Simple Photography Ideas
Isaiah Burch
Unless you’ve been living underneath a rock (which there’s nothing wrong with as long as you’re comfortable), you’re probably reading this while you’re stuck at home as a result of current events. Because of the current situation with the Coronavirus, many of us suddenly find ourselves spending a lot more time indoors than we usually do. I personally have found something like this troubling, and even hindering some of my photography ideas.
It’s great that we still have access to things online through the internet. But what about that photography trip you had planned? It may have to be postponed. And that meetup you were planning on for next Saturday to do a little street photography? Cross that off your list too, as it goes against social distancing.
Hmm. That doesn’t appear to leave any options as far as taking photos. So what do you do when you’re stuck indoors for the most part of the day?
I’ve come up with a few ideas and suggestions that can help out.
Household Objects
When you’re stuck indoors, why not start with the most obvious subjects that are right in front of my face? Sure, there’s probably nothing more exciting than taking photos of the things that you’ve been living with for the past few years, especially when you see them everyday. But let’s take a different approach. Maybe treat your home as if it’s an open house into somebody else’s home and you’re seeing it for the first time. How would it inspire you?
Even from a design standpoint, I would look for a particular element, pattern, maybe some contrast, or perspective that I can portray through my lens. It all starts with the right idea.
Black and White Photography
How about trying something different other than taking color photos? You could try switching to monochrome or experimenting with different color filters and lenses to try something different. And what better place to experiment than at home, since you’re going to be here all day anway. You can also try different times of the day with natural lighting to change up some of your tones and shades as well.
Try Different Settings
There’s a huge potential of ideas when you take a way that you normally shoot in and tweak it. Instead of fast shutter speed, try adjusting to a longer shutter speed and seeing what type of special effect you can come up with – possibly blurring an action, like the running water under the faucet, or even the whirlpool of bathwater while it drains from your tub.
Physiograms are another possibility, where long exposure can actually produce some exciting results.
All you need is a flashlight, lamp, or led and swing it from a rope in a circular motion. Then set your camera to a longer shutter speed and you’ll notice the amazing special effects!
Research
This is an idea that should never get old. As much as taking photos as much as possible is an important way to get better – whether they turn out good or bad – I also believe in studying, and what better time than now? Seeing how every place is closed and there’s hardly anywhere to go right now.
Why not pull out your laptop and look up your favorite photographer. Amsel Adams is a personal favorite of mine for his black and white photography. So I’m constantly checking out his photos and trying to get into his technique.
Why not go through some tutorials on YouTube, or check out some images on instagram or some of these stock photo sites. Maybe even consider joining and seeing what type of images you can possibly upload for public use.
Macro Photography
Why not explore the miniature worlds in the house? This is where Macro Photography comes into play. Whether that be your child’s toys, like legos or action figures, or perhaps the other textures and patterns that go unnoticed, like the designs in your curtains, the fibers in your carpet, or perhaps the textures in the various bricks on your fireplace. Maybe venture outside and explore your backyard, garden tool shed for other potential ideas.
Whatever objects, nicknacks, tools, toys, supplies, food, or whatever tiny details your camera eye can find, grab your macro lens and steady hand (or tripod) and give it a try!
Editing
Why not open Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom (or any other vector or image editing software you may have) and touch up some images in your collections. Perhaps play with different filters, or try some different effects – maybe merge two or three objects into a single layer and see what sort of ideas you can come up with.
Conclusion
Now that I’ve managed to come up with some great ways to pass the time while you’re stuck at home, and not let those photography skills get rusty, pick up your camera and try some of these ideas for yourself.
And if there’s cool ideas that I may have left off this list, feel free add to this list.
Thanks!
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