header parallax image
Focus: the From the Hip Photo blog

Photo inspiration, ideas for session locations, and expert tips by Denver Colorado's best team of photographers

  • Home
  • Main Website
  • Home
  • Main Website
Fox FamilyHints & Tips

How to Photograph Candid Moments, An Interview

August 19, 2016 July 20, 2017 From the Hip Photo2 comments3591 views

Photographing candid moments can be challenging – you may end up with a wonderful shot of someone laughing or you may end up with one of those pictures that looks like you just paused a movie in the wrong spot! We decided to ask our photographers for advice on how to photograph candid moments so we can help you capture everyone’s good side. Find out what each of them had to say!

Here are some quick introductions to our amazing photographers, so you know who is sharing their wonderful advice!

752114f6-0303-45b4-a3eb-0885b82f94c8Danny

Born in and raised in Miami, Danny moved to Manhattan to study film at New York University. While there, he met his wife (and From the Hip Photo co-founder!) Nina, helped run a national clothing company, and launched an online music retailer. His passions include the films of the nouvelle vague, exploring new cities by foot,  and hunting down the spiciest Thai food in Denver.

 Nina

Nina was born in Moscow, Russia and moved to the United States at the age of ten. She earned her BFA from the prestigious Pratt Institute and then followed that with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York Academy of Art. Her love for foxes inspired the From the Hip Photo logo!

88f3ed81-debf-4c6e-9c83-37045f42790dAshleigh

Ashleigh has a dog named Francesca, loves micro brews, cupcakes, ice cream, and snowboarding. She has an Associates in Commercial Photography from the Art Institute of Colorado and has been working as a professional photographer for over nine years.


Q: Which is your favorite candid photo you’ve ever taken? 

Danny: This is like trying to pick a favorite child: I definitely have one, but it’s polite to pretend otherwise. Kidding! I don’t have a favorite, per se, but one that jumps to mind was one that was captured of a bride, Gina, coming down the aisle at Della Terra Mountain Chateau at the start of her ceremony. As Gina was walking down the long, winding pathway with a parent on either arm, I saw a deer approaching. I anticipated what would happen next, and captured a photo of the deer bounding across the aisle with Gina and parents looking giddy with surprise in the background. It was a moment no one could have planned and that’s part of what made it so magical!

Nina: I can’t think of just one, but typically my favorites are ones where there is total goofball face involved. I was shooting a family session recently, and all of a sudden the little girl pulled mom’s hair really hard, and mom got the funniest bug eyes and I love how that captures that moment. It’s fun, it’s spontaneous, and I can promise you every time that family sees that photo they will laugh.

Ashleigh: My favorite candid photo I’ve ever taken is one of my niece, Alexandria, and my dad when she was about six months old. They were looking at the prisms he keeps in his windows and it is just a nice moment of the two of them together.

How From the Hip Captures Candid Moments | Candid Photography | Wedding Photography | From the Hip Photo

Q: How do you get people to relax to photograph candid moments? 

Danny: I try to listen to couples, both literally and also in terms of paying attention to non-verbal cues. Each couple is different–really, each partner in a couple is different–and so I tailor what I do with each couple.

Nina: I think just by relating to them. Posing for photos is an awkward thing. Joking around with them and giving them lots of directions helps them to feel less like they don’t know how to pose or what to do with their hands. I like to ask questions, too, which can be tricky because talking doesn’t come out great in photos. But with the right question, the person or couple will think about it first or laugh at each other’s answers, and that really helps the mood.

Ashleigh: Honestly I make jokes or make fun of myself. Or sometimes, I make fart sounds — for the kids, seriously!

How From the Hip Captures Candid Moments | Engagement Photography | Candid Photography | From the Hip Photo

Q: Do you feel like candid photography can work in more formal photography sessions? 

Danny: Absolutely. Even when we are capturing “posed” setups, our goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere and get people to laugh and smile genuinely.

Nina: Candid photos are better in almost all sessions! So the only caveat here is you have to know how to pose candidly, too. You can’t just say, “Okay, now go be cute together” and leave it at that. Most people will freeze, so over time you develop techniques to help.

Ashleigh: Absolutely! I like doing the formal stuff, but I ask families and groups to look at one another and laugh. They usually all look at one person, realize what they did and crack up.

How From the Hip Captures Candid Moments | Engagement Photography | Candid Photography | From the Hip Photo

Q: What is one tip you’d give to young photographers about candid photography?

Danny: My biggest piece of advice is that the best candid photos are usually not captured accidentally. They result from being prepared for a moment, from looking ahead and trying to anticipate what will happen next. You need to get yourself in the right position to document those genuine moments.

Nina: Shoot a lot, shoot more than you think you need to and then double that. Yes, you’ll have a gazillion photos to go through, but then you can see what works and what doesn’t, change things up and grow.

Ashleigh: Don’t be afraid or over-think it. Learn to read your audience. Most people are looking to you for guidance and will typically go with what you say.

0012-FTH_9479

 Q: What do you think is the most challenging part capturing candid moments? 

Danny: The fact that you only get one crack at it. Lots of photographers prefer the more predictable confines of studio or landscape photography where you have more control over the lighting conditions, subject matter, and so on. To excel at candid photography you really need to relish that challenging aspect and feed off the fact that you have to capture that moment before it’s gone forever.

Nina: I’m not a natural extrovert, but you have to be as a photographer working with people. So that aspect has taken me the most amount of time to work on and I’m still learning and getting more comfortable with people.

Ashleigh: Loosening people up and getting them to trust you. You have a small window of time to build that trust so you have to learn to work fast and have fun!


Even though all of the photographers at From the Hip Photo have different opinions how to get the best pictures, all of them love to photograph candid moments! Capturing key candid moments can make an already awesome photo even more outstanding! If you want to read more about how to photograph candid moments, check out our other post, Posed or Playful? The Art Of Candid Photography, to learn about the difference between posed and candid photography.

candid photographycandid photoscapturing momentsphotograph candid momentsphotography tips
From the Hip PhotoAugust 19, 2016
previous story

Ryan & Caroline | Unique Small Wedding in Colorado

next story

Exposure! #003: August Happy Hour Party

From the Hip Photo

From the Hip Photo

From the Hip Photo is Colorado's best photography team. Based in Denver, they photograph assignments across the country and the globe for individuals, couples, families, businesses, and non-profits. Their photo adventures have taken them to Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Russia, among other spots.

you might also like

A Night Out in RiNo with Redfin

August 19, 2016 July 20, 2017
Holzheimer_Allen_Wedding

Destination Wedding | Cala Luna in Tamarindo

August 19, 2016 July 20, 2017

Wedding at Blackstone Rivers Ranch

August 19, 2016 July 20, 2017

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: Iceland | Your Next Photo Session Destination
  2. Pingback: The Importance of Wedding Photos | Especially For An Elopement – FOCUS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Focus

Focus: the From the Hip Photo blog
Focus is the blog from the team at From the Hip Photo. We're Colorado's best-reviewed photography team and ply our craft from our Denver studio and around the globe.

We hope that Focus will illuminate more about who we are, the photographs we capture, and the joys of being professional artists. Enjoy your visit!

freshest goodness

Coffee cocktail with beautiful presentation

Colorado Coffee Community Photos

April 16, 2025 April 16, 2025
Varya Malina from "90 Day Fiancé" posing with giant purple crayon at Denver's Selfie Museum

Capture Your Vibe with Denver’s Coolest Creative Portrait Studio

February 18, 2025 February 17, 2025

Find the Best Photographer in Colorado for All Your Picture Needs

February 4, 2025 February 3, 2025

Denver’s Go-To for Event and Conference Photography

January 20, 2025 January 20, 2025

Categories

  • ADVENTURE GUIDE
  • Boulder
  • Branding
  • Contest
  • Corporate
  • Denver
  • Education
  • Engagements
  • Events
  • Exposure!
  • Family
  • Fashion
  • Food & Drink
  • Fox Family
  • Gardens
  • Golden
  • Headshots
  • Hints & Tips
  • Holiday
  • Hospitality
  • How To
  • Indoors
  • Maternity
  • Mountains
  • Nature
  • Newborn
  • Nonprofit
  • Park
  • Portraits
  • Product
  • Proposals
  • Seniors
  • Stanley Family
  • Trails
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban
  • Venues
  • Water
  • Weddings

Recent Posts

  • Colorado Coffee Community Photos
  • Capture Your Vibe with Denver’s Coolest Creative Portrait Studio
  • Find the Best Photographer in Colorado for All Your Picture Needs
  • Denver’s Go-To for Event and Conference Photography
  • Winter Photography Tips | Colorado

Recent Comments

  • How to Take Frameable Photos of Your Kids | Tanglewood Art and Frame on Candid Photography vs Posed Photography
  • Masterful Food Photography at Hello Betty in Oceanside, CA on Denver Bar & Food Photography
  • Denver Restaurant Photographer Featuring Photos From Annette on #Foodstagram | Annette
  • Spruce Mountain Ranch Event Photography on Spruce Mountain Ranch | From Cattle Ranch to Wedding Venue
  • Candid Engagement at Red Rocks on Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre Photos

Archives

  • April 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • September 2024
  • July 2024
  • May 2024
  • February 2024
  • November 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015

Categories

  • ADVENTURE GUIDE
  • Boulder
  • Branding
  • Contest
  • Corporate
  • Denver
  • Education
  • Engagements
  • Events
  • Exposure!
  • Family
  • Fashion
  • Food & Drink
  • Fox Family
  • Gardens
  • Golden
  • Headshots
  • Hints & Tips
  • Holiday
  • Hospitality
  • How To
  • Indoors
  • Maternity
  • Mountains
  • Nature
  • Newborn
  • Nonprofit
  • Park
  • Portraits
  • Product
  • Proposals
  • Seniors
  • Stanley Family
  • Trails
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban
  • Venues
  • Water
  • Weddings

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org