Before I started my photography career, I remember being most drawn to the candid shots between two people. It is no wonder that not too soon after I launched my business, I saw that my photos were going in that direction. But, it wasn’t something I was able to be consistent with from shoot to shoot. It all depended on my clients and how comfortable they were with each other in front of the camera, and it wasn’t anything I had control over. I remember early on in my career I left a shoot super frustrated because the client just wanted all posed shots and when I posed them they were super uncomfortable being that close and cozy with each other. It was an uncomfortable and very hard shoot because I felt out of my element. But, over the past few years, I have learned more and more about how I can capture more candid photos in a shoot, how I can make candid photos a part of my style, and how to attract the clients who want them too. I decided to put together a two-part blog post about candid shots – one for photographers and the other for people who are attracted to getting their own love documented in a series of candid shots. Today, this is for the photographers!
1.) Communicate to the client – Before you do anything else. It is SO important to communicate to your client how a session will go. Give them the details on your style with respect to how you plan to approach a shoot with their family/couple dynamic and what they can expect in their gallery. I often walk through the session on the phone or in my “Client Lounge” link. If you shoot a mixture of both candid and formal pictures, like me, then you will want to tell them that they can expect a mixture of posed and candid shots. Sounds simple, right? Because it is! Nothing makes a shoot more awkward than having a family or couple so uncomfortable in front of the camera because they don’t know what to expect. Sounds self explanatory, but you’d be surprised how many people hire you based on one photo you post on Facebook and then are surprised with their experience or gallery. This should also go without saying, but they are hiring you because they like your style, believe in your work, and hopefully have heard great things about the experience you provide. So, be sure that you keep to your style and not change that at the session because you didn’t communicate the details of the session to the client before the session and they are making requests that are not your norm. This is important not just for a smooth session, but because it helps you to stay consistent with your work, it helps you approach a shoot comfortably and with confidence, and it allows you to get into your normal groove when trying to capture that perfect candid shot. Remember, the reason you got hired in the first place is because they like something about your style. Be sure that your style is clearly communicated from start to finish – from your portfolio, to the details on what they can expect of you at the shoot, and even the way you edit your pictures. If you both go into a shoot with confidence than the door is open to capture the best candid shots.
2. ) Setting up your shots can be necessary – Staging your photos can still produce candid moments. Remember, candid doesn’t always mean capturing the unposed moment. You can take a candid or natural shot with just a little bit of set up. You do this by posing them and then giving them a cue to interact naturally. So, yes, the pose might not be candid, but the moment you captured is organic and perfectly natural. Here are some examples of what I mean:
In the picture below I posed a mother and daughter lying on the bed. I loved the master bedroom, and in fact, we did almost the whole shoot in there. It had neutral color tones and the light was amazing so I set up the shot, but then I told them to get really close and whisper one reason why they love each other. Her daughter picked up her necklace and started looking at it as she was talking. I thought it was the sweetest moment and probably one of my all time favorites.
In this same shoot, I asked dad to wrestle around and play with his son. Because I know this family, I knew that Willie (the dad) was super playful with his kids so I just told him to lay on his back and make William (the son) laugh. Yes, posed initially, but a totally natural moment. Remember, setting up the shot, does not mean you have to ignore a natural and precious moment.
3. Slow down and keep your camera ready – This was perhaps the hardest thing for me to do as a photographer. Something about being in front of people makes me want to work faster. But, it’s important to not work too quickly and take your subjects out of a pose before you have a chance to capture the candid moments. When I first started out, I had such a hard time with this. I would be so nervous about getting my next shot or worrying about the next pose, that I would rush them through a pose and then put my camera down to work on another pose. This is especially true in photography with couples because normally adults listen faster than children so it only takes about 15 seconds to set up and take a shot. When you are talking about a shot happening that quickly, sometimes the brain can’t catch up to the couple and you are not ready for that next pose. Instead of getting nervous and stumbling your way into another pose, just talk to them with your camera up ready to shoot. Tweak the post a little and capture them moving into that new position. In the picture below I was setting up the shot and asked Mark to lean into his wife and he just got really close and started tickling her. All on his own! They had the sweetest relationship, but the tickling was motivated by the closeness. I did not set up those smiles though. And, I did not put my camera down. I love this pic.
4. Move around and interact – I can’t say this enough. Too many times I have seen or worked with other photographers who just stand (or sit) still and give direction without moving. Or, even worse, we pose our clients and don’t let them move. We can’t connect to our clients when we don’t interact with them, and they can’t connect with each other if you don’t allow them to move naturally with each other. Plus, it makes for a super awkward moment when you have a couple or family in a pose too long and you are not interacting with them. . Adding movement and interaction is a good way to draw out natural expressions from your clients. Here are some good examples of moving and interacting:
In the pictures below I simply asked Helena to walk up to Dave from behind in the first pic and for Dave to focus on her when Helena reached him. In the second pic, I asked Helena to walk up to him and into his arms. Just the simple movement of walking produced great natural expressions and candid moments.
Hope this helped! Be sure to come back tomorrow if you want to hear my tips from the other side of the camera.
XO!
Stacy
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