Informal Candids & Posed Photos

[Mike Buckley]

When I photographed the American Heart Association's Washington, D.C. Heart Walk, the light was extremely diffuse. In fact, there was a light rain most of the time. When it comes to making informal candids and posed photos, I'll take diffuse light any time over contrasting light. Some people would understandably use a flash with a diffuser attached to brighten the subjects, but I usually prefer the look shown below made without flash.

Photo #1 (candid)



Photo #2 (posed)



Photo #3 (candid)



Photo #4 (posed)

[Shadowman]

Nice series and good selection of reds to add some pop to the captures.

[Manfred M]

Nice set, Mike. It looks like the gray November skies got into your shoot in a big way.

The good news is that the light was nice and diffuse, so you weren't fighting the sun. The bad news, gray November skies...

(Just to let you know, November and February are my least favourite months of the year).

[Shadowman]

Nice set, Mike. It looks like the gray November skies got into your shoot in a big way.

(Just to let you know, November and February are my least favourite months of the year).

Unless you are in Miami.

[FootLoose]

I like the spontaneity of #3. I think it leads the viewer to onder what has excited the subject beyond the frame

[mknittle]

Nice set Mike, I am with Greg on #3 my favorite of the bunch.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

I like the spontaneity of #3.

That's the only photo in which the subjects are entirely spontaneous. In the first photo, the subjects had no idea I was taking their photo, though I thanked them afterward for doing such a nice job of setting up their selfie. In the second one, I encouraged these women of the American University lacrosse team, who were official volunteers of the event, to generate some enthusiasm so I could take a photo of them. That's all I did and, quite clearly, they complied. In the third one, the only completely spontaneous shot, the woman is part of a Zumba dance team that was dancing on stage. The fourth photo is the least spontaneous of all of them; I asked the subjects to pose and I even adjusted the position of the two torches on the left side of the image.

[Rita]

#3 is a great capture. I love the jubilant expression.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, Rita!

[IzzieK]

My favourite is #2...they are all looking happy there. Not that the others are not, but I like the enthusiastic look in all their faces...