I am often told that my candid photos of
people are my strongest suit. I feel this
way as well. Thus I thought that I would
discuss some points that I think help me
achieve good results when photographing
people in a candid setting. |
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Select the lens |
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My favorite lens combination for this type
of photography is my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
with the Canon 1.4x Teleconverter. Since the
overwhelming majority of my candid
photography takes place with sufficient
light, the resultant f/4 works very well.
When the lighting is less than stellar, I
kick up the ISO on my Canon 1Dx. I have had
good results with an ISO of up to 25,600. |
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The reach of this lens combination allows me
to pinpoint my subject even when they are in
a crowd. I usually only have to shift my
position slightly to obtain the shot I am
going for. |
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This is what I had to shoot through in a
attempt to get a photo of the smiling lady. |
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Here is another example. |
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Picking a subject |
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I am a people watcher. I have always enjoyed
watching interesting people. Thus the first
thing I do is to scan my field of view to
find the person that I am going to
concentrate on for a particular photographic
opportunity. |
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I rarely ask my subject for their permission
to take their photo. If I do make eye
contact with an individual and they seem
like they don't want their photo taken, I
will not take their photo. |
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Those who know me, know that my favorite
subjects are pretty women and cute kids. I
will occasionally take a photo of any
interesting fellow but rarely. |
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Follow that subject with the camera
to your eye |
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I follow that subject with my eye to the
camera and my finger on the shutter waiting
for "the moment" to make the capture. I
shift my position as necessary to put myself
in the proper position to get my shot. |
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I think my best candid photos are the ones
where the subject's face fills most of the
frame. I try to position myself close enough
to the subject so that my lens can achieve
this. Sometimes I am too close and my lens
will not autofocus. I usually move farther
away to take the shot but when that isn't
possible, I will switch to manual focus to
get the shot. |
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Capture the eyes looking at you |
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I find the very best shots are those where
the subject is looking right at the camera.
As these are candid as opposed to posed
shots, I have to time my shutter press to
try to capture the moment the subject is
looking directly into the camera. This is
where a professional camera like the Canon
1Dx shines as it will focus almost
instantaneously. |
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Not quite
looking at the camera |
Looking at
the camera |
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As my subject is rarely motionless, I have
to anticipate their movements to capture
just the right moment. |
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When I am working my subject, I almost never
have the time to review the captures I have
taken of that subject. Thus I take quite a
few shots at different moments in
anticipation of having gotten THE shot. |
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My response to the often asked question "Are
you getting some good pictures?" is "I won't
know until I get them on my computer" is
very true is this type of shooting
situation. |
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I may find the time to pause and review the
camera LCD. If I do and I find I have not
gotten THE shot, I may try again if my
subject is still available. |
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When you can't get the eyes, look
for other angles that capture the mood |
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If I am trying to capture the mood of my
subject, it is not necessary to have the
subject looking into the camera. In fact, it
is usually better if they are not. A shot
taken from the side of the subject with part
of their face shown will usually capture the
emotion better than a full face shot. |
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Follow the subject and retake the
photo until you capture what you want |
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If you don't get what you envision, try
again if the subject is still available to
you. |
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In review |
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Like most photography, successful candid
photography requires that you pick your
subject and work it for the proper
composition. Unlike landscapes, your candid
subjects are only candid for so long! |
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Another perspective on this subject.
Still another prespective. |