Week 4- The Candid Portrait

The candid portrait is  a photograph taken at the right moment with spontaneity.  They are different then other portraits in the sense that you deal with whatever is happening in that moment, like weather and other disruptions and get the best portrait of the subject, it all deals with timing and making everything perfect in the few moments before clicking the shutter.  This can be done with the subject not knowing they are being photographed or known, either way works and has different responses from others.

Walker Evans is one of the masters of candid street photography.  He would walk the streets and photograph what he saw.  This photograph was his subway series of 1938 where he hid a camera and took photographs of people in-front of him.

Then there is Bruce Davidson who is another amazing photographer who did a different type of Subway series.  He would photograph in areas that many photographers wouldn't want to go and make beautiful portraits of people living their lives.  This series was made in the early 80's when New York was very different then it is today.  The main differences besides subject matter compared to Walker Evans was that they were shot in color and many of the subjects knew they were being photographed which made for a different type of photograph. 

One of my favorite photographers is James Natchwey.  He is a photojournalist, war photographer who can be called a candid photographer.  He finds moments in life that are remarkable and gut wrenching and takes the picture.  He sets nothing up but just has one of the best eyes anyone has and just knows when to photograph.  This photograph is from 9-11.  He was in his apartment when the first plane hit and he grabbed all of his film and sprinted to see what was happening and this is one of many beautifully sad photographs that came out of it.

Then there is another master of photography, Gary Winogrand.  He does street photography all around America.  He has a great eye where he sees a perfect moment and takes it.  This photograph was done in Los Angeles in 1968.  His composition with the light coming from behind on the three trendy women while the darkness falls on the homeless man on the side, incredible.