Share your candid portrait tips & tricks!

July 10th, 2011
I took this at a birthday party.



I got lucky with the timing. I love the moment I captured, but not the overall photo. I know I have focusing issues, but besides that, what would make this better?

Please share your candid portrait tips/tricks.

Also share your fave candid portraits!
July 10th, 2011


It's not something I really do, so I have no tips :/
July 10th, 2011

this is one of my hubby on holiday , i love the twinkle in his eye on this one and that it is in b&w


this is my daughter pulling funny faces at me,again i love the b&w


and this one is my eldest son on his 18th with his friend, my tips and tricks, i have none, just keep snapping until you get one that you like,try and be mindful of what is in the background,i know they are candid but i try and make sure i position my subject somewhere where i think the photo will look good or change the angle i am taking the pic from in order to avoid something i don't want in the shot
July 10th, 2011
I do a lot of these but really I just take them when I think it's a good moment, you can't plan it really. I did convert this to B&W because the background was a bit messy. I find I do this quite often with candids as I can't really control the background. Sometimes I find a good situation in advance and wait for an interesting moment, but obviously you can't stand around in front of a wall for ever!
July 10th, 2011
@mjmama

great moment captured

if the rest of the photo is annoying you- erase it.

you could clone the wall colour to cover around the girl and the man
you could cut the girl and man out and place them into a wood scene or park (grass and sky)

you could simply blur the background so only the girl and man are in focus.

it depends on what you want
July 10th, 2011
I think the best tip I've read is to make sure that the eyes are what's in focus. If you have great focus on the eyes, you're halfway there to a great portrait!
July 10th, 2011
For me, whenever I see an opportunity for a good candid portrait I switch to continues shooting and just take some shots of it then choose the one I see best later :D

July 10th, 2011
I mostly crop them to bring the person closer:



And you need to zoom, How further away how more natural the person will look.
July 10th, 2011
I agree with @maaikel tip to zoom from a distance and I feel more comfortable shooting candid/street photography when it's busy, I feel less conspicuous than in quiet scenes..

Here are some of mine







July 10th, 2011
shot in the car (husband was driving) while trying to get a smile... when I converted to B/W I darkened the background so all you get is his face..



father and son on fathers day, just having a hug... and I happened to have the camera ready..



kid at play. making a collage works well for candids as then you can tell the whole story..

July 10th, 2011
I love candids. It's what I do most. I just watch, watch, watch people: my family, friends, and now strangers. I just pick up my camera and snap. A lot is knowing people, and being ready to get the moment, while not caring if others see you do it.







July 10th, 2011
July 10th, 2011


That's my favourite candid so far. I took it from the hip, letting my point and shoot dangle and pointing it towards people who looked interesting at a fair in Cambridge. I then cropped it so that the girl would nearly fill the frame and blurred the background to make her stand out. Shooting from the hip takes a bit of practice and sometimes it doesn't work at all but it ensures natural candids and not being yelled at ;).
July 11th, 2011
Ditto on @jannaellen comment. I usually don't hold the camera to my face - giveaway to the subject. It's interesting but if you hold the camera lower - even chest height - and just casually stop, shoot and continue on your way, most folks won't even notice. This works really well for people you know who are camera-averse. Usually when I show them the image later they are all surprised (and pleased) at the results.

This is one:


Another, a stranger:


At a fundraising event:


And another relative:
July 11th, 2011
This latest candid almost got me in trouble:


This one almost threw a hammer at me:


This just pose entirely while i was chasing birds and butterflies to capture


overall, taking candid is a joy forever! =)
July 11th, 2011
I take a lot, and I really enjoy using my big zoom so I'm not in someones face lol! I often have problems cutting people off though, perhaps I should crop in rather than zoom so far when I'm trying to get an action shot!!
Sports..

and another...

One more..

July 11th, 2011


Keeping my eye on this post. Portraits are very difficult for me. Its only by luck that I'm able to get the the image or expression I want. For this portrait, I loved the look on her face but the exposure was dark, so I worked with the grain during processing.
July 12th, 2011
Thanks everyone for sharing your pictures and tips! Great ideas!
July 12th, 2011


this child is a nightmare to take photo's of. She poses. Soon as she sees the camera...and they're not nice poses. I take a lot of candid shots, still working on the non candid to be honest but she..... is so hard. It's almost as though she has a sixth sense where camera's are concerned too : / I took this one by taking a shot where she posed and straight away taking another one before she moved onto her next pose. I know her routine lol.

Still trying to get a decent shot of my husband though. He poses too and he doesn't know he's doing it. grrrrrr ....even in a set up shot he ends up with a glazed expression in his eyes so candid would be better but ugh.
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