i always like the candid shots. went to my family reunion on sunday and i had to use my 55-200 lense all day. if i used the 18-55 they would run away. here is my first pic. pros- cons.

ISO-100
speed-1/125
f/5.6

Candid shots are usually more difficult to critique than other photos, because of the human condition. Generally speaking, it's very subjective as to whether or not someone has "captured a moment" or just "took a snapshot". In other words, when you're presenting candids to other photographers, 99.9% of us are going to ask ourselves if we would've pressed the shutter button or not. Here, I would have to answer no, and here's why:

This composition has the dreaded stake through the head effect. You want to avoid straight vertical lines that appear in the background close to your subject's heads. On a technical note, 1/125 isn't fast enough to stop movement and there is some very noticeable motion blur in the hand. That would be okay if it added to the scene, such as someone playing guitar, but here it is a distraction. Kudos for getting down low for this shot. That's one of the keys when working with kids.

And lastly is the subject itself. Cute kid. However, this is a photo of a toddler who appears to be trotting around with her sippy-cup. This is something most of us see 10 times a day, every day. That's perfectly fine, but when photographing the mundane, you have to up the ante a bit by showing a different perspective.

thanks. just trying to get the gist to get better. i have a few different shots of all the nieces and nephews so be prepaired. so for a candid shot take out the background distraction and catch them at something other than normal stuff(eating, drinking etc...)

Originally Posted by newbshooter

thanks. just trying to get the gist to get better.

That's why we're all here!

Critiques are difficult for all of us. This is an art form, so our photos tend to be personal to us and sometimes it can hurt to have others pick apart our work. On the other hand, that's how we grow and become better.

You're here on this forum because you want to be a photographer on some level. Maybe you have no desire to "turn pro", and that's perfectly fine. Maybe you simply just want to take better photographs. Somewhere along the line, you made the choice to take this thing a bit more seriously than the Average Joe with a camera. You've made that distinction in your head and with the equipment you use, now that just needs to translate into producing better photos. Here's the trick with candid shots:

It's all about composition and timing. Candid photos are by and large the most memorable genre of photography. Yes, a stunning landscape or sunset can be appreciated for their natural beauty. But great photos of people are far more likely to get attention. Human beings are extremely vain creatures. We all love showing off photos of our kids and even the most photo shy people will snag up a good photo of themselves for a Facebook profile picture.

Everyone is unique. We all have our own personality, facial features, and quirks. I would argue that the best books about candid/street photography have nothing to do with photography at all. They're about the human condition. If you're a photographer on an level, you have something inside you that allows you to see things in a different way. You can spot "interesting" people out of a crowd. Maybe it's a heavily wrinkled old man with a twinkle in his eye, a 4 year old with a mohawk, or someone whose fashion sense doesn't blend in with the rest of society.

Whatever catches your eye, you have to train yourself to study your subject for a few moments and wait for the right time to press the shutter button. You have to capture the essence of someone's personality in a frame so that we can all see it plain as day. Kids are easy, because they wear their personalities on their sleeves. But the key is to separate yourself from the point-and-shooters by being more patient.

i love to hear the bad stuff. its how i have learned through out the years. i have learned to become an electronics tech, machinist, and many other things by watching, listening and reading. i want to get into more photography. i dont want to rush to fast. the way my job is going i would like something to fall back on if needed. so the more i learn from all of you the better chances i have to be better at this.