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
For my response to environmental portraiture i decided to visit the markets throughout town in order to have an open view of someones work environment. Of the images that I took, the ones I liked the most and decided to work back into/ retouch are images 9839, 9843, 9844, 9845, 9847 and 9853.
I decided to stick to light-room for the image editing for these images as I think that the images only really needed light retouching in areas such as exposure adjustments and slight changes to the saturation. I have cropped the images to better fit in line with the golden ratio however the preservation of the background was prioritized over the the rule of thirds as i believe that the background is more important for an effective environmental portrait.
Of the photo-shoot my favorite images are those taken at the fish market as i like the interaction between the workers and the relationship that is shown int the images. I like how the images show how the owners/ workers in the more humble shops/ stalls are so passionate about their jobs and I feel this creates a good sense of community which is shown in the images.
An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings.
Image Credit: Prateek Dubey.
Photoshoot
For this shoot, I have decided upon photographing my dad working in his workshop; in-which he does woodworking as a pass time.
For my environmental portraits I took pictures of my mum who works in an archive. The lighting was overall quite hard to work with as the building doesn’t have much natural lighting due to preserving old letters and artwork. As well as that it was hard at the start to get my mum to make eye contact without smiling or laughing, but the more photos I took the more comfortable she began to felt and it became less awkward in general. Due to the fact that a family member was the person I was taking photos of, I did find it easier to take control of the shoot and achieve the angle and positioning I wanted. I ensured that eye contact was made between my mum and the cameras in my final section of photos as they felt the most effective as an environmental portrait. I felt a natural expression rather than an a faked smile as it seems more fitted to the working environment. In most photos I took it from a level angle, in which the lens was at the same height as my mum’s eyes. On the other hand I took it from an upwards angle in the ones where my mum was on a ladder. I felt that me being lower showed a sense of authority from my mum which worked well as i am the visitor as she is the only one with a key to the store room and she is in them everyday. I wanted to take up an angle which showed a clear sign of territory because like ones work place is very similar to ones home because they are there nearly all day for 5 days, some people spend more time at work then at home. For instance if I was to enter someones home for the first time i would be respectful and sit where i was told, only come round when invited, which is what I wanted to gain from low angle a sense of obdeince and respect towards my mum and her working environment.In this shoot I wanted to break the gender stereotype of man at work and how there are supposed to be the ones who lift heavy objects, this ties in with the photos in the archive store rooms in which my mum has to move documents and art daily. As well as that I wanted to take picture of my mum as her line of work as its less common in a island which is dominated by the finance sector. I have several other family members who I considered for this task but they all work in offices and I wanted to capture a portrait within an environment of work which is scarce in Jersey. Even though Jersey Archive doesn’t have the best lighting for photography sue to its lack of windows it is a very modern building which goes very well in contrast with the extremely old documents, art work and film that my mum repairs.
August Sander was a German photographer who was born November 17, 1876 in Germany and died April 20, 1964. He got his first camera in 1892, and began taking up photography as a hobby then, after completing his military service time he eventually took up photography professionally. In the 20s, after his service in World War 1 his friendship circle included painters and photographers who were part of the “Neue Sachlichkeit”, which was the “new objectivity movement” where artists began to move away from expressionism to capture things more realistically. He was known for documenting different types of German people by capturing portraits that represented different groups of people rather than representing the individual. One of the most interesting parts of his portraits, is how each photo has interesting context and meaning behind it. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Sanders work was disapproved. Much of his work including his negatives were ruined either by looters or by air raids. During this time he moved away from portraiture to things less controversial like landscapes.
August Sander mood board
Image inspiration by August Sander.
Analysing his images
The context behind this image is what makes it stand out to me. This image was taken in the 1930s, and captures a blind miner and a blind soldier sitting on a bench. The context helps make this image really successful as it shows that Sander captured people in everyday and realistic situations, showing realism. The realism captured, helps attract the audience to the image as they can relate to it more.
The visual elements of the image are also really interesting. in the image we see 2 blind men sitting on a bench, as I mentioned previously but what makes this image visually interesting is the fact that it was not taken in a “perfect” setting, and it could be considered quite “messy”. The audience can clearly see how the wire gate behind the 2 men is quite scruffy, and also uneven, and you can also notice how the floor is also quite unclean. Normally, these qualities would mean that an image would be quite unattractive, but in this case it helps make the image very successful. Because the image doesn’t look perfectly polished and staged, it helps depict a real life situation, This helps make the photo more attractive to an audience because it allows them to see a real story behind an image and not a fake reality, which is something not normally seen in modern portraiture, where a lot of effort usually goes into making everything look picture perfect.
The technical elements, although not incredibly important, also help make this image further interesting. The image appears to be taken in a well lit area, which means that the image is very clear.
The context of this portrait is also very interesting. This is a portrait of a political prisoner that was taken in 1943, which would mean this was captured during World War 2. This portrait is very interesting because without the background information it would just be a regular photo of a man, however knowing information about who is in the image, instantly makes it more interesting. This is because learning about this person, means that we instantly feel more empathy toward the photo and it becomes more meaningful as it reveals a personality.
Visually, The image doesn’t do too much to attract attention as without the background information, it is just a regular photograph of a man. However, the subject is well placed in the frame so no unnecessary background is visible, meaning the audience can focus more on the person.
Conceptually, this picture is also very interesting. This photo shows how someone who looks so ordinary, can actually be very unique and have an interesting backstory. This photo could teach people not to be so judgemental and to not judge someone by how they look.
1st photoshoot intentions
From Sanders’ images it has became clear that he captured people in their everyday environments. My intention for my photoshoot is to also capture someone in their regular environment, but in the modern day. I plan to take photographs of my friend while she is working. As I want the images to look realistic -like Sanders’ photos- I will need to be using a quick shutter speed as I wont be able to stop her to pose. I will also have to capture a large amount of images, as it is likely that not very many of them will be too successful as they will be taken quickly and on the spot. I also plan on not making the images look very polished, and perfect in regards to the background and things in the frame, as I like how Sanders’ images look more realistic when they haven’t been perfectly planned.
Contact sheet
Best outcomes
Overall, I think my photoshoot went well however it could’ve gone better. Next time, I want to focus more on having the subject interact with the camera more as I think this way, I would get more successful images. These were the 2 best outcomes of my photoshoot. I like these images as they depict life, working as a waitress.
Visually I like the first image as you can clearly see that prior to it being taken, the model was busy making coffee, and this makes the image look a lot less planned, therefore making it more realistic.
Technically, however I think that I could’ve changed my camera settings in order to make the image look better. For example, I think the image looks slightly dark. Next time I think it would be a good idea to put the ISO higher in order to make the lighting better. On the other hand, I think that the shutter speed used was successful as it allowed me to capture the image very quickly with minimal distraction to the model
Another reason that I like this image is due to a potential underlying concept. The image was taken very quickly, just as the model looked at me and you can see that there is a lot captured in the frame, like the till and the board that has been written on to her right. All these ‘distractions’ along with the image being taken quickly, and along with the fact the model is multitasking by attempting to make coffee and looking into the camera, it shows how modern working life can be really hectic and busy.
Visually, I think this photo is quite pleasing as it uses the rule of thirds, with the model on the first third of the image. Although the model isn’t directly looking at the camera, you can still see part of her face. It is also clear that she is working, making the photo more realistic and therefore a lot more interesting to look at.
On the technical side of the image, I think it could have been improved. I think that the image turned out too bright. I think it would’ve turned out better if the ISO was turned down slightly, to darken it a bit more. This photo was taken with a quick shutter speed, meaning that I was able to capture it quite quickly, as the model wasn’t posed like this for long.
Environmental Portraits capture a subject in their natural environment, and are used to convey the personality and lifestyle of the subject through the context of the image. Environmental portraits often make use of the subject maintaining eye contact with the camera, and posing with a neutral expression on their face. This helps to convey a powerful message to the viewer, as the subject is simply representing what they would look like in their own environment, as they are not posed in an action shot. This helps to maintain the attention of the viewer on the environment, as wells the subject themselves and what they represent.
The following images are the images I have taken of the different people found in a school environment:
I feel that these images all convey the different environments that can be found within a single school, and the variety of subjects help to present these different environments effectively. The use of eye contact in environmental portraits helps to maintain the attention of the viewer on that specific subject, and allows the viewer to believe that the subject represents all individuals who are associated with the same environment.
The above image was taken in the canteen, and the subjects facial expression and eye contact is in line with what would be expected of an environmental portrait. The original image was taken in lighting that was difficult to work with, even using camera settings such as white balance, and so the during the editing process the yellow tint was removed to show a more natural representation of the environment.
The props used by subjects in environmental portraits can also help to tell the story of the context of the image. In the above image, the subject is using a prop (a white sheet) to show that they are in the process of creating an in school display. The use of the prop helps to give more context to the subject, and in turn helps to convey that the subject is in their natural environment.
For this practical I wanted to capture people doing ordinary things and having interactions between each other, but add a more dramatic or stylized edge to the pictures. this was my first attempt at street photography and found it to be very interesting seeing people go about their day. After selecting my final images, I decided that I waned to assign each picture an emotion. Some of the images clearly showed some emotion to begin with, but I wanted to edit them to see if i could achieve this while still making each picture look realistic and not over-edited. Below I have put together a contact sheet an some final images that I have edited.
Final Images
Edited in: Lightroom
I started with the emotion of sadness, trying to capture the somber atmosphere by getting very close to the subject so it seems as though nothing is going on in the world around them. I then desaturated the image and lowered the exposure so that it would seem darker.
Edited in: Lightroom
I had a similar approach with this photo as i did with the last. I wanted to capture a somber atmosphere and as you cannot see the subjects face, through the use of some small adjustments and editing, the picture is perceived to be sad as the man is looking into the distance, and because the viewer does not know what he is looking at, it seems as though he is staring at nothing.
Edited in: Lightroom
For this image I used a high shutter speed to capture raindrops frozen in midair. I try to utilize the rule of thirds in many of my pictures however i think that it is especially noticeable in this image. The frozen rain, adds a sense of temperature, making the image look cold and dark.
Edited in: Lightroom
I liked the use of colour in this image and i decided that desaturating it would make it lose some of its most interesting characteristics. For instance, something I noticed while editing the picture is that the man on the left’s shirt is almost a perfect match to the yellow reflection in the glass, and the man on the right’s shirt is matching the grey-painted board on the right side of the image. This helps create a sense of symmetry, as the picture is almost split in to two, at least regarding colour, and gives it a subliminally symmetrical look.
Edited in: Lightroom
Many of my images were focused one person at a time, however this is one of the few which focuses on relationships and interactions between different people in the same frame. Although this is quite a dark image with not many bright highlights, the smiles on the subject’s faces show a clear juxtaposition to the exposure.
Edited in: Lightroom + Photoshop
This picture is slightly more stylized than I originally intended however i like the idea that the subject is so engrossed in their phone that the rest of the world isn’t being taken in, hence why i saturated the polarized lenses of his sunglasses and made the rest of the picture B&W.
Edited in: Lightroom
In this image it seemed as though the man was very important, at least compared to his surroundings. for this reason i decided to bring down the colour saturation in his surroundings and emphasize the red of his tie to draw the eye to the right of the picture.
Image Credit: Prateek Dubey.
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