CANDID PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Candids are essentially taking a photo of a subject when they are doing something that you as a photographer did not tell them to do. The point of a candid is to capture a natural moment that was not staged or fake. Now this can be difficult to do but just remember to try to keep a natural way of framing in mind. When you’re taking candids you’re going to want to keep three things in mind: Distance, Subject, and Focus. Let's break it down point by point.
  1. Distance: Distance is extremely important when taking candids. You’re going to want to be very discreet even ninja-like. This is because you don’t want to spoil the genuinity of the photo and the moment, so keeping your distance can make a more natural photo.
2.         Subject: Candid photos are spontaneous meaning you see a moment and you quickly take a photo of it. This means that your subject or moment that you will capture is going to go by quickly. Just remember to always have your camera ready to capture the photo you want to capture. 3.         Focus: As I said before a candid moment is most likely going to pass by very quickly, so nailing your focus quickly is a big deal. For this reason you’re going to want to utilize the autofocus setting on your camera. Now the speed of this autofocus (how fast it focuses) is dependent on the two main things: the motor in your lens and your camera manufacturing brand. Lens motors are different from brand to brand but I am a big user of Canon and they have two main lens motors which are the USM (ultrasonic motor) and STM (stepping motor) STM lenses are used for video and USM lenses can be used for both video and photo. The the autofocus speed can also depend on camera model. I personally feel that Canon has one of the best autofocus systems out of any other DSLR but what camera you buy is completely your choice.