Any advice for an amateur photographer taking candid shots at a party?

I'm an amateur photographer and i've only had my camera for a few months so I have not had very much time to practice with it, especially taking pictures of people. Can anyone give me some advice on taking candid shots in a party environment (anniversary party)? Like, when should i use flash? What are good angles? Just things like that, and any advice at all is welcome and greatly appreciated!Any advice for an amateur photographer taking candid shots at a party?
http://www.squidoo.com/betterphotographe鈥?/a>Any advice for an amateur photographer taking candid shots at a party?
Bounce your flash; in other words, don't aim it directly at the people you are photographing. Aim it at the ceiling, the wall, a post. You will avoid the harsh shadows and it also helps eliminate red eye. That is the number one problem I usually see when beginning photographers shoot these kinds of photos.
Get a decent flash unit, dedicated to your camera. The on camera flash is strictly for daytime fill or emergency blackmail situations.





Don't be fooled by candid party shots... they're not always all candid. You need them to be candid looking, not necessarily all surprises. Let people know you're going to take their picture, but to just act naturally. This works sometimes, and sometimes not. If you have only a couple people talking, I wouldn't worry about it, but if you have four or five or more people, let them know you're going to take a few shots. You don't want anyone picking their nose or gulping down a beer or rolling a smoke or something because they don't know you're there ready to take a pic. That might fall into the emergency blackmail category though...





Relax, float, don't socialize too much. Make sure you get lots of the guests of honor interacting with as many people as possible. That's what really counts. Good Luck.