Circular Quay Candid Help

[Alpha_7]

Only the second time I've been to the quay with my D70 and I found I was spoilt for choice as far as candids opportunities are concerned. So I'm keen for advice more on the technique which shots work and which don't.... for instance does the back of people's heads ever work ? Or must you always seem a little more ? For this reason I've choosne to use smaller thumbnails and sorry it's more then 4 shots but in this case I'd like the different shots compared for technique.

[ABG]

Craig,

The pick of these for me is the top right image. The subject is wonderfully relaxed and your composition is very good.

All of the shots could benefit from shallower DOF to throw more attention on the main subject. Either get in closer to the subject, use a longer lens or open up your aperture. Don't worry about portraits being a little soft from shooting wide open. Sometimes this is better than seeing every razor sharop blackhead on someones face...

[Michael]

Craig I'm interested in how you go about your candids, do you point your camera in the general direction on the sly, or just you stand out in the open and aim your camera in your wouldbe subjects direction?

[Alpha_7]

The pick of these for me is the top right image. The subject is wonderfully relaxed and your composition is very good.

Your right I was shooting f8 which is too much DOF for this type of shots, perhaps f4-f5 may have been better (I think I was a bit too cautious, since I can always blur the background in PS.

Interestingly you picked the top right image, as this guy was the hardest to capture, I spotted him first but he was suspcious of me so I popped of the first image and a few others before he had dismissed me and I snuck the shot in without him knowing.

Craig I'm interested in how you go about your candids, do you point your camera in the general direction on the sly, or just you stand out in the open and aim your camera in your wouldbe subjects direction?

Michael I employ a number of different techniques I've picked up, but for a spot like Circular Quay you can stand out in the open and snap left, right and centre on only get the occasional lifted eyebrow.

Some of the techniques I use :

- Join the crowd - Take a seat, lean up against a tree and just take everything in, if you appear to be non threatening in the first few minutes of entering a new area people will pay you less attention, then if you went in camera blazing.

- Wait - Sometimes you just have to wait, camera in hand but pointed down (less threatening) wait for the moment and quickly lift it into position and take the shot (the timing can be tricky with this, particularly if your sudden movement means they look in your direction, sometimes wanted usually unwanted).

- Scanning - looking through the viewfind and scan the horizon or scene, even stopping occasionally like you looking for something, at some stage the scanning pass over the subject and "Click" capture and keep scanning

- Pre-focus Snap - find something roughly the same distance and close to your subject (a seat, a bin, even another person) focus on them (even take a shot if you want) and then snap the camera onto the real subject, the focus should be close to spot on and the shot taken quickly then lower the camera (chimp, or just look casually for the next shot)

- Employ a shooting partner and line them up roughly between you and your subject then get them to pose for you photo and shoot over there shot / past them, this works well in places where people are more likely going to get annoyed, it allows people to relax as they think the other persons photos is being taken and don't realise the real subject is else where.

- Shooting from the hip, I use this method the least as I haven't mastered it, would love a Zigview to make this a simpler endevour, but it is a great method if you can master it, a camera around your neck or at your hip is not threatening so will keep people relaxed

[Michael]

Thanks craig.

unfortunatly where I live (Toowoomba) lacks anything even remotely populated like circular quay which is really quite depressing at times.

[NJ]

i really like the top left shot.
definately my pic of the lot.

[ABG]

Craig I'm interested in how you go about your candids, do you point your camera in the general direction on the sly, or just you stand out in the open and aim your camera in your wouldbe subjects direction?

Craig's got a big pair of kahoonas. He's more the stare you down and snap you sort of candid photographer.

[PiroStitch]

I prefer the first two Craig. The first pic could have been better composed with the gentlemen in the middle rather than to the side. The man on the right has lost half his left arm.

[suzanneg]

Hi Craig,
I love the bottom left hand shot. The different layers of focus and colour saturation appeal and the landing seagull makes it for me.

[rokkstar]

Craig,

I like all of these - you managed to capture expression in all of the subjects.

But my favourite is the bottom left hand one. As Suzanne says, it's layered and the contrast between foreground and background elements help emphasise this. The seagull adds a wonderful point of interest. It's a definate decisive moment in my books.

[Onyx]

Craig you candid master!

I like your series of shots - it gives an insight into the many differing aspects of lives people lead. The last one of the chinese guy playing the Er-wu (or however you spell it in Engrish) cracked me up due to what looks like masking tape holding together his specs.

It wasn't until the second or third take that I realised these were entirely in black and white. I've been known to dislike B&W pics, and IMHO rarely do they work better than the coloured version... but in this case the subject matter and shots were interesting enough to even block out the lack of colour info in my mind initially. You do candids well.