How to Take Candid Portraits of Family and Friends
- 1
Start With Easy Subjects
Get your camera, get out in the street and take pictures of people. Don't ask to take their picture, which will cause them to pose. Just take pictures of people to hone your skills. Don't be confrontational unless you feel the need. Start with simple, non-threatening situations like the one pictured. Become a student of human behavior. When do people notice you? How do you trigger them to notice you? Use a telephoto lens so you can study your subjects from a distance. - 2
Birdman of Station Square
As you become comfortable taking pictures of people, begin to immerse yourself in your subject. There are a lot of people who like to have their picture taken. Find people who are doing something and photograph them doing it. This is an old picture of a guy in Pittsburgh we used to call the "Birdman of Station Square." He was so involved with his pigeons, he could care less about having his picture taken. - 3
Peace, Man
Candid portraits usually tell a story or set a mood. As you become more comfortable you can become more confrontational. The more experience you have the faster you become at composition and exposure. This picture was taken within 2 seconds. As I raised my camera to focus, he flashed the peace sign. His glare changed to a shout as I clicked the shutter. - 4
Use a Telephoto Lens
Use the telephoto lens to your advantage. This enables you to take pictures from farther away. This picture was taken with a 200mm lens and I was far enough away from my friend to not disturb her contemplative mood. You know you have taken a good candid when you show it to the subject and she says, "oh, when did you take that?" - 5
Gain Trust
After you have practiced on friends and strangers, you are ready to start taking family candid photographs. Start with someone who feels totally relaxed with you. This is a picture of my wife early in my career. I pointed the camera at her and she swung the tripod up to her eye like a rifle. A completely candid moment made possible by total trust. - 6
Family Candid
After you have done all of the above steps, you are probably ready to take pictures of your children. Take advantage of their young years when they totally trust you and the camera. After you take some embarrassing photos, those days will be gone forever. These candid actions and expressions of youth will disappear as they get older and more self-conscious (most will totally hate the camera and having their picture taken by the time they are 10). Enjoy it while you can.
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