Learn How To Take Candid Photos

I'm heading to a family reunion next month, and as always I'll be dusting off my Sony DSC-F828 to play photographer for the day. Besides shopping around for a bigger memory card so I can store more high-resolution photos, I'm also looking for ways to improve my photography skills. I don't mind taking the usual family photos where everyone gathers around to pose for the camera—those are easy. What I want to do is learn how to take great looking candid photos that tell a story.

My candid photography skills aren't great, which is why I'm turning to the Digital Photography School.  The school just assembled a great guide with 11 tips to better candid photographs. The goal is to capture your subject relaxed, which oftentimes means they'll have to be unaware of your camera's presence. But how do you do that?

One way is to anticipate the moment. This means attending rehearsals, if any, and finding the best place to take your photos so you don't have to reposition yourself too often. Also, take photos of people doing something with or without another person in the shot. DPS says taking a picture while your subject is focused on something not only "adds energy to the photo, but it also puts them in context and adds an element of story to your image." They recommend you wait until they're really distracted from you and fully focused on what they're doing. To add an element of voyeurism, you might want to intentionally add something to the foreground, like the frame of a doorway or a tree branch.   

You'll  also find obvious suggestions like taking your camera with you everywhere, using the zoom lens, taking lots of shots in continuous shooting mode, and killing the flash. If you don't feel comfortable turning off the flash for fear of messing up your shot, then practice beforehand to ensure you get that great looking photo. This means you'll have to explore your camera's settings, sometimes using a tripod or steadying your camera on a flat surface to get a good low light shot. I took this picture of the Golden Gate Bridge at night using my camera's twilight mode and a tripod. To this day, it's still one of my favorite photos, but it did take a lot of practice before I got the perfect shot.

Check out the full list for more candid shot tips.

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