CAPTURING CANDID PICTURES AT YOUR PHOTOSHOOT
What is candid photography exactly? Well, I’m glad you asked. Candid photography can be simplified and defined as capturing an authentic, natural, realistic moment. The photographer is documenting rather than directing. So for example, a bride and groom sneak off for a moment away from the wedding chaos and the photographer captures the two of them, walking, talking, kissing, etc. The bride and groom are acting as if the camera isn’t there, and that is what a candid photo is. However, sometimes it’s hard to capture a true candid when it’s just the photographer and a couple or model. Here are a few tips on capturing some not-so-candid candids.
How can one capture a not-so-candid candid? That’s easy, movement! Movement helps your subjects loosen up and relax in front of the camera, it also helps the image look natural and less posed. This is also a great way to help a client/subject that is a little more awkward in front of a camera look like a natural. Direct your subjects to do something. For example, tell a couple to walk across a crosswalk holding hands, running, or looking at each other. This usually makes the couple laugh or smile naturally which comes across as effortless in the final pictures. If you’re working with a couple, you could also tell them to “drunk walk” this usually makes the couple laugh and smile as they try to navigate fake “drunk-walking” and it’s equally hilarious for the photographer to watch in real time. In order to really make the pictures feel like a candid moment, tell the couple to not look directly at the camera and instead look at each other or anywhere else.
If you’re working with a single subject, direct them with a scenario. For example, tell your model to walk towards you as they fix their hair. Or you could tell them to walk towards you and look over their shoulder as if someone called their name. Get creative when thinking of scenarios to direct the client to do! Sometimes if you tell them to do something funny, capturing their reaction to the scenario can also be a great candid moment.
Another one of my go-to’s for capturing candids is when you change locations with your subjects. So for example, when I’m at a photoshoot I never stay in one spot, I love switching things up and changing the background. Even if that means walking to another part of a park, parking garage, or walking across a street. I always switch up the backgrounds. When I tell the clients or model that we’re going to switch spots, I take that time to walk behind them and capture some true candid’s. At one of the family shoots we’ve had, we told the family to meet us across the street at a little vending area in the city. Dad and son crossed the street before mom and daughter did, but they waited on the other side of the street facing mom and daughter. I took this time to snap a few pictures of the 4 of them looking at each other because I thought it was a super cute moment.
It’s easy capturing candid’s when you direct the subject to do something, or go somewhere, and the photographer acts as if they’re making a documentary.
If you’re at an event like a wedding, baby shower, birthday party, or something totally different, capturing candids is easy peasy. When you're at an event it’s much easier to blend into the background and go around capturing genuine moments rather than when you’re at a photoshoot with a couple or a model and need to direct them in order to capture candids. When at an event, just tell everyone to act as if you’re not there and the candid pictures will start flowing in.
I absolutely love capturing candid moments. It’s like a breath of fresh air in a world of posed, perfected, images. I feel like candid images capture more emotion and really tell a story through an image rather than posed portraits.
What are some of your favorite ways to capture candids? Let us know on our instagram!
-Kristen
