How to take great event / candid photos

March 10, 2017 7:52 AM

I'd like to take pictures of people socialising, enjoying themselves etc without being intrusive. Do you know any good tips / book / blogs etc on how to capture great, natural photos of events e.g. guests at a wedding; attendees at a conference; people in a a bar etc?
posted by KateViolet to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

I'm a photographer who's photographed many events over the years.

The trick is to be patient.

A lot of people react to seeing a camera in two ways: they either automatically start posing, or they say something like, "don't take my picture! I'll break your camera!"

For the first instance, I might tell them, "it's ok, I'm looking for something candid. Just be yourself!" For the second instance, I mirror the person's response. If I can tell they're kidding, I'll grin, even though I've heard that line a million times. If they genuinely seem upset, I'll move on. Someone who does not want their photo taken will let you know.

But what usually happens is once the've been there a while, and you've been there a while, and they've had a few drinks, people will lighten up and relax.

People like to pose for silly pictures. Not my thing, but I'll take a photo if it will help them relax.

It's good to mingle and look friendly so they get used to your presence--I like to talk with people to humanize myself. This is good for something more wide angle but it's also good to hang back with a longer lens, scan the room, and wait for the guests to do something interesting.
posted by girlmightlive at 8:14 AM on March 10, 2017 [3 favorites]

The very best pictures in our wedding album were taken from a distance, with long lens & wide aperture, and are printed in black & white. They capture people who weren't posing - people who are just hanging out, talking, laughing, etc. Mostly people who didn't know their picture was being taken (right at that moment - although I think that guests at a wedding have pretty much given tacit permission to be photographed at some point... right?)

We had two photographers - one was marshalling specific groups for posed shots, the other prowled around in the background & took the more natural pics. The group-shots guy was performing the role of Wedding Photographer, which meant everyone else relaxed because they weren't in the viewfinder.

I'm certainly no professional - but I know that long lenses are more flattering for portraits, that wide apertures capture short depth-of-field to isolate a subject from their background, and that - as Sam Fuller said - life is in colour, but black & white is more realistic.
posted by rd45 at 9:27 AM on March 10, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've shot a few weddings professionally (though it wasn't long-term a thing for me), and often end up as the guy handed the camera at family gatherings. One big tip I would give is, get used to holding your camera casually and then being able to quickly lift up, frame, shoot, and return to casual mode. When people see you with the camera up to your eye, they're going to start posing. When they see you holding it lens-down in your off-hand, or hanging at your side on a sling, they forget about it and relax.

"Be patient", as mentioned above, is also great advice. Don't try to make a shot happen; just keep your eye out and be ready to go when something interesting happens. I'd also add, "be unobtrusive". When you keep your profile low, people are less conscious about themselves, compared to if you're making a big show of it.
posted by tocts at 11:00 AM on March 10, 2017