I've recently been going through
old family photographs dating
around 1850-1920. This was back when the photo
emulsion
was very slow, and the
subject of the photo
had to sit for as long as five minutes to complete the
exposure.
These pictures are very obviously not candid,
however, they have a very candid look to them.
The expressions are natural and piercing, the eyes
are clear. My theory is that they had to sit so long
in one position that they could not afford to hold a
forced expression, and so the result is that the picture
shows their face in its natural, relaxed state.
This is in stark contrast to many of the modern professional studio photos I see. Most of the cheaper studios do not bother
to try to get photos like this, and are more concerned
with moving as many wiggly kids through as fast
as they can.
Occasionally, you can accidently get that "perfect snap"
just by being there and getting the candid shot. However,
if you can manage to get your subjects to calm down,
get their mind off the camera, wait a moment
for them to relax, perhaps you can do as well as
the old pictures did.