I like to think that I make a better third wheel rather than being the star of the show, at least when it comes to documenting the world around me. One of my favorite styles of photography (and videography) is the candid shot. I enjoy letting the moment speak for itself without artificial direction from behind the lens.
According to SLR Lounge: “Candids or Candid Photography refers to unposed photographs, often shot at an event such as a wedding.”
For today’s article, I’ll be using pictures from a photo shoot back in April with several of my friends, one of whom is also an amateur photographer.
Take yourself out of the picture
In my experience, the key to the perfect candid shot is to remove yourself from the situation. As the cameraperson, your work should not interfere with the authenticity of the moment. In the picture above, I caught my friend Josyah in the middle of photographing some blossoming trees at the Carson City capital grounds. The photo wasn’t about me, it was about him.
To pull myself out of the situation, I stood back from him as he began to prepare for his shot, framing the blossom into view. Then, as I saw his focus intensify on his shot, I swiftly came around him and took my shot. (Here’s a tip: run with multi-shot enabled and take a few frames at once. You give yourself a selection of photos to choose from later.)
Be decisive in your shots
When the time comes to act and capture the moment, be sure of what you’re doing and what you’re trying to achive. For this next shot, Josyah was already aware that I was shooting candid and was not worried about posing for me. He was focused on using the blossoms as a foreground filter for his selfie in this shot. My goal was to capture the process behind the picture: his exploratory nature to seek out unique elements of an environment. So how did his shot turn out?
Sometimes, you just can’t help getting involved
As much as you may try to postion yourself beside the moment, sometimes your subject will notice you and look right into your lens. In the image below, Dalton saw me approach him as he was dressing himself with a flower and obliged me in a quick photo op. I didn’t ask him to pose for the shot. He just rolled with it. You’ll find that many of your subjects may do the same.
As a photographer, you’re there to capture a moment, and your subject knows this. Don’t be surprised if they tend to interact more with the camera, making things seem less candid. Sometimes hiding out for a second can help catch them by surprise as their real selves. This is when you capture authenticity. As you explore the world of candid photography, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t work when trying to capture authentic moments.
If you’d like to see more about different techniques in the photo and video world, be sure to follow my blog and Twitter! Thanks for reading!
JT Creative 