The Subtle Art of Taking the Perfect Candid Photos – It’s All In the Basics!

There is nothing better that expresses the mood and emotions in an image than candid photography. This recently popular style of photography has become the top most appreciated style when it comes to delivering powerful raw images of people.

Whether it’s a beautiful bride laughing with tears in her eyes at her wedding reception or an old man wiping off the knees of his grandchild who just fell off a swing – there are powerful emotions that need to be translated into the image you capture. These emotions can never be reflected the same way if you asked these people to pose so for a picture.

Truth is, as soon as you yell “say cheese,” the natural element just vanishes from the photographs you shoot. This is the same natural element that makes an ordinary image capable of narrating a touching story – and candid photography is just the way to go about it.

Now the question is, how can you best capture these types of photos? Perhaps a few quick tips can help you get the idea. We’ve got some good ones lined up for you. Take a look!

Keep Your Camera Handy
Some of the most capture-worthy moments happen when you least expect them. Spontaneity is what makes candid photos turn out so natural. Hence, you need to be prepared at all times. Keep your camera with you wherever you go – whether you’re out with friends or traveling alone in the subway – take it everywhere with you. The second you notice a capture-worthy moment, just point and shoot.

Go Flash-less
The whole point of taking candid photographs is not to let the subject know you’re taking their picture. Once they know, you can expect them to become uncomfortably aware and conscious of themselves, killing the natural vibe you meant to capture. This is why, using a flash wouldn’t help – it’ll just announce to the other person that you’re photographing them, making the moment lose its essence.

The Telephoto Lens Works Best
See, you have to be in stealth mode in order to capture the perfect candid photos of your subject. This will usually require you to shoot from far away, which implies that you’ll require longer zoom to accomplish it. The telephoto lens in this case should be your go-to option. You can simply zoom in on the subject from a distance, allowing the emotion and intimacy of the moment to stay intact and keeping the composition as natural as possible.

Get the Position Right
This is the basic stuff. You can’t capture the perfect candid shot without timing and positioning yourself right. This is where you need to think ahead. You could be shooting photographs at a home during Christmas dinner – and you WANT that one stolen kiss between your parents every time they find each other under the holly – get into position! Look around for the angle that can give you the most exposure and also consider the people traffic that goes back and forth from where you’re positioned. You don’t want your brother’s head blocking the perfect moment!

Shoot From 3 Feet
They often call it shooting from the hip. So, instead of raising the camera to your eye level, you just take a wider angle shooting photographs with your camera positioned at your hip length. The key here is to lock focus on the subject. This picture may turn out blurry or cluttered otherwise, but if you manage to capture the subject flawlessly, you might as well be winning at this.

Remember, it is important to experiment with your perspective. Don’t just go about shooting candid photos from your eye level, work in other perspectives as well. Also, take a lot of candid images – the more you take, the better chances you have of capturing the perfect one – but wait for the right moment!