Take Better Candid Photos
That new digital SLR may boast split-second autofocus, but it still can't do anything about the lifeless "Say cheese!" moments filling up your hard drive. If you really want to catch your subjects by surprise, check out these instructions.
Steps
- Look for light - specifically, reflected light to fill in the subject's features. Hallways and small rooms bounce light around, which can counter the hardness of the flash. Look for 10-foot ceilings and stand {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} from the wall behind you.
- Don't pose subjects. People look relaxed and comfortable when they're engaged in activity - smoking a cigarette, fixing their hair, petting the dog. Anything that keeps their mind off your lens is good.
- Use the naked eye. Forget that your camera has a viewfinder and an LCD. Get everything in focus, then hold the cam in front of you and rely on your own sight. This lets your subjects warm up to you and helps you read their expressions.
- Shoot first. Don't worry about framing the perfect shot while the camera is in your hand. Keep moving, getting as many angles and moods as possible. Click fast and often.
- Compose later. Back at home, you can refine your raw material into a beautifully composed candid. Purists like Henri Cartier-Bresson shunned cropping as a kind of photographic half-truth; for the rest of us, there's Photoshop.
- Avoid clutter in the picture. Reframe the shot by moving the subject left or right in the viewfinder. If the background continues to be too cluttered, use a wide aperture. Using a wide aperture in the camera's aperture priority mode can throw the background out of focus so that the eye concentrates on the subject.
- Keep good visual elements inside the picture. Bright shapes or objects too near the edges of the frame will pull the viewer's eye away from the subject.
- Still compose. Keep visual distractions away from the edges of what will be the final picture.
- Blend in The best candid photographers blend into the background so don't be too obvious. Do what everyone else is doing so you fit in with the situation. Then when you see a good candid moment, bring your camera up to your eye.
- Watch the back Never take photos of people's backs. Nothing is more boring than a group of people with all backs turned to the camera. It just doesn't work
- Public Places If you're in a public place, it's usually okay to photograph people. If they object however, you need to stop. If you're not sure, it never hurts to ask permission before hand. Your subject may want to pose, so explain what you saw them doing and ask them to continue as if you weren't there
- Experiment! Sometimes the artistic expression of a candid photo can be limited by you; the photographer. Try different angles, places and scenes. Look at candid photos created by others (they can be found in lots of magazines) for inspiration.
Related Articles
- Take Better Photographs
- Take Black & White Photos With a Digital Camera
- Take A Good Picture On Your Camera Phone
Sources and Citations
- Wired Magazine - Original source of this article. Shared with permission. Original content by professional photographer Ron Galella.
