Photography 101: How to Take Candid Photos With Complete Candid Photography Guide

Candid photography is a style of photography in which the models and the scene are not staged or posed. Candid photographs are usually photos of people, and can be taken anywhere: at home, at the grocery store, at a child’s birthday party, and so on.

The candid photography style is commonly used in street photography, wedding photography, and photojournalism.

Due to the long exposure time of early technology, the oldest photographs were rarely candid. However, candid photography is nearly as old as photography itself, and thousands of photographers have practiced the style—many to great acclaim.

1. 1. Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004). Widely recognized as the godfather and master of candid and street photography, Cartier-Bresson captured iconic images of decisive moments in the street of 1930s Europe.
2. 2. Garry Winogrand (1928-1984). Winogrand shot from the hip on the sidewalks of New York in the 1960s and 1970s, often capturing strange expressions.
3. 3. Helen Levitt (1913-2009). Another New York City native, Levitt photographed children and families living in the tenements of Harlem and the Lower East Side and.

More recent photographers who have gained notoriety in this genre are Nan Goldin, Ryan McGinley, and Olivia Bee, who all shot the intimate, candid moments between their friends and lovers.

Many of the most famous photos of all time are examples of candid photography. Most of these were taken by photojournalists, and capture raw, human moments—some good, some bad—amid the events that shape our world. Some prominent candid photography examples include:

1. Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange (1936)

Lange’s iconic photo of Florence Owens Thompson, a poor migrant woman fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl with her family, put a human face on the impact of the Great Depression.

2. V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt (1945)

Eisenstaedt’s candid photo of an American sailor spontaneously kissing a nurse captured the spirit of hope and triumph in the wake of the Japanese surrender.

3. Guerrillero Heroico, Alberto Korda (1960)

Little did Alberto Korda know when he snapped this candid photo of Che Guevara that he would become one of the most influential revolutionary figures in modern history.

4. The Situation Room by Pete Souza (2011)

This candid shot captures the moment President Barack Obama ordered the fateful U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Aside from photojournalism, there are a variety of different applications for candid photography styles and techniques. Three of the most popular uses for candid photography are:

1. 1. Street photography. Street photographers use their camera to observe the rituals and the happenings on the street. Generally, street photography creates candid portraits of the people on the street to tell a slice of humanity’s story. While street photography is usually candid in nature, candid photography is not necessarily street photography.
2. 2. Wedding photography. In a similar vein, candid wedding photography can capture the uninhibited emotion of the celebration. A wedding photographer who is adept at taking candid photographs will capture the laughter, tears, and other “candid moments” that add up to a more complete portrait of the wedding event.
3. 3. Wildlife photography. In many ways, candid photography is similar to wildlife photography: you must blend in and remain unnoticed to capture your subject’s authentic self, and you have to take many images before you get the perfect shot.

Here are a few tips for choosing the right candid camera for candid photography.

• DSLRs and mirrorless digital cameras are ideal for candid photography because they enable you to take hundreds of photos without the cost and time of using film.
• In a perfect world, your candid photography subjects will forget that there is a camera present. That means a small, unobtrusive camera is the best choice. The “classic” camera for candid photography is a Leica due to its slim body and small lens, but any compact digital camera will do. Brands like Nikon, Canon, and Sony all make quality DSLR cameras for candid photography.
• Whichever camera you choose, make sure it has a high ISO and fast shutter speed. These settings will enable you to take great photos of moving subjects in fleeting moments, even with low light.

Once you have selected your camera, consider investing in the following lenses.

• 50mm Lens. This fixed lens provides a natural effect with no distortion, and is excellent at capturing portraits on the fly.
• 24-70mm Lens. A wide-aperture zoom lens that works well in natural light and low-light scenarios, the 24-70mm lens is a workhorse that captures close-up details as well as the whole scene.
• 70-200mm Lens. The most popular telephoto lens, this allows for unobtrusive photography from afar, as the zoom lets you capture your subject from quite a distance.

After a good camera and flash, here are a few other pieces of photography equipment that can make your candid shots even better.

• Bounce flash. A bright flash is not ideal for candid photography because it can distract your subject, drawing attention to you and potentially ruining your candid opportunity. Instead, invest in a bounce flash to add light to candid shots. A bounce flash aims your flash in a different direction (usually angled about 45 degrees up), reflecting the flash off the surrounding walls and ceilings. This creates a more “natural” lighting effect with little effort.
• Diffuser. A diffuser is a plastic, translucent device that covers your flash, softening and dispersing its light. This will further enable you to add light to your candid images in an unobtrusive way.
• Memory cards. Be sure to keep multiple memory cards on hand, as you might end up taking hundreds of photos before you get your perfect candid shot.
• Tripod. If you think you might be shooting the same scene for some time—say, from a particular street corner—a tripod is a helpful tool. Tripods help stabilize your images, which can be particularly helpful in low-light scenarios and while using a telephoto lens.
• Backup batteries. Finally, make sure to pack an extra battery and charger. As a candid photographer, you want to be prepared at a moment’s notice to capture that perfect shot.

By practicing candid photography and learning the best ways to naturally capture those special, impromptu moments, you will have the tools to be a versatile photographer who can bring in more clients and business. Just blend in, take lots of shots, shoot from the hip—and have fun!

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