Natural, Unposed, Free: Candid Photography with the Nikon Z5: practical tips with Kristof G?ttling - #CreateYourLight
Reading time: 10 minutes - November 24, 2020 - by Kristof G?ttling
As part of our #CreateYourLight challenge, Lightroom expert and #NikonFamily photographer Kristof G?ttling explains what candid photography is all about, what's important and which 5 tips will help you take wonderful and unique snapshots. He also took the opportunity to test the new Z 5 with the NIKKOR Z 24-50 mm f/4-6.3 during a short trip to the Nuremberg folk festival. But what exactly is candid photography? Translated, it means something like unnoticed, unposed or authentic photography or the unplanned photography of snapshots. The idea behind it is to capture situations and moments unposed, naturally and therefore as realistically as possible with the camera. Authentic photography can be found in many areas of photography, such as wedding reportage, event and concert photography as well as street and reportage photography. Whenever we want to focus on the action, whenever the subject is not interacting with the camera, we are talking about candid photography. The aim of this type of photography is to capture real moments without any interference. This is also what makes authentic photography so exciting. As a photographer, you can't always guess and never plan exactly what will happen. Accordingly, you have to react quickly to the circumstances and act as inconspicuously as possible.
Kristof G?ttling - Nikon Z5Only take photos with consent!
As a photographer of candid, authentic photos, you are always on the lookout for situations in which you can capture people or events in a picture without being noticed. But be careful: you must always ask for the consent of the people photographed before or after the photo is taken, and in any case before publication. If you are booked as a photographer for a larger event, it is often the case that visitors to the event agree to the recording of image and video material by participating. However, always play it safe here and obtain the consent of the people you want to photograph - regardless of whether you are taking photos at weddings, large or small events or simply on the street.
Kristof G?ttling - Nikon Z5Tip 1: Act unnoticed
For perfect, authentic snapshots, you should shoot as unnoticed as possible. As soon as your subject or subjects feel they are being watched, they no longer act naturally or interact too much with the camera. But how exactly do you go unnoticed as a photographer? There are several ways to go unnoticed in photography: One approach is to position yourself at a distance and photograph from there without being seen. A telephoto lens such as the NIKKOR Z 24-200 mm 1:4-6.3 VR is ideal for this, so that you can photograph your subjects from a greater distance without any problems. But even without a telephoto lens, for example with the NIKKOR Z 24-50 mm 1:4-6.3, you can take wonderful candid pictures. To do this, you can "lie in wait" in a place close to or in the middle of the action and wait until a beautiful situation arises. First choose a rough motif or a special perspective. Then, if you like your composition, wait until something beautiful, exciting or unusual happens in this section and press the shutter release at that moment. Another practical tip that Kristof often uses is "shooting from the hip". This means you can hold your camera loosely in your hand at hip height in automatic mode and press the shutter release button unnoticed while standing or moving. The advanced eye autofocus of the Z-System is a particularly big help here - eyes and faces are recognized and focused completely automatically. This means you can take razor-sharp pictures even when shooting from the hip.
Tip 2: Silent mode
Imagine you want to take a photo during a wedding ceremony or at an event and you've just captured the ideal moment. You press the shutter button and it "clicks" in the midst of the silence. Then you are definitely no longer unnoticed and have disturbed the wonderful, natural and unique atmosphere. The silent mode of the Z-System is incredibly practical for unnoticed photography at this point. In the settings of your Z camera, you can simply switch off the clicking sound when the shutter is released and thus take pictures completely silently. This way, your subjects will feel less observed and can devote themselves completely naturally to the moment, while you can photograph it without further distraction.
Tip 3: Continuous shooting
The next tip for candid photography is continuous shooting or taking many pictures in succession. Here you can use the continuous shooting settings on your camera or simply take several shots yourself. With just one or a few shots of your subject, you will miss features that you can ideally capture with many shots. This type of shot is particularly suitable for moving objects such as a chain carousel at a funfair. With continuous shooting, you can therefore capture many images and therefore different aspects of your subject one after the other and decide on the best one(s) afterwards.
Kristof G?ttling - Nikon Z5Tip 4: Play with the "time mode"
The fourth tip is to play with the "time mode" - this tip not only applies to unnoticed photography, but also plays a major role in other areas of photography. The "time mode", i.e. the automatic shutter S on your camera, is often underestimated. In this mode, you can set a certain time for your camera. Regardless of whether you want to freeze or blur movements, it is always a nice effect to make time visible in your shots. For example, you can make time visible by blurring a moving element using a longer exposure time. This works well with people walking through your frame or with other moving objects such as a Ferris wheel or a carousel.
Hand-held photography - try it out!
Of course, a tripod is always used for longer exposure times. But if you don't have one with you and can't find a stable surface to place your camera on, you can try and practise taking photos by hand. This requires a steady hand and a little patience, but it also gives you the opportunity to take great photos. The Nikon Z 5 supports you in this and is equipped with 5-axis image stabilization. This allows you to take photos with exposure times that are up to five stops longer.
Kristof G?ttling - Nikon Z5Tip 5: the look/editing
Once you've applied Kristof's tips on candid photography and taken a few beautiful, spontaneous snapshots, it's time for RAW development. With the help of the subsequent image processing, you have the opportunity to give your pictures a completely unique look and get the last bit of potential out of your already good shots. You can find specific tips on image editing in our magazine series "Lightroom with Kristof G?ttling" or, of course, on Kristof's YouTube channel.
