There are times as a photographer that it’s helps to take the camera away from your eye and really look at what is going on around you. When I take photos in a foreign city, or I’m documenting an event, I like to take a good selection of candid shots without holding the camera to my eye – instead shooting from the hip.
There are several benefits to this approach. First, you appear more causal, inconspicuous, and this means you’re able to capture moments you’d likely miss for fear of being rude. Second, your subject, being oblivious to your camera, don’t do the typical camera response, and look away. There’s also the benefit of instantly getting a better perspective. It’s surprising how much better photographs can appear when you change from eye level. And finally, it reintroduces some of the surprise lost with digital photography by not being sure exactly how the image will turn out. Just take lots of photos and look for scenes you can leverage into creative work. (And of course it doesn’t hurt to study the work of masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson).
The above photograph was taken while traveling in Prague several years ago. I shot the image by setting the f-stop at a safe 8, the shutter at 200, and a high ISO (800). I also used a 50mm fixed focal lens. I also used a wireless cable release. All of these settings allowed me to be more casual in how I moved, and clicking anytime I saw something interesting.
I’m guessing (although I can remember for certain) that I saw this couple walking and anticipated the point at which they’d pass in front of the large column. The rest of the composition was by accident (resulting in a cut off foot).
The photograph has turned out to be one of my more enjoyable pictures from the trip, not because of it’s beauty and color, but what it communicates across languages about relationships, especially when a couple reaches the later years of life.
Give it a try sometime. Shoot candid. Shoot from the hip.
Tags: Photography, Tips, Travel
