Candid Photography
"À la sauvette" - on the sly
There's something magical about capturing those fleetingly perfect moments - instances that truly reflect who people are and what they're experiencing. You might have done this yourself a few times simply by chance. I for one got a taste of this most recently while snapping photos of my twin girls1 and I have become addicted to trying to capture more.
This topic is especially timely as we approach the holiday season and these opportunities become more abundant. It feels a shame to let another season pass without an earnest effort to capture some of the magic. Whether it's your kiddos experiencing unrestrained joy, reuniting with rarely-seen relatives, or simply documenting friends in their element, taking candid pictures is a meaningful way to capture memories, tell stories, and spread some love.
For a bit of context, I have historically been a disappointing photographer. It’s only recently that I’ve overcome this deficit and have “unlocked” my ability to embrace the art. For this reason I felt compelled to share a few insights with the intention being to perhaps help you capture more of these golden moments yourself. What follows below should set you on the right path. Making you dangerous enough with a camera to have fun and get started on a path toward meaningful progression.
Principles for Better Candid Photos
In my journey to improve, I discovered Greg Williams' course, Candid Photography Skills and out of all the content I’ve consumed on the subject I think his principle-based tutorials have had the greatest impact on improving my photos.
Let me share what I've learned from Greg’s approach, starting with the fundamentals.
Working with Subjects
There are two primary approaches to candid photography: being a participant or an observer. Greg seems to primarily work as a participant - he moves with his subjects, dances when they dance, runs when they run. He engages in conversation, makes funny faces, and uses his personality to capture authentic reactions. This approach was completely foreign to me, I never even considered how my behavior was reflected back at my subject. I will note that this approach is definitely more advanced and requires a level of fluency with your camera and technical settings, as you'll need to make fine adjustments while staying engaged with your subjects.
As a relative beginner, I've found it more comfortable to start as an observer. This means finding a quiet corner or staircase during gatherings and discretely capturing moments as they unfold. It's less demanding technically and allows you to focus on composition and timing while you build confidence with your equipment.
Understanding Light
Light is often the limiting factor for low skill photographers, but Greg's perspective was totally liberating: He’s fond of saying “there's no such thing as bad light”, “there is a good photo in every lighting situation”, “Make people look good in ugly light”. This mindset shift viewing lighting as a fun challenge or puzzle to be solved as opposed to good light vs. bad light has been a massive, albeit potentially obvious creative unlock.
The fundamentals of light I keep in the back of my mind while shooting are as follows:
Size (like the sun versus a lamp)
Source (natural or artificial)
Diffusion (clouds, screens, or other materials that scatter light)
Distance from the subject
The key light - or dominant light source, plays a crucial role in composition. Outdoors, it's typically the sun; indoors, it might be a window or main room light. Understanding where this light comes from helps you position yourself and your subjects for the best odds of capturing magic.
Backlighting - Greg's favorite technique involves backlighting (the opposite of what I assumed made for a great snap), not directly behind the subject, but capturing some light source in the frame. This approach can smooth imperfections and create flattering portraits. I have found this rather difficult to achieve in practice but is definitely worth the failed attempts when you nail it.
Technical Elements
Exposure is fundamentally about controlling light through your lens. The key is to notice how your subject's brightness compares to their background.
Two things to keep in mind when adjusting your exposure:
When shooting against a dark background, lower your exposure;
When shooting against a lighter background, raise it.
On smartphones, you can adjust this by tapping and dragging your finger up or down on the screen; on cameras there's typically a dedicated dial.
Composition and Environment - Greg emphasizes that great pictures can be found anywhere - it's about your perspective and creativity. He recommends giving yourself three minutes to find the perfect shot - long enough to explore angles but short enough to maintain energy and spontaneity. Especially useful to keep in mind when shooting toddlers.
Look for "frames within frames"2 - doorways, car windows, picture frames, or natural elements that draw the eye into the image. These create depth and interest while leading viewers to your subject. Roads, paths, and architectural elements can create vanishing points that add visual energy to your compositions.
Rule of thirds - important to understand, but don't be afraid to break it. Sometimes, the most compelling images come from deliberately breaking traditional composition rules. The key is understanding the rule well enough to know when breaking them will enhance, rather than detract from what you are trying to convey. I don’t currently break it that often and even keep the guides on my camera display.
Focus and Editing - Sharp focus on your subject is crucial, but don't feel confined to conventional wisdom like always focusing on the eyes. Sometimes focusing on a different feature - a cheek, nose, or mouth - can create more interesting or intimate portraits.
When it comes to editing, it's more about selecting images for their information density rather than technical perfection. Look for photos that tell a story or capture authentic reactions. Greg's editing process is surprisingly simple:
Start with cropping - cropping is by far my favorite editing technique. I find it can transform a very mid picture into something extraordinary simply by tightening up the frame.
Adjust exposure - this is better to do while shooting, but slight adjustments can be made in post.
Fine-tune brilliance, highlights, and shadows - I personally don’t mess with this too much on the back end, but prefer to use the Ricoh recipes to set these ahead of time.
Black and white photos - ensure you have at least one pure white and one pure black element in the frame - don't rely solely on mid tones.
For those wanting to dive deeper into technical elements, the next progression, and where I’m currently spending the majority of my time, would be to explore and understand how exposure value, metering, f-stop, ISO, and shutter speed settings effect a photo and which situations certain combinations of these settings work well in.
The Social Angle
Everyone appreciates a thoughtful and flattering photo of themselves, so being capable of capturing candid moments makes you an indispensable addition to any gathering. While taking on the role of photographer can mean missing out on being in photos yourself, it's a noble and worthy sacrifice that allows you to give others the gift of preserved memories. It's particularly valuable to promote and scale this skill to as many members of your social and familial circles as possible - ensuring everyone gets to be in photos rather than one person always being behind the camera. Teaching is also one of the best ways to learn and solidify your knowledge.
Who I’m studying
Henri Cartier-Bresson - The father of modern photojournalism and master of the "decisive moment," the man that started the candid movement.
"To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It's a way of life."
I think if you’re a photographer, to only cultivate your talent with photography is pretty dull. You have to read, you have to look at sculpture and paintings. That’s how you build this talent.
Vivian Maier - A former nanny whose candid photography was discovered posthumously. A true master. Every photo is stunning.
Gary Winogrand - Known for his fast-paced street scenes. He has an eye for candid oddities. Easter eggs abound.
Bruce Gilden - Known for his close-up, flash-heavy street portraits. Gangster.
Greg Williams - Love the Greetings series. A bit unfair because photographs the most beautiful and expressive people on the planet, but still worthy of appreciation.
Dewey Nicks - cool guy taking cool photos.
Saul Leiter - captures the quiet beauty of city life in subtle and abstract ways. Another master. His color and composition are so so good. Unreal.
Mark Cohen - capturing the essence of decades as if stumbling on private moments.
Scott Schuman - The Sartorialist, street fashion OG. Sadly, it seems his original blog is no longer in existence.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the goal is to capture images that tell stories in a single frame - photos dense with information that reveal something new each time you fix your gaze on them. These are the images you'll want to display, share, and revisit over the years. They become touchstones for memories and connections, making photography not just a technical skill but rather a social one. Strengthening relations and preserving those golden moments.
My simple recommendation is to start by photographing what matters most to you - your daily life, your loved ones, your personal world. The most meaningful photos will always be those that express something unique from your personal perspective.
My journey into more serious candid photography was sparked by two events: becoming a father to twins (everyone needs a muse or two) and acquiring a Ricoh GR III camera. While the iPhone is excellent, its algorithmic processing sometimes misses the mark in capturing moments exactly as I see them. The GRIII or any similar camera offers more control and higher fidelity, allowing me to capture reality much closer to how I’m experiencing it.
This “frames within frames” principle reminds me of this Bon Iver song, which I’ve found to be a fitting song to have playing in your head while shooting. It has also has the benefit of cementing the concept into memory.