Focus on Photos – Tips for taking candids

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hello Shabby Shoppe readers! This is Rosy, here to “focus on photos” with you today!
Beckie always does a wonderful job in sharing tips on all kinds of ways to use camera settings and editing to make our photos look their best…today, I’m going to look at photography from a bit of a different perspective.  I’m not much of a “technical” photographer, meaning that learning all of the ins and outs or buttons and settings on my camera are not the part of photography that I love the most.  I am primarily a memory keeper and my interest in photography has come as a result of that!  For me, the most meaningful photos are the ones that show our lives, who we are and what we do, right now.  Yes, I’m talking about the candid photos.

I’m going to talk about a few things that I’ve learned, from others and my own experience, about getting those “natural and unposed” shots.

1. Keep your camera within easy reach.
I usually keep my camera in a central area of the house, close to where most of the “action” happens, but out of little hands’ reach.  If something photoworthy happens, I don’t have far to go for the camera (ok, so we have a small house and I wouldn’t have far to go, anywhere I kept it… but you get the idea).  This also applies to taking your camera along when you go places.  Better to have the camera and not take any photos than to not have a photo because you didn’t have your camera!  I know a lot of you may use your phone for these type of “on the go” photos, but my family has gotten used to me taking my camera almost everywhere I go.

2. Keep your camera ready.
I’ve found this helpful when shooting in manual mode.  If you change a lot of settings because of a extreme lighting situation, before you turn the camera off, changing it back to more normal settings will save you some time the next time you grab the camera for that quick candid shot.  Of course, switching to Auto when there’s no time to mess with settings, works as well.

3. Don’t be obvious.
If you want to capture spontaneous action, don’t call attention to the fact that you’re about to take a photo!  Sometimes I’ll even peek out from behind something so as not to disturd the activity that I want to photograph.  Avoid using a flash if at all possible, and remember that your subjects don’t always have to be facing you.  Photos from behind can tell a story too!

4. Anticipate the action.
Take some time to think about what is happening and where you can position yourself to get the best shot.  Waiting on the right moment is important to getting a good photo whether you’re shooting kids at play, someone eating, a group laughing at a joke, etc…

5. Take more than one.
Even if the first photo looks great in the camera, take several!  You’re much more likely to get one you love if you try a few different angles, and often once I download my photos and see them full size, the photo I thought was great isn’t the best one after all.

I will give a note of caution with this one… remember that sometimes participating in the moment/activity is more important than getting that perfect photo.  If your camera is keeping you from fully enjoying and joining in the fun, you might be going overboard.  Take some photos and then put your camera aside and participate!

6. Be satisfied with less than perfect.
Candid photography is all about capturing the “real”.  In real life we don’t always have the perfect lighting, backdrop, or color coordination.  If you’re like me, often the photo capturing the action or moment best, ends up with some less than perfect feature about it.  I’m here to tell you that it’s ok!  You’ve captured the moment, preserved a memory and that’s why you took the photo in the first place!

Thanks for checking in with the blog today.  Kylie will be with you tomorrow to share the MARCH Project SCRAP templates…be sure to stop by and pick them up!

RosyPhotography, Uncategorized 15 Comments