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A Few Tips on Candid Photography

Posted on: July 6, 2017 at 5:20 am

When you are just starting to practice with your camera, candid photography is probably one of the first few assignments at KAPA, and at most other institutes. And once you are a seasoned photographer, shooting candid is still a lot of fun, and very rewarding if you have the aptitude for it. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when walking around with your camera –

  1. Use Wide Angle – This is not to say that tele photo is not apt for candid photography, but wide angle perspective usually captures the essence of the place better. Also, it allows you to include subjects in the frame without pointing your camera right at them!
  2. Look for the right moment – Try and look for people engrossed in their phones or reading a paper or magazine. The moment they look up, it captures a very candid expression! The below image was captured using both tips mentioned so far –
  3. Compose your Frame Beforehand – Candid photography is sometimes like fishing, in the sense you get your gear ready and lie in wait! Try and get an interesting composition using a passage, a doorway or any interesting outline, get your metering done, and simply wait for the right subject to appear in the frame –
  4. Dont be Afraid to Try Slow Shutter – Using the above tip, go ahead and use a slow shutter to depict a feeling of motion, while keeping the background nice and sharp.
  5. Try some Bold Angles – Especially while shooting children or pets, we sometimes keep shooting from our own eye level, which makes images a little monotonous. After all, we are all used to seeing the world from our own eye level. Why not give the image a drastically new point of view by going down to a child’s eye level, or as with this image, go even below their eye level!!!