How to take candid photos of friends
The photos people treasure are rarely the posed ones. They're the laugh halfway through a story, the hug at the door, the friend asleep on the train home. Here's how to catch those moments without turning every evening into a photo shoot.
By the DisCam team ·
Make the camera boring
People stiffen up when a camera appears. The trick is to keep it around until they stop noticing it. Take a few photos early on, keep the phone out, and the later ones will be far more natural.
A camera that doesn't ask for attention helps. If no one can check the photo straight away, no one asks for a retake.
Shoot just before and just after
The best moments sit around the posed ones: the laugh after "say cheese", someone fixing their hair, the group breaking apart. Keep shooting once the pose is over.
The same goes for activities. Photograph people while they cook, walk, deal the cards or tell a story, not only when they stop to look at you.
Stand back, or get right in
There are two good places to be. From the edge of the room, zoomed in a little, you can catch moments no one knows you've seen. Right in the middle of the group, close and wide, the photos feel like you were part of it, because you were.
Look beyond the faces
Some of the best candid photos have no faces at all: hands around a mug, a table halfway through dinner, shoes kicked off by the door. Turn round, too. When someone gives a speech, the people listening are often the better photo.
Use the flash at night
Indoors at night, phones take longer exposures, and moving people turn into a blur. A flash freezes the moment, laughter and all, and it gives party photos that bright disposable look. Our guide to flash photography has more.
Take fewer photos
Twenty near-identical shots of the same moment don't make a better photo. They make choosing harder, and they keep you behind the camera. Take one, maybe two, then put the phone down and join in.
A limited roll makes this easier. On a DisCam Disposable roll, the shots stay hidden until you develop it, so you shoot the moment and go back to the party.
Be kind with what you share
Candid means unguarded, so share with care. Leave out the unflattering ones, ask before posting someone's photo, and respect friends who would rather not be photographed at all.
