Some of my favourite photographs in my collection I guess you could call “candid”. Of all the pictures from our wedding, including the professional ones, my favourites are the ones taken by the guests using the disposable fun cameras. They are pictures of people having fun! Portraits look so much better when not staged.
Here are 10 quick and easy candid photography tips:
- Take your camera everywhere
When you see an opportunity, grab it!- Don’t use complicated lighting techniques
- use a fast shutter speed
- blend into the background
- You don’t always need to take the shot with your camera at eye level
- Use your zoom
- Never take photos of people’s backs
- Convert to black and white
- capture the essence of the person’s task
The tricky part about candid photography is the invasion of privacy aspect. The author recommends taking pictures of lovers kissing! Surely that isn’t on, you might well get a roundhouse kick to your face as well as a photograph ..
How do you resolve peoples need for privacy with capturing great candid photographs of scenes?
(Source: Tips for Candid Photography)
Technorati Tags: candid, photography, tips
5 Comments
Remember though that if you take a candid photo unless you’re using a telephoto lens you’re just taking a picture of what people are already showing the world. However if you are going to distribute said image on a mass scale you will always need the subject to give permission. If you use this as a rule, you should have a clear conscience.
It’s tricky isn’t it, how the heck are you supposed to get permission, especially if you are on vacation?
Hmmm .. didn’t you just buy a big-assed telephoto lense D? ;O)
It’s a dodgy one. Though I do believe that in the UK you can take candid photos and publish them without their permission. You can’t of course in the USA!
Oh god, just done some reading and well I’m confused!!!! I assume there must be some exceptions to the rule (crowd shots etc). I know stock photographs are not allowed any people at all in the shot without a release form.
Here’s a decent enough article on the issue.
http://www.ephotozine.com/freelance/fullstory.cfm?freelanceid=16
The rule i use if you’re not exploiting , ridiculing or making money off the people. You should be okay to post on such sites as flikr.
If you’re going to be making money off it best get a release.
However if you manage to get shots of a celeb, well there fair game, aparently anything news worthy you don’t have to get permission. Remember the Pam Anderson video, thats how they got away with it.
But after the Jenifer Aniston pictures, who knows if that laws going to change, but then he did push the bounds of the law to take the photos.