Candid photography is increasingly becoming more popular both in general day to day photography but also in formal photographic situations. Some of our staff who shoot weddings have been asked purely to take paparazzi style photos of the wedding and their guests throughout the day. Many couples will hire a second photographer for the formal shots.
The results, when they put together the candid shots with the formal ones is a wonderful blend of photos that tell a fuller story than if they’d gone for one or the other.
1. Take your Camera Everywhere
Probably the best way to take spontaneous photographs is to always be ready to do so. When on a shoot but between shoots always have your camera on to capture that special moment that will only happen for a split second. Taking your camera with you everywhere also helps people to be more at ease with you taking their photo.
2. Use a Long Zoom
Obviously the further you are away from your subject the less likely they will be to know that 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 you’re taking.
3. Don't Use a Flash!
Perhaps the most obvious way that 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, 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. Shoot Shoot Shoot and Shoot some more!
Shoot multiple images quickly of a person you can sometimes get some surprising and spontaneous shots that you’d have never gotten if you shot just one. Switch your camera to continuous shooting mode and shoot in bursts of images and in doing so you’ll increase your chances of that perfect shot. Also don't be afraid to fill up your memory card, and replace it with another. You should always want too many quality images than not enough photos to make an album.
5. Photograph Action (Dancing / Eating)
Images of people doing things tend to be much more interesting than people sitting passively doing nothing. For one your subject will be focussed upon something which 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 from you and fully focussed upon what they are doing or who they are with and you’ll inject a feeling into your shots of them being unaware and that the viewer of your image is looking on unseen.
6. Photograph People Interacting with People
Something very interesting happens when you photograph more than one person in an image at a time. It adds interest! 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.
7. Think Outside the Box
If your subject is aware that you’re taking his/her photo use your camera from your hip. Subjects tend to tense up if he/she sees someone about to photograph them. 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 raising your camera. To do this most effectively you might want to set your lens to a wider angle setting to make up for any aiming problems you might have.
8. Mix up your Angles
The other beauty of shooting from the hip is that it gives you a slightly different perspective to take the shot from. Get Low, Get High, frame your shots on an angle, break the rules of composition etc and you will add a new perspective to your shots.
9. Frame Images with Foreground Elements
A trick that is often use in candid shots is to purposely include something in the foreground of the shot to make it look as though your hiding behind it.
10. Create a Posed / Candid Shot
Shoot candid shots when other people are taking formal ones. This is because everyone in the shot is focused on the one element (the other photographer). 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 on one or two of the people in a larger group works well too. 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. |