What is a candid photograph?
A candid photograph is a photograph captured without a posed appearance, it can be spontaneous and done without the subject’s knowledge that the photograph was made.
This can be achieved by:
- when the subject is in motion/busy/unaware
- avoiding preparation
- surprising the subject
- distracting the subject while capturing the image
For example:
Candid shots can be in colour and are aye-catching and stand out, many photographers make the decision to create black and white images so that standing out relies less on bright colours and presentation and more on the ability to communicate within the image. Factors such as light, perspective and context are very important in black and white candid photographs.
Street Photography Quotes:
- “Photographers mistake the emotion they feel when taking the photo as a judgement that the photo is good” – Garry Winogrand
- “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them” – Elliott Erwitt
- “It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.”- Alfred Eisenstaedt
- “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
