How to Take better Candid Photos

Taking pictures of people go into two categories.  They are either portraits or candids.

Portraits are the shots when your subjects are in poses.  While the candids are usually when your subject is doing something natural.

I would like to focus on taking candid shots.With this type of photography, their is an art form, and if you follow these steps you will be real happy with your work.  This is from my experience as a San Diego Photographer.

First off, don’t get in their way.  Most candid shots you take of course are going to be people going about their business, but the secret to taking a great shot like that is to make sure they are unaware of the shot.

Because often times, when they do notice you, you are going to miss the essence of catching an unguarded shot.  So try hard to make sure they are unaware of the camera. 

Another thing to consider is the setting or the environment.When you are going to take candid photos, the environment plays a big role.You want the candid photo to be able to capture the subject in their setting as natural as possible.It’s that setting
whether it is their work, their house, or the street they are walking, helps tell a story of your subject’s life.  This is especially important if you are going to be taking shots as a Wedding Photographer San Diego.

A third step you can do is to learn to anticipate behavior. An important part to being able to take candid photos of people who are acting naturally is to know what your subject will do next in a situation.

This will be beneficial to you if you are trying to catch a particular moment because you will be ready rather than miss the shot.Knowing how they are going to act in a given situation and then capturing it is all about anticipation.

Finally, always be looking for those times when a person may express their emotions.  Because after all, when taking these types of shots, that is the main thing you want to capture in these candid shots is emotion.

Take a look at what your subject is doing and think about whether or not it’s a moment that will express an emotion.Such as an expression of impatience at a stoplight.Or a joyful emotion displayed at an event.  Every moment in time provides an opportunity to capture an emotion.Being alert of those moments will enable you to capture that moment in time that tells a story.

Taking candid photos is an art form for sure.Especially if your goal is to tell a story with your candid shots. Following these few simple steps will help you be on the road of capturing as many storytelling moments as possible as a photographer.