Alright, so I decided to give this ‘candid shorts’ thing a go the other day. Seen loads of them online, thought it looked kinda interesting, capturing little slices of life as they happen. Didn’t really have a grand plan, just wanted to see what I could get.
Getting Started
First thing, I just grabbed my phone. Didn’t bother with fancy cameras or anything. The whole point was ‘candid’, right? Keep it simple. Checked my phone storage, made sure I had enough space, ’cause I figured I’d probably shoot more than I needed. I also thought about places – maybe the park, downtown near the shops, somewhere with people moving around naturally.
Out and About – Trying to Capture Moments
So I headed downtown. Honestly, it felt a bit awkward at first. Just kinda standing there, trying to subtly point my phone without looking like a creep. Big challenge right there – finding the balance between capturing something genuine and not making people uncomfortable or noticing you too much.
I tried a few things:
- Just holding the phone casually by my side, hitting record and hoping for the best. Got a lot of shots of the pavement this way.
- Sitting on a bench and pretending to be looking at my phone, while actually recording what was happening in front of me. This worked a bit better.
- Focusing on smaller details, like someone’s shoes walking past, or pigeons pecking at crumbs, rather than directly filming faces up close. Felt less intrusive.
I spent maybe an hour or so just wandering and filming short clips. Sometimes I saw something interesting, but by the time I got my phone ready, the moment was gone. You gotta be quick, but also patient. It’s a weird mix.
Sorting Through the Footage
Got back home and dumped all the clips onto my computer. Wow, I had a lot of junk. Shaky footage, blurry shots, moments where nothing happened, clips where I accidentally recorded the inside of my pocket. Sorting through it took longer than the actual filming.
I just started deleting ruthlessly. If it wasn’t interesting in the first few seconds, gone. If it was too shaky, gone. Looking for those tiny little moments – someone laughing, a dog doing something silly, the way light hit a building. Stuff like that.
Putting a Few Shorts Together
I found maybe 3 or 4 clips that were okay, each just a few seconds long. Didn’t do much editing. Just used a basic video app on my phone to trim the start and end points, make sure the clip focused on the main bit. Didn’t add music or effects or anything for this first try, wanted to keep it raw.
So, I ended up with a few very short videos, like 10-15 seconds each. They weren’t amazing, not like the slick ones you see online. A bit rough, definitely amateur. But they did capture a little something, a genuine moment.
What I Reckon
It was an interesting experiment. Definitely harder than it looks to get good candid shots without feeling weird or getting noticed. You need patience, a good eye, and maybe a bit more confidence than I started with. Plus, you end up with a lot of unusable footage.
But yeah, it was kinda fun in a way. Makes you look at the world around you a bit differently, notice small things. I might try it again, maybe pick a specific theme next time, or try a different location. It’s a process, learning as you go. That’s the main thing I took away from it.
