Candids - Now What Are They All About?

68lbs

68lbs

Suspended / Banned
Messages
5,450
Name
April 2008
Edit My Images
No
With a lack of planes at Sunderland Air Show yesterday, I decided to try some candids. Never tried this before and I felt slightly uncomfortable at first 'spying' on these people, but after a while I really started to enjoy it. Not too sure why. But I was shooting both eyes open, and it was really good fun scanning the crowds, waiting to see if people would turn around, etc.

However, I got home copied the pics off the camera, only for my GF to glance at the thumbnails and comment, "what have you taken those for?" and "oh no, you've not got one of her. ruff! ruff!". And I'd made a point of not shooting any 'scantily clad girls' or kids so as to avoid any awkward questions! :bang:

Anyways, I have since been wondering what the point of it was though. I now have a folder full of people I don't know, never am likely to know, and will most likely never see again. Add to this the fact that they are never likely to see the pictures themselves and it all seems a little pointless except for the fact that I had a bit of fun and got to practice taking shots 'on the fly' without too much time to compose/get the right settings.

Am I missing a bigger picture?
 
I think you answered your own question to a point there. If it's fun then it's worth doing as it brings you enjoyment. To me, candids are a better way to photograph people as they are then portrayed in their natural state (Makes them sound like wildlife...having said that................:D), whereas as when people pose for photographs, they seem to take on a different persona to who they really are (Yes I know there will be exceptions).

I suppose you could also say that part of the fun is the danger of being caught out so I suppose it could mirror certain other activities in life! :naughty:
 
Storytelling

Do you not get that feeling when seeing a really good candid and get that sense what it was really like to be in the shoes of the people in it? That is the real skill in candids and the hardest part, to convey the story in a single moment in time and tell you what it is like to be either in that moment or be the people in the photo.
 
And there is a social side to candids as well. By capturing people in their "natural" surroundings you capture a moment in time never to be repeated.
 
AliB said:
And there is a social side to candids as well. By capturing people in their "natural" surroundings you capture a moment in time never to be repeated.
Click to expand...

Narh, those are just snaps :p

Well they are candid but they never do anything for me, this phase "people in their natural state", what does it mean anyway? Those shots doesn't tell me anything, its often someone eating a baguette on the street, looking a bit dull when shopping, some guy doing an act in town, or some old bloke sitting on a bench. Often there is no emotion in the faces in the subject, and there is no actual story, if there is, it's not coming across well.

Real candids really show you what it is like to be in that moment.
 
Well, I've got books full of "snaps" then! lol

It documents social history, the clothing, the hairstyles, the cars, the shops etc. They do tell a lot, they tell a lot about the social conditions, the affluence or lack of, the living and working conditions of the time.Yes it's a bigger picture than one person isolated and if you are looking for emotion then you are right in that you may not get it in those circumsances. But I do think they are a valid, and valuable, piece of photography themselves. Not just "snaps" really :)
 
Firstly define what you mean by 'candid' as you can take a candid of someone you know perfectly well and who's aware of you shooting.

I presume you mean the type of shot where the photographer uses a long focal length to isolate a subject, usually a stranger, and certainly unaware that their picture's being taken.

To my mind there's no point in them whatsoever unless the picture has a point. You see too many of them posted on forums where someone has spotted a pretty girl in the street and fired off a shot thinking they're doing street photography. While there is an argument for the shots to be used as a social record, that's no excuse for taking a poor shot IMVHO.
 
NorthernNikon said:
To my mind there's no point in them whatsoever unless the picture has a point. You see too many of them posted on forums where someone has spotted a pretty girl in the street and fired off a shot thinking they're doing street photography. While there is an argument for the shots to be used as a social record, that's no excuse for taking a poor shot IMVHO.
Click to expand...

I do actually agree with this. I think the word we're looking for is context. If, as you say, you just take a picture of a pretty girl in the street, then it may as well be a model, which gives it an almost "fake" quality. The point is to take a picture of someone going sbout their business but also trying to convey what it is they are doing and, even better, it's impact on the surrounding area/people (If that makes sense)
 
By 'candid' I mean I had a 300mm lens, was 'in a corner' out of the way, and taking pictures of people without them being aware. Hopefully trying to catch a good expression, and isolating the subject as much as possible from the background.

To me, the exercise of taking the shots had worth (practice taking shots 'on the fly', isolating the subject, etc etc). It is the end product that I am questioning the worth of. :)

Whether or not they are 'good' pictures will become apparent when I upload some - either tonite after work or tomorrow.
 
LadyLens said:
Its about capturing life moments, that split second, the emotion written on a persons face and if you enjoy doing it, don't worry about what the g/f says. ;)
Click to expand...

And remember, in secret, every woman likes another scantily clad woman ;)
 
I don't believe candids at 100 yards with a 300m, candid (the best ones) are done using a a 24mm (on a film body/full frame) or less than 50mm lens, to get more than just the neck up shot but also get the context within the shot.
 
To my mind, the difference between good and bad candid photography is the background.

It's very easy to stand out of sight with a 300mm lens attached and pick people out of a crowd. And nine out of ten times it makes for a very dull photo. What's the point in having a hundred "surveillance" style head-shots of people you don't know on your computer?

On the other hand, if you go out with a wide-angle lens (up to about 50mm maybe) then you can capture some stunning results of people in their natural environment and day-to-day life. You capture moments rather than just faces. That, to me at least, is what makes good candid photography.

Here are some great examples I've seen on another forum; check out TheHoff's other posts for some incredible photography:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5996431&postcount=896

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5996172&postcount=1

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5994609&postcount=16
 
Raymond Lin said:
I don't believe candids at 100 yards with a 300m, candid (the best ones) are done using a a 24mm (on a film body/full frame) or less than 50mm lens, to get more than just the neck up shot but also get the context within the shot.
Click to expand...

Beat me to it! :thumbs:
 
Raymond Lin said:
I don't believe candids at 100 yards with a 300m, candid (the best ones) are done using a a 24mm (on a film body/full frame) or less than 50mm lens, to get more than just the neck up shot but also get the context within the shot.
Click to expand...

The exception is when a face has real interest and the shot then becomes a character study.
 
68lbs said:
Am I missing a bigger picture?
Click to expand...

No, but your girlfriend sure is.

Raymond Lin said:
Do you not get that feeling when seeing a really good candid and get that sense what it was really like to be in the shoes of the people in it? That is the real skill in candids and the hardest part, to convey the story in a single moment in time and tell you what it is like to be either in that moment or be the people in the photo.
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
Betty said:
No, but your girlfriend sure is.
Click to expand...

Not sure I follow here, as I don't get the pictures either. As others have said, it's a bunch of heads on shoulder. Some with torsos, some even with arms, but they are just really 'spy' shots. I can't seem to get anything from them. You could see similar walking through any large city centre at a weekend.

So, if I get this right, candid really needs to be with a nifty getting you 'in amongst the picture'.

Is this not just a recipe for bruises and broken cameras?
 
68lbs said:
Not sure I follow here, as I don't get the pictures either. As others have said, it's a bunch of heads on shoulder. Some with torsos, some even with arms, but they are just really 'spy' shots. I can't seem to get anything from them. You could see similar walking through any large city centre at a weekend.

So, if I get this right, candid really needs to be with a nifty getting you 'in amongst the picture'.

Is this not just a recipe for bruises and broken cameras?
Click to expand...

Have you posted any of the photos yet? If they are just heads/shoulders/torsos then you're probably right and they don't have any point. Not sure about the focal length thing, I would have thought it depends on how far away from the subject you are. :shrug:
 
No, not posted any pics. It's the whole 'candid' thing that I am questioning, not necessarily 'my' shots. I just don't get it. :shrug:
 
68lbs said:
No, not posted any pics. It's the whole 'candid' thing that I am questioning, not necessarily 'my' shots. I just don't get it. :shrug:
Click to expand...


As I said in my first post, you have to define 'candid'. Although you were taking candids, not all candids have to be shots like yours.
 
To me, it's to show the emotions of the people in the particular place of the shot at the time it's taken, to tell a story.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2707920484_6edc8b1348_o.jpg

This photo, for example.

The girl - she is happy, she has had her faith restored in humanity when she can just hug a stranger on the street. She isn't embarrassed to be holding up a 'free hugs' sign in front of hundreds of people. If she was, she would be sat on the grass bank with them.
The old man - you can see the corner of a smile, and you just know that this girl has put a smile on the old-timer's face, and he will walk down the street, with his head held high, simply due to this modest display of affection.
The man to the left - looking at the two people hugging, not quite knowing what to make of it - I mean, since when do you see two strangers hugging on the street? It's not something that happens often. Is it unsettling? Heartwarming? He is confused, but it's unlikely he'll think about it much after he's walked by.
 
68lbs said:
However, I got home copied the pics off the camera, only for my GF to glance at the thumbnails and comment, "what have you taken those for?" and "oh no, you've not got one of her. ruff! ruff!".
Click to expand...

Yep, I get the same, although with me it happened when editing a nude photoshoot :lol:


68lbs said:
And I'd made a point of not shooting any 'scantily clad girls' or kids so as to avoid any awkward questions! :bang:
Click to expand...

I can see where you are coming from here but I don't really make a point of avoiding anything as it's all perfectly legal in public. I do make a point of being aware of what I'm photographing though and applying common sense. I guess the two are quite similar in retrospect :)


68lbs said:
Anyways, I have since been wondering what the point of it was though. I now have a folder full of people I don't know, never am likely to know, and will most likely never see again.
Click to expand...

If you book a model for a photo shoot chances are she could also fall into these categories.

The main reaons for doing candid photography, which I consider as informal and unposed photography and love doing, is because:

1. It's enjoyable for me :)
2. Sometimes when spotted you get a nice reaction or smile which can make both you and the person feel good :):)
3. It helps me learn more about photography as conditions are rarely the same such as the light, the surroundings, the mannerisms etc
4. Every photo will be unique as every person is unqiue as opposed to repeated shots of the same landscape (for example) taken from the same vantage point
5. Sometimes you can get lucky and the surroundings can make the photo something even more, for example I spotted a girl who was chatting on her phone and very happy. When editing I noticed she was holding an M&S bag and there was an M&S sign in the background....cue pitch to M&S!!!! :lol:
6. It helps me become more observant of my surroundings and I start to notice the smaller things around me that I would never have seen before.




68lbs said:
Add to this the fact that they are never likely to see the pictures themselves and it all seems a little pointless
Click to expand...


If you take a photo of a tiger they aren't really going to see it. The way I see things is that if I take a photo of a stranger but it's a good photo then it makes me feel good and is enjoyable to look at. Why buy a painting of a famous person who is now dead? You aren't going to meet them and they certainly aren't going to see the painting on your wall lol In my view it's because the painting is enjoyable to look at and you can appreciate the talent of the artist. The same could be said for a very good candid photo.



68lbs said:
I had a bit of fun and got to practice taking shots 'on the fly' without too much time to compose/get the right settings
Click to expand...

Like anything, eventually you will always get the right settings with enough practice! :D

I find candid photography to be very challenging because once you are spotted you lose that natural expression they had. Tie that in with the hostile surroundings (hostile for getting a clear shot that is!) and all the other variables the feeling of getting that perfect shot makes it worthwhile in my view.

Hope this helps, it may not be right but it's simply my views on it! :)
 
I like snapping at public events,i.e. summer shows, eventing, air shows, steam shows, allthat sort of thing.
Candid shots then become the norm,& if you've got a nice day,people are generally more cheerful, & usually dont mind being snapped, also people are usually busy doing their thing, which makes for interesting shots.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top