to your shots without shooting from down there, but it's
more fun this way! Crouch down, get up high, frame your shots on an angle,
zoom in close and then quickly zoom out to a wide angle, break the rules
of composition, etc. and you will add a new perspective to your shots
that will make them look fresh and surprising!
10.) Mask
your real intentions.
A trick often used
in candid shots is to purposely include something in the foreground of
the shot to make it look as though you are hiding behind it. You might
do this by shooting over someone's shoulder, by including a little of
a tree branch or the frame of a doorway, etc.
11.) Capitalize
on a formal shoot.
Shoot candid shots
when other people are taking formal ones. Do this, because everyone in
the shot is focused on the one element (the other photographer) and not
you. If the main photographer has posed the happy couple of the day or
their bridal party, look for a different angle of them to take a shot
of the same subject. Often, if you take a few steps to the side and shoot
from almost a profile position, you can get great shots. Also, zooming
in to take shots of just one or two of the people in a larger group at
these times can work very well. Try zooming right out to take a shot of
the photographer and their subject all in one as well. If you're the only
photographer and you're taking formal shots, a great technique is to take
your posed shot and then continue to shoot after everyone thinks you've
finished. It's often the shots just after the posed one that are the best,
as people relax and look at each other.
There you go. Now,
go on and have fun being candid!
~ Zahid H. Javali
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