Candid Camera – 15 top tips for taking candid photographs

We’re living in a digital world, where everything around us is curated and with the growth of AI, we’re never really sure if what we’re seeing is real. Images on social media can be heavily filtered and even a simple family gathering can feel like a staged photo-shoot.

If you think about some of your most treasured photos, they’re often not perfect. For example, perhaps the lighting is a little off or someone maybe moved at the last minute and is a little blurry, but it’s a quick snapshot of emotion, albeit a messy one. Those images feel so much more real than a polished, staged photo where you never really see what people were feeling at that exact moment.

Candid photographs can feel more genuine, there’s no performance involved and they tell so much more of the story and they’re becoming increasingly popular with wedding photography, as well as travel, portrait and street photography. But how do we get the best out of our candid shots?

WHAT IS CANDID PHOTOGRAPHY?

A candid photo is one that captures an un-staged, un-posed moment in time, in fact often, the subjects don’t even know the photographer is there.

TIPS FOR GETTING THE BEST OUT OF A CANDID SHOT

• Keep your camera with you at all times – this goes without saying, but you’ll always be ready to snap those spontaneous moments, also, if people are used to seeing you with your camera, they’ll be more comfortable around it and the photos will be more natural.
• Pay attention to the things you like to photograph – while you can’t look into the future, you can observe and recognise patterns, which means you can anticipate, and be ready for, those moments you want to capture.
• Use a smaller camera – this will feel less intrusive and intimidating than someone walking around with a huge camera with a long lens.
• Ditch the flash – a huge flash going off can be really intrusive, as well as distracting your subjects, so try to keep it off.
• Be patient – sometimes you just have to wait and observe; at a wedding, for example, guests might be aware of your presence and as a result, they might not behave naturally. One solution is lowering your camera, have a chat with them, pretend to adjust some settings, or polish the lens until they forget you’re there.
• Warn people – if people know you’re going to be at an event and you’ll be taking candid shots, they’re less likely to stop what they’re doing when they see you and pose for the camera.
• The more the merrier – take lots of photos, you could even use continuous shooting, or burst mode, so that you can look through them later and choose the one you like the best.

• Do your homework – if you’re photographing a particular event, a family party or wedding, for example, find out what will be happening and when, so you can make sure you’re in the right place to get those shots.
• Photograph people doing things – these kinds of shots are much more interesting than people just sitting, they tell a bit of a story and have a different energy about them.
• Photograph people with other people – this adds another element, if your subject is interacting with someone else there’s a sense of relationship to the photo, a bit more depth.
• Blend in – be part of what’s going on; if you’re in the middle of the action, people will be more relaxed around you, and you’ll have a good viewpoint and an idea of the kind of moment you want to capture.
• Pretend to be photographing something else – people can feel a bit uncomfortable if they think they’re being photographed, so you could use a wider lens and aim slightly to the left or right, so it doesn’t feel so intrusive.
• Get a different perspective – you could find a higher spot and shoot downwards; crouch down or even shoot from the hip.
• Carry on shooting – it can be really interesting to carry on photographing when everyone thinks you’ve finished, those are often the times when people act more naturally and really look at each other.
• Ask for permission – and explain why you want to take photos, this is important if you’re not photographing a planned event.

Candid photography is a real lesson in embracing imperfection. At a time when people are feeling a bit of digital fatigue, and we’re surrounded by filtered images, that can be really refreshing.

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