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The word 'candid' was first applied to
photography in 1929 when Dr. Erich Salomon first used a technique of
working unobtrusively by available light with a hand-held camera, and a
fast lens. Although usually associated with the miniature camera, the
term 'candid' refers less to the type of equipment employed than to the
method of keeping the subject unaware of the camera.
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Studio pictures of children can often be
said to be candid, even when taken with a large plate camera, if the
child is caught off guard as he should be. In the artificial atmosphere
of the studio a photographer must employ psychological methods to cut
through the self-consciousness of the child, draw his attention away
from the camera and induce him to reveal something of his true self.
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At the moment of exposure the camera
should be completely forgotten. Practically all successful studio
pictures of children, apart from in specialized applications such as
advertising where child models are used virtually acting a part, are
'candid' in the sense that the camera is forgotten.
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