Remaining unnoticed is the most fruitful strategy when shooting a candid street photo. When people are aware of a camera they change their behaviour and the moment is lost. The goal is to blend into the scene.
“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.”
-Robert Doisneau
Travel light. Be discreet. Disappear.
Compelling candid street photography prizes the photographer’s ability to be a silent partner to a spontaneous situation. Seek out people and situations without influencing them in any way and you’ll have a chance to capture something real & natural.
To gain a greater understanding of candid street photography seek out the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, and Garry Winogrand.
- Candids capture the day-to-day lives of people in their environment
- People are typically unaware of the photographer’s presence
- The behaviour of subjects is natural & unaffected by the photographer’s presence
- There is an almost journalistic/documentary sensibility to the photograph
