How to take "people" Shots
- Thread starter lawrence90
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that would depend if i need it...if its sunny outdoors you probably just need to lower the aperture and leave your iso alone...i'm not very sure for indoors. probably a iso800 + flash or something (and increase flash power?), because i don't own a flash
Me neither... tat's the struggle I have when i take nite shots... n plus, hand held.... ;p
Be brave...
If you see a great moment, juz focus and shoot, no matter the lens you may have on
of course, it would be easier to zoom in from afar, but you will less likely get eye contact in that way
While taking your shots, if your subject looks at ya, juz nod and smile at them and everything should be fine...
most times ppl won't even be fierce
at most they will just look away...
very rarely will they walk up to you and demand u delete the pictures away...
sometimes they might even request to view your pictures and if you did a good job, take down their contacts and tell them you will send them a copy... and look, you got urself a new friend/contact
If you see a great moment, juz focus and shoot, no matter the lens you may have on
of course, it would be easier to zoom in from afar, but you will less likely get eye contact in that way
While taking your shots, if your subject looks at ya, juz nod and smile at them and everything should be fine...
most times ppl won't even be fierce
at most they will just look away...
very rarely will they walk up to you and demand u delete the pictures away...
sometimes they might even request to view your pictures and if you did a good job, take down their contacts and tell them you will send them a copy... and look, you got urself a new friend/contact
cool!
heard that if i joined photography club, would be able to borrow their DSLRs
What do u all do in photography club? Was wondering... as i'm a little interested to join but kind of withdrawn because i'm not sure how it goes on inside
wow... i see...
but rarely people will come up to you and request for the pics to be sent to them right?;p
yeah....
not often
and more rarely will anyone come up to scold u...
so no worries
in fact u can see from my street shots... alot of faces in full view ones haha
:embrass:no lar... not that good...
but seriously juz go out there and take lor...
once u start, you'll realize all your fear is in your head only. reality is not so scary
:embrass:no lar... not that good...
but seriously juz go out there and take lor...
once u start, you'll realize all your fear is in your head only. reality is not so scary
Thanks for the heads up bro, will try and push the guts..haha
really want to do street shots as it portrays more 'bout our life.
..else..stick to learning macro..haha
I posted this before, but this seems as good a place as any. I am not a fan of "sneaky" photography, something which is, in my opinion, entirely unnecessary and only gives photographers a bad rep if you do end up getting sprung anyway...Here are some of the things that I try to abide by when I take candids:
1. Always be open about what you are doing. This doesn't mean you should intentionally reveal yourself to your subject, but just don't act in a suspicious manner. Using an SLR makes you seem more "honest" because you aren't using a small, concealable camera, and makes you (to most people who don't follow photography) seem like more a "professional".
2. If somebody turns and looks at you as you take their picture don't try and hide what you are doing. When this happens I keep eye contact with them and smile, maybe waggle the camera a little to indicate to them what I was doing. If they look at me before I take the photo I will hold up the camera and make a questioning expression. 99.99% of people will respond positively to this. They will smile back, or perhaps pose for you. Indeed, many people seem flattered that you would want to take their picture.
3. Children are difficult. It is very important that you don't come across as threatening to the parents. If I am in risk of being seen by the parents I will ALWAYS make eye contact with them and establish if it is ok if I take the photo. Often, if they are okay with me taking the picture, I will approach them and offer to send them prints by email. Having a name card of any description makes these people a lot less suspicious, and often parents are very happy to accept. It is important with children that you pick your place approriately. For example: photographing the kids playing in the fountain in Bugis Junction is unlikely to raise any objection and is perfectly acceptable. However, photographing a child playing on its own with its mum or dad in the HDB park is likely to be a bad idea. Just think about what you would be comfortable with and work with that.
4. Finally, if somebody does raise an objection I always find it best to talk to them, not to run off. I am always open and honest about my intent and if somebody questions my activity I will explain to them in open terms that the scene caught my attention and that it interested me as a photographer. I will ALWAYS offer to delete the picture BEFORE they ask me to. Most people will respond to this positively, fequently expressing appology for the missundersanding or indiference. In the end, if they do tell you that they are uncomfortable with your pictures and ask you to delete them I always do it, and it appears to apease them a great deal.
In the end, you want to take pictures that YOU are happy with, and that strike a chord with your memory of the event. Even if you end up "winning" a fight with a subject and keeping the picture, it will forever be marred by the unfortunate circumstance that you went through to get it, and you won't be able to enjoy it. Anyway, I hope this helps you. Happy candids!
1. Always be open about what you are doing. This doesn't mean you should intentionally reveal yourself to your subject, but just don't act in a suspicious manner. Using an SLR makes you seem more "honest" because you aren't using a small, concealable camera, and makes you (to most people who don't follow photography) seem like more a "professional".
2. If somebody turns and looks at you as you take their picture don't try and hide what you are doing. When this happens I keep eye contact with them and smile, maybe waggle the camera a little to indicate to them what I was doing. If they look at me before I take the photo I will hold up the camera and make a questioning expression. 99.99% of people will respond positively to this. They will smile back, or perhaps pose for you. Indeed, many people seem flattered that you would want to take their picture.
3. Children are difficult. It is very important that you don't come across as threatening to the parents. If I am in risk of being seen by the parents I will ALWAYS make eye contact with them and establish if it is ok if I take the photo. Often, if they are okay with me taking the picture, I will approach them and offer to send them prints by email. Having a name card of any description makes these people a lot less suspicious, and often parents are very happy to accept. It is important with children that you pick your place approriately. For example: photographing the kids playing in the fountain in Bugis Junction is unlikely to raise any objection and is perfectly acceptable. However, photographing a child playing on its own with its mum or dad in the HDB park is likely to be a bad idea. Just think about what you would be comfortable with and work with that.
4. Finally, if somebody does raise an objection I always find it best to talk to them, not to run off. I am always open and honest about my intent and if somebody questions my activity I will explain to them in open terms that the scene caught my attention and that it interested me as a photographer. I will ALWAYS offer to delete the picture BEFORE they ask me to. Most people will respond to this positively, fequently expressing appology for the missundersanding or indiference. In the end, if they do tell you that they are uncomfortable with your pictures and ask you to delete them I always do it, and it appears to apease them a great deal.
In the end, you want to take pictures that YOU are happy with, and that strike a chord with your memory of the event. Even if you end up "winning" a fight with a subject and keeping the picture, it will forever be marred by the unfortunate circumstance that you went through to get it, and you won't be able to enjoy it. Anyway, I hope this helps you. Happy candids!
Whoa... thanks for the great infos!I posted this before, but this seems as good a place as any. I am not a fan of "sneaky" photography, something which is, in my opinion, entirely unnecessary and only gives photographers a bad rep if you do end up getting sprung anyway...Here are some of the things that I try to abide by when I take candids:
1. Always be open about what you are doing. This doesn't mean you should intentionally reveal yourself to your subject, but just don't act in a suspicious manner. Using an SLR makes you seem more "honest" because you aren't using a small, concealable camera, and makes you (to most people who don't follow photography) seem like more a "professional".
2. If somebody turns and looks at you as you take their picture don't try and hide what you are doing. When this happens I keep eye contact with them and smile, maybe waggle the camera a little to indicate to them what I was doing. If they look at me before I take the photo I will hold up the camera and make a questioning expression. 99.99% of people will respond positively to this. They will smile back, or perhaps pose for you. Indeed, many people seem flattered that you would want to take their picture.
3. Children are difficult. It is very important that you don't come across as threatening to the parents. If I am in risk of being seen by the parents I will ALWAYS make eye contact with them and establish if it is ok if I take the photo. Often, if they are okay with me taking the picture, I will approach them and offer to send them prints by email. Having a name card of any description makes these people a lot less suspicious, and often parents are very happy to accept. It is important with children that you pick your place approriately. For example: photographing the kids playing in the fountain in Bugis Junction is unlikely to raise any objection and is perfectly acceptable. However, photographing a child playing on its own with its mum or dad in the HDB park is likely to be a bad idea. Just think about what you would be comfortable with and work with that.
4. Finally, if somebody does raise an objection I always find it best to talk to them, not to run off. I am always open and honest about my intent and if somebody questions my activity I will explain to them in open terms that the scene caught my attention and that it interested me as a photographer. I will ALWAYS offer to delete the picture BEFORE they ask me to. Most people will respond to this positively, fequently expressing appology for the missundersanding or indiference. In the end, if they do tell you that they are uncomfortable with your pictures and ask you to delete them I always do it, and it appears to apease them a great deal.
In the end, you want to take pictures that YOU are happy with, and that strike a chord with your memory of the event. Even if you end up "winning" a fight with a subject and keeping the picture, it will forever be marred by the unfortunate circumstance that you went through to get it, and you won't be able to enjoy it. Anyway, I hope this helps you. Happy candids!
Btw, should i use my 18-55mm lens or 55-250mm lens to take?
No worries!Whoa... thanks for the great infos!
Btw, should i use my 18-55mm lens or 55-250mm lens to take?
For the lens, it really depends what kind of photos you like taking. I'm more of a "telephoto" kind of guy, cause I find composing wide angle shots a bit more difficult, so I would take the 55-250mm lens with me, but that is just my preference. It really depends on what you are comfortable with. Sometimes it is nice to take a lens you don't really use much because it forces you to learn how to use it properly to get the shots you want. In my opinion there really isn't a "right" or "wrong" lens for this kind of thing, it all just depends what you do with it. At any rate, the 18-55mm will still give you some zoom potential (~3x), which can be great, but probably won't reach across the other side of the street very well. Hope this helps! Hmmm...No worries!
Thanks... i guess ill put my 55-250mm lens on and carry the 18-55mm lens along
I can recommend this good book:
Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography
by Bryan Peterson
Anyway most people need to overcome their inhibitions to get up close and ask people for their photos to be taken. A lot of the most compelling people shots are those where the photographer can shoot up close and not furtively with a long tele.
Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography
by Bryan Peterson
Anyway most people need to overcome their inhibitions to get up close and ask people for their photos to be taken. A lot of the most compelling people shots are those where the photographer can shoot up close and not furtively with a long tele.
something no one has mentioned.
does anyone just...freeze? just like animals, people tend to ignore stuff thats "frozen".
i dont have a long lens. so sometimes when i see someone i want to take candid, i squat down and aim at them. sure they look back. but i just continue to freeze. if i want a face photo, i would have snapped. but i will continue to freeze. (to lessen the "threat" etc) otherwise, after i freeze for 2-3 seconds, almost anyone would have gone back to whatever they were doing. and i will have my candids.
something i have learnt from a fellow photographer.
but just to make a reference, my 50mm barrel is way too short for candid portaits.
does anyone just...freeze? just like animals, people tend to ignore stuff thats "frozen".
i dont have a long lens. so sometimes when i see someone i want to take candid, i squat down and aim at them. sure they look back. but i just continue to freeze. if i want a face photo, i would have snapped. but i will continue to freeze. (to lessen the "threat" etc) otherwise, after i freeze for 2-3 seconds, almost anyone would have gone back to whatever they were doing. and i will have my candids.
something i have learnt from a fellow photographer.
but just to make a reference, my 50mm barrel is way too short for candid portaits.
yes! this is a trick that most journalists do when they go to more restricted areas..
Imagine this:
1. Hang your camera around your neck and at approximately your abdomen area. This position gives you the best stability and chance in estimating and gauging your camera's FOV.
2. Cross and rest both your palms on the top of your camera. Position them such that your left palm is under your right so that your left thumb rests nicely on your shutter release.
3. Relax and act nonchalent and press your shutter as and when necessary. Adjust the zoom with the last 2 fingers of your left hand.
Tips:
1. Use a smaller aperture as focusing will be difficult and you don't have much time to focus for candid shots. Switch to release priority mode.
2. Use prime lenses for increased chances of sharper shots. You can always walk nearer or further away as required.
Practise more and you'll be surprised with the kind of candid stuff that you can capture.
Sounds like a nifty technique. Gotta try it out sometime!
But the problem I have is that EVERYONE seems to hear the sound of my shutter.Am usually shooting with a 105mm btw.
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