Differences Between Candid Photography and Professional Photographic Portraits

The secrets of sports photography
Story by : Tassos Makrakis

When discussing types of pictures that can be taken by a professional photographer, there are two main types. Candid photography lends a more personal feel to each photo, and captures life as it is happening. Professional photographic portraits on the other hand, are more about chronicling an event, and preserving it on film in a staged manner. Each method has its own place and time in which it is most appropriate, and the information below will provide you with the main differences between the two styles.

Positioning and Appearance

One of the main differences between candid photography and photographic portraits is in the way they are positioned, and in the way that they appear. Candid photographs are taken on the go when life is happening, and present pictures of an event as it was. Professional photographic portraits however, are staged using sets, props, and a predetermined position. These photographs capture an image and preserve it in the way that it was positioned to look.

The appearance of these two types of photography are quite different, in fact, candid photography can often look like it was not done by a professional at all. It can sweep you away, and remind you of a past event with it easy appearance and candid positioning.

Photographic portraits preserve things in their perfect condition. They allow you to look your best, or capture something or someone in an ideal way. Often, when somebody goes to a professional photography studio or hires a professional photographer, they will opt to have both forms of photography used. That is because while different, these two styles both have their own merits and value.

Equipment That is Used

Another major difference between candid and photographic photography is the equipment that is used for each. Candid photography is usually done with much lighter weight equipment. There is often no need for a tripod, lights, and certainly not backgrounds or props. It is often done outside with natural backdrops, and usually on the go.

Professional photographic photography is quite different on the other hand. It requires the use of heavy equipment, large tripods, elaborate lighting, props and backgrounds, and often other items as well. The idea behind photographic photography is to make an object or person look their very best, and a variety of measures and tools are used to achieve this.

When They Are Used

When looking for differences between candid and photographic photography is important to explore the difference between when they are both used. For instance, photographic photography is better suited for taking still photos that you wish to look professional and staged. These might be wedding photos, children's photos, family photos, or even pictures for cards or invitations.

Candid photography however, is generally used to capture the action of an event. That is why candid photography is often used to capture wildlife, sporting events, wedding receptions, or even news events.

While each of these photography styles has various times and places that they can be used. It is also possible for them to be used in the same situation at roughly the same time. In the example of a wedding, before hand you may wish to have photographic pictures of the wedding party taken. However, during and after the wedding you may wish for a photographer to use candid photography to capture the action in every moment of the day.

Both candid and professional photographic photography have their benefits and appropriate times to be used. While there are differences in these two styles of photography, they both require the skill of a professional photographer in order to present a beautiful finished product. When you know the differences between these two styles of photography, you can make the choice of which one is best for you.

About Author Tassos Makrakis :

At Momento Photoworks, our primary focus is to offer the highest quality of photography, products, and customer service to our clients. We enjoy what we do, and that shows in our beautiful portraits! To learn more about our Markham photo studio, visit us at http://www.themomento.com

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Portrait Photography Tips and Methods

By Paulo Ebling

By: Richard Schneider

Portrait is defined as, “A likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer, for example.” In the area of portrait photography there are some guidelines that you should consider when you go to take photos of people.

The different types of portraits are: close-ups, facial shots, upper body shots or environmental portraits. Environmental portraits are where you focus on the subject and on their surroundings that provide more character to the subject.

When people have a camera in their face it usually makes them nervous and they will try to put on a face that does not portray who they really are. The real skill to portrait photography is trying to capture photos when the subjects are comfortable and not worried about a camera.

Many professional photographers try to capture their subject’s true essence by using tricks. One example of this is counting to three so the subject prepares and then while they are relaxing after taking a planned photo the photographer will snap a few more unplanned photos. In most cases the subject won’t even know that more than one photo was taken but it’s usually the photos that the subject wasn’t expecting that capture their true essence.

Another more common strategy professionals use is to tell funny jokes that make their subjects genuinely laugh or smile. I’m sure that you have probably experienced something like this yourself.

CLOSE-UP PORTRAITS

These usually have the subject’s shoulders and head or less. They are framed around the face. These are the most common and best at capturing expressions and glamour shots. For these it is very important to have the light coming from a good angle. To accent wrinkles or small details you should have the light coming from the side or from the top. To create flattering pictures you should choose a cloudy day or try to create diffused light so there are hardly any shadows. Also make sure the subject is brighter than the background to reduce distraction.

For close-up portraits you should use a wide aperture (low f/stop) to make the background out of focus and therefore less of a distraction. Professionals commonly use a fixed telephoto lens that’s 90 mm or higher for portraits in order to de-emphasize the subject’s nose or any other unflattering feature. It works because at that distance the nose or any other feature does not seem closer to the camera than the rest of the face.

UPPER BODY OR MIDRANGE PORTRAITS

These are easier to capture because the subject is probably more relaxed because it’s less personal. These include a little more of the background than close-ups. These are commonly used for both single subjects and multiple subjects. This is the kind of portrait used to mark occasions such as graduation, yearbook, birthdays and other parties. The ideal lens would be about a 90 mm fixed telephoto or more wide angle depending on how many subjects there are.

ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS

These are the portraits that let you into the life of a subject. They might include the whole subject in a scenario or the subject participating in some hobby that they enjoy. These are best for telling a story to the viewer about the subject. They are almost always used by photojournalists to look into the lives of interesting people. They also make great Black and White pictures.

Use this information to develop what kind of portrait style you would like to take, and then practice it before dealing with any serious clients.

About The Author

Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and founder of http://www.picturecorrect.com/ which offers tips and news about digital photography, digital camera reviews, photoshop tutorials and computer wallpaper.