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Shoot from the hip for candid portraits

Looking through a viewfinder is usually a basic requirement for taking a good photograph, but that is not to say that you can’t try shooting from the hip when the need arises to take images discreetly. This form of candid photography has gained increasing popularity with the advent of digital photography, and the reason is simple: without looking, the image you are capturing is hard to predict and there is a high probability of failure. With film this would be a costly affair, but shooting digitally means that you can take as many shots as you like to maximize your chances of capturing a successful one.

Either hold the camera with one hand down at your side or hang it from a strap over your shoulder and control it with one hand from there. Remember to check that the lens, if a zoom, is set to a wide enough angle to capture the environment around your subject. Also ensure you are firing with a fast enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake and that the flash is switched off, as this will give the game away!

DECKED OUT

This candid photograph was captured on Brighton Pier on the south coast of England. While it appears that the man sitting in the deckchair is some distance away, he was in fact quite close; the accentuated perspective is due to the focal length used – the lens was a 17–40mm zoom set to the wide-angle end. What works here is that the boards of the pier act as a natural line for the eye to follow, while the railings also help lead the eye to the subject. The jaunty angle also suits the image.

Canon EOS 10D, 17–40mm at 17mm, 1/400 sec at f/8, ISO 100.