If you ask a bunch of budding landscape photographers to name the biggest challenge they face, the answer you’re likely to receive is “getting a perfect exposure.” This can be difficult with all forms of outdoor photography, but it’s particularly an issue when shooting landscape scenes with a wide range of tones from bright highlights to deep shadows.
In the quick tutorial below you’ll learn the two tricks a British pro uses to consistently nail exposure so he can concentrate on composition, proper focus, and other critical tasks. And while the topic of this lesson is avoiding blown-out highlights, one of the tips is equally valuable for making sure that the images you shoot are devoid of crushed shadows,
Mike Smith is an experienced landscape photographer who posts weekly lessons on his favorite type of shooting to help others improve their skills. In this episode he explains how to employ two camera settings so you won’t have to worry about exposure again.
According to Smith, “These tools really help you build confidence so you’ll get much better photos with details in your highlights and shadows.” He begins by explaining why his cameras are always configured to display a histogram on the rear screen. He discusses how this oft-ignored visual aid works to eliminate much of the guesswork out of exposing a scene properly.
Simply put, the histogram is a graph representing the brightness levels in an image, with completely black pixels on the left, completely white pixels on the right, and everything else in between. Once you understand how to read the histogram, it’s really hard to miss, and Smith provides a few clear examples that make this tool simple to use.
The other helpful tool is one Smith considers “indispensible,“ and it’s a setting known as “zebra stripes.” This one is a graphical representation that overlay stripes on the screen to warn you when highlights are blown out so you can make the adjustments he explains before taking the shot. Some cameras have a blinking white highlight alert (without stripes) that serves the same purpose, and in either case you’ll instantly know when specific areas of a scene are far too bright.
Smith’s popular YouTube channel is a great resource oforstraightforward tips and tricks like this, so be sure to take a look.
(Editor’s Note: You can read ”On the Road” columnist Deborah Sandidge’s other columns here).
Camera technology these days is amazing; it’s practically magic. The problem, though, to my way of thinking and photographing, is that the magic offers a very wide and deep comfort zone—you might call it a zone of automatic decisions, and it’s probably best not to spend a lot of time there, certainly not if you want to create individualistic images.
For my photography—and maybe for yours right now, or for the results you’re hoping to achieve—taking control is essential. I decide aperture, shutter speed, ISO, the parameters of time exposures and multiple exposures—in effect, customizing my camera for the situation and for the result I want. At the beach I know I need a four-second exposure so there’ll be detail in the waves as they recede. To catch incoming waves is a whole different story, one to be told at a shutter speed of 1/15.
Nature is a complex, changing subject that offers a variety of choices, which means there’s a variety of camera-control choices to be made. Letting camera programs or picture controls take over doesn’t often depict the character of nature I’m seeing at a given moment and location. So, here are some photos that required decisions, processes, and controls beyond those that technology would easily and automatically offer.
Repeat As Necessary
I was hoping for a pattern of beautiful clouds in the sunset sky at Florida’s Naples Pier on the Gulf of Mexico, but I got only clear orange light, which was actually an opportunity because the birds in the area were going to stand out against that backdrop. What you’re seeing is the same bird in a multiple exposure that highlights its expressive wing patterns as it crosses the frame, viewed through my 100-400mm zoom lens at 250mm. To make sure nothing would distract from the bird’s tone, I set Darken, an exposure option offered by the camera’s multiple-exposure feature.
Time’s Travel
I knew from experience that beautiful cloud structures, like these at Lake Monroe, FL, needed a vast amount of sky to really illustrate their motion in a time-lapse image, and I also knew at what time there’d be the best light,
and how to take control of the camera to capture what I wanted. I chose my 24-70mm lens (at its widest), set the tripod-mounted camera for time-lapse, turned autofocus off, and then stood there for 45 minutes while the camera clicked off a sequence of about 450 images at the two-second intervals I’d chosen. An aperture of f/11 gave me the depth-of-field I wanted,cand 1/160 at ISO 200 took care of the rest.
Mixed Methods
Yes, there is such a thing as a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and you’re looking at one that’s just landing at my bird-feeder branch in a photo that required a lot of taking control to achieve. These birds will do many good things for the camera, and after photographing a lot of that activity I thought it would be interesting to try a slow-shutter exposure (1/160) along with flash (camera-mounted SB-5000 Speedlight) and my Z9’s Eye AF and rear-synch settings to keep, respectively, the bird’s eyes sharp and its wings in motion. The image also called for a 500mm lens (the bird was about 18 ft. in front of me) and an f/5.6 aperture.
Beyond the Visible
knew it was going to be a little stormy at Tequesta Beach that afternoon, and I wanted to work with the overcast sky, the fairly high tide, and the waves pulling back toward the ocean. But what really caught my attention were the patterns the waves were drawing in the water. I saw those patterns in real time, of course, but I wanted to slow them up, to essentially exaggerate them to effectively see more than my eyes could see, and I knew I could get that with a four-second exposure.
The lens was the 14-24mm at its widest; the aperture was f/16 to get the rocks in the foreground and the targeted pattern ring around the rocks farther out. Every time I go to this beach I analyze what’s there for me and then figure how to interpret it for an expressive image. There’s always a story to tell.
Locked In
I was back at Tequesta Beach on the day after the four-second photo, this time at sunrise. I still had heavy cloud cover, but what I was most interested in was the washed beach—perfect, no footprints, brilliantly reflecting the moments of sunrise. I wanted some of the incoming surf, and a 1/15 shutter speed slowed it down to give it dimension, while f/11 gave me the sunburst sparkle. I chose the 14-24mm to accentuate the clouds, corner to corner. The rocks at far right served as an anchor, an extra element that I think locks the image together and works so well at the edge of the wave pattern.
Parting Shot
I’d made all the tighter, blue-hour images, but now with the sky clearing behind Manhattan and stars popping out, I thought of including some of the mix of rocks and vegetation near the East River waterline, especially since that section of Brooklyn Bridge Park was so well lit from behind me. I knew 30 seconds would create calm water that would best set off the reflections (I didn’t want to go past 30 because the stars would start to stretch out with trails).
An f/16 aperture gave me the building starbursts for a little sparkle to an image—like the others in this story—that you can’t get by just walking up and pressing the shutter release.
Social Media Note
You can view many more results of Deborah Sandidge’s control of her cameras on Instagram, at https://www.instagram.com/debsandidge/,
Twitter, at https://twitter.com/DebSandidge, and Facebook,
Today’s Photo of the Day is “Caddo Lake” by Katherine Plessner. Location: Caddo Lake on the Texas/Louisiana border.
“I took this photo while on a tour at Caddo Lake, Texas,” says Plessner. “This lake is known for the huge cypress trees that grow there. The trees and their reflections were amazing subjects to photograph. We were out every morning and evening capturing these beauties in the different light we experienced. When I got home, I had 2,500 photos of trees to sort through!”
Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.
When it comes to photography, there are different styles of shooting. Candid photography is one such style. There are some misconceptions as to what it stands for, what is needed in terms of equipment, and the legal aspects.
In this guide, I will explain candid photography in detail. I will also share some useful tips to take your candid shots to the next level based on my experience.
What is Candid Photography?
Candid photography in simplest terms is the photography style where you photograph people without them knowing you are photographing them. This includes both circumstances where you are at an event as a hired photographer and shooting in public.
When you normally do a photoshoot, you will ask the person to pose for you. But in the case of candid photography, there is no planned posing part. Here, the person will not be aware of the fact that there is a camera pointing at them for photography. Thus, the photographer will be able to see the natural poses of the person and capture them.
Candid vs Plandid photography
In the case of candid photography, you will capture the natural poses of the subject. There is no posing in the case of candid photography. But, in the case of plandid photography, it will be a pre-planned photoshoot that will look like a candid image at the end. Thus, it is easy to do a plandid photoshoot.
Equipment for Candid photography
Let’s discuss equipment for candid photography.
Camera
For candid photography, it will be a bad idea to shoot with a heavy and bulky camera. One main reason is that people will notice you quickly. Thus, you will not be able to capture their natural expressions. Another reason is you will feel tired of carrying a heavy camera. It will affect your composition.
You can go with a mirrorless or DSLR camera for good-quality images. Mirrorless will be a better option among the two since new camera technologies are getting incorporated into mirrorless cameras.
Try to get a camera with fast autofocus. It will ensure that you get an instant focus lock on the subject. It will be good if the camera is capable of shooting in silent mode. Otherwise, the shutter noise can distract the subject.
If you don’t have a large budget, you can even use a portable digital camera.
Lenses
One important thing about candid photography is that the subject should not know that there is a person in front of them with a camera. But when you use a wide angle or portrait lens, you need to get close to the subject. You can avoid getting close to the subject if you use a long telephoto lens instead.
The long focal length of the telephoto lens helps to maintain a good distance from the subject. But make sure not to go for extreme focal lengths such as above 300mm. You can go for focal lengths in the range of 70 to 200mm. The telephoto focal length also helps to separate the subject from the rest of the background, due to the nature of how depth of field works with long lenses. Thus, the subject will stand out in the image.
It will be good if you can use a zoom lens instead of a prime lens. It will help you compose the image in an easier way. If you use a prime, you will have to move to different positions to get the desired composition. You may end up missing some shots when you move around.
There are people who are interested in carrying multiple lenses when they go for a photoshoot. If you belong to this category, I recommend carrying a couple of lenses with you. In such a case, you can take a prime lens and a zoom lens with you. A 35mm or 50mm prime will be a good choice. Nowadays, you can get prime lenses that come with fast apertures. So, consider investing in these lenses to ensure high-quality images. The zoom lens can be 70-200mm. It will be good if you can get the f/2.8 version of the 70-200mm lens since it will allow a lot of light in, resulting in fast shutter speeds needed for candid photography.
Tips for candid photography
Below are photography tips that will help you improve your candid shots, especially if you are a beginner.
1. Aperture Settings
An important parameter you need to consider is the aperture value. In the case of candid photography, the aperture needs to be selected according to what you intend to focus on and show in the picture. If you want the background and all elements in the scene to be in focus (important for candid photography where you cant focus slowly and precisely), go for smaller apertures that will correspond to higher f-numbers. As a rule of thumb, you can start shooting from f/8.0 to f/16.0. If you want a shallow depth of field (not recommended), go for large aperture values of f/2.8, f/4.0, etc.
2. Go with the Burst Mode
I strongly recommend shooting in burst mode for candid photography. Nowadays, all cameras come with burst mode. It will allow you to continuously shoot a series of images of the subject. Thus, it will ensure that you are able to freeze them at the right moment. You can discard the rest of the images. If you use burst mode, it will be good to enable the silent shooting feature in the camera if it supports it. Otherwise, your subject will get distracted by the continuous camera shutter noise.
3. Try Different Perspectives
It is a good idea to capture the same frame from different perspectives. The look and feel of the image will be different when you shoot it at eye level and at a height. Changing perspective also helps to create some unique images.
Next time when you shoot candid images, try photographing the same scene at different vantage points. After the shoot, open these pictures on your computer and see the difference perspective makes on the image.
4. Don’t use Flash
One of the biggest mistakes many amateur photographers make while doing candid photography is using flash. Never use flash for candid photography. The moment you fire the flash on your subject, it alerts the subject. Thus, they will start doing artificial poses for your shots and the photos will no longer be candid. Ensure that the built in flash does not pop up when you do this type of photography.
5. Try Half-body shots
From my experience, half-body shots work better than full-body ones for candid shots. It is because when you photograph a person above the hip, you will be able to bring more of the head and the person’s emotions into the frame. It will make the picture more interesting.
It works best for street photographers who go for candid style shots. Also, shooting from the hip works best with a 35mm lens. Here, the positioning of the camera is very important. It will be great if you can point the camera at chest level to the person. But you can also do it with a telephoto lens.
6. Capture Storytelling images
Try to capture images that tell a story. It will be more captivating for the viewer. It will bring that extra level of energy to the photo. So, photograph people when they are doing something, like engaged in conversation with a friend. If you photograph people who do not do anything, the image will be uninteresting. It will be like a regular portrait.
7. Previsualize
Like in any type of photography, if you want to capture perfect candid shots, you must learn previsualization. For example, if you are doing candid wedding photography, you must be able to predict what will happen in the next 2 to 5 seconds. It will help you prepare the right camera settings for the shot. If you are a beginner, you may find the previsualization part tough. It is because you are not used to this process. When you practice more, you will be able to predict the events during the photoshoot.
8. Shoot at a Fast Shutter speed
Candid photography demands a fast shutter speed. You need to act quickly when the action happens. You can freeze the action only with the help of a fast shutter speed. Otherwise, you can see some blur in your images. This blur is due to the movement of the subject in the scene. The shutter speed value will vary for different subjects. It takes some practice for you to figure out the exact shutter speed for your subject.
When I do candid photography, I start with a shutter speed of 1/320. If there is movement in the scene, I tend to go with a shutter speed of 1/500 and above.
9. Shoot at low ISO
Even though candid photography demand a fast shutter speed, make sure not to go with extremely fast shutter speeds. If you choose higher values, you must also bump up the ISO value to let in enough light during a quick exposure. It will result in a grainy image. It will be tough to remove noise without losing details in a high noise image. So, try to shoot at lower ISO values. The noise level corresponding to different ISO values will vary for different types of cameras. For example, If you compare the noise level at ISO 1600 for an APS-C and a full-frame camera, the noise will be less in the full-frame camera.
10. Retouch candid shots
Do not upload candid shots directly from the camera when you share them with your clients or on social media sites. I strongly recommend you do the basic retouching on these pictures. If you don’t know how to edit, you can quickly learn basic retouching online for free. When you retouch your pictures, it will help you analyze the images and find the mistakes. Thus, when you shoot candid shots next time, you can avoid these mistakes. It will help you become a better photographer.
11. Layer your composition
If you want to capture a multidimensional candid image, you must try to bring more layers to your composition. But make sure that all these layers complement the subject in the scene. Only then will the image be meaningful and interesting.
Here, the trick is to use the foreground elements in the scene along with the subject and the background while composing and capturing the image. Play with the depth of field to capture some creative shots. You can go for a shallow depth of field effect where the background elements are blurred in the image. Thus, the viewer’s attention will go to the subject easily. It also helps to make the subject pop out in the frame.
12. Photograph people’s interactions
You can easily capture the natural poses of a person when they interact with other people. Thus, it is a good idea to frame the scene with more than one person in the scene. It can be two or more people.
13. Use Photo composition techniques
When you photograph a candid shot, don’t forget about the composition part. There are many photo composition techniques that you can apply to your candid images. But make sure that the composition rule you apply does justice to the image. As a beginner, you can use basic techniques like the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, leading lines, etc. Sometimes, you may be unable to apply the rule while capturing the image in the camera. Here, the trick is to leave some space on all 4 sides of the subject. You can take this photo to any editing tool like Adobe Lightroom and crop the image to apply the rule. Many a time, I have to crop my candid shots for proper composition.
Is Candid Photography Legal?
You can do candid photography in public places, provided there is no restriction on photography in these areas. If you plan to shoot in private places, you need to get prior permission. Otherwise, you may land into unnecessary trouble. It is always a good idea to check the local laws and regulations of the place to ensure you are not violating any laws.
In terms of your subjects, in a public place it is usually legal to photograph people. Of course, if you plan to sell your photos and earn money by using them for advertising or a similar use you might need a model release from the subject. Always consult your local laws.
