Sometimes, we might think that there is nothing new or special at home worth capturing through our camera lens. But this is simply not true. We will have several pieces of furniture, objects, artwork, etc., collected over a period of time. Essentially our homes contain representations from different points of our lives. If you are living with your family, partner, or pets, then their stories are also reflected in your home.
Such an interesting place will surely have a thing or two to capture! You can try out these ideas when you are stuck at home with nothing to do, maybe when you are experiencing a stagnant, less creative phase in your photography journey or just want to look around and have fun with your camera. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced photographer or a budding one. These are 13 photography ideas at home that you can try to ignite your passion again!
Photography Ideas at Home for You to Try!
1. Capturing Shapes of Water
Water will be available easily to you, and it is a great subject for photography. You can explore how to capture water by using it in creative ways. For instance, you can try to photograph rain from a unique angle (like windows, doors, etc.) or maybe where the light is good (balcony or terrace). You can capture the ripples made by water droplets in a container that already has water. Your focus can also be the water drops. Do this by increasing the shutter speed to around 1/1000 or more. But make sure to protect your equipment.
Another experiment with water can be to capture the splash of water as it hits a surface or an object (such as fruits or vegetables). Set up the background to a black screen, and you can use a tripod to capture it accurately and in motion. This way, you would have experimented with different variations of motion photography (slow and high)!
2. Use Smoke as Prop
Smoke can add an interesting quality to your photo by creating a mysterious mood. This is especially so if you are capturing smoke against a black background. You can try to capture smoke by itself or use it to highlight other subjects in your photo. Usually, if there is a single subject surrounded by smoke, the photograph will look more stunning. Your ISO should be very less to capture smoke best.
You can illuminate the smoke or the object by using a lamp. You can also adjust your white balance depending on your preference for cooler or warmer images.
3. Pet Photography
Like every other type of photography, taking professional photos will take some time and practice, and the same applies to pet photography. However, since you would know your pet’s behavior very well, it will be easier for you to capture their interesting moments. You can try to capture their poses, movements, reactions, or unique traits against different backgrounds and settings.
In pet photography, you may need to adapt to your pet’s behavior and be flexible with the shot. You can use a faster shutter speed to match their quick movements and make sure you understand the lighting requirements that are best for your pet. Because if your pet’s fur is dark-colored, then in low lighting conditions, it may not be easy to capture the details. But regardless, this photoshoot will undoubtedly be a memorable experience!
4. Food Photography
Food evokes so many emotions in us, including happiness, joy, excitement, etc., especially if it is what you like! You can try this photography idea at home and at the same time have your favorite food, so food photography has double benefits. In some cases, you might need to capture it quickly, like in desserts that melt or food that is very hot with steam coming out of it.
So you need to plan your shot and its details, such as angle, lighting, camera settings, and backgrounds, before you can get your hands on the food. You can shoot them from the front at the same level as the food. Try a 25 or 75-degree angle for the best pictures. You can try a hero shot where you will focus only on the food and blur out the background.
5. Playing with Shadows and Light
The purpose of this type of photo is to create a melodramatic effect using shadows. You can capture the shadows of strange objects or ones that have different shapes, such as forks or stones. Shadow photography is especially good when you are capturing photos during the golden hour, which happens around sunset and sunrise.
You can reduce ISO for a more dramatic effect, and you can also capturesilhouettes. You can shoot in broad sunlight so that the subject of the photo casts a dark shadow. This also works well if you are capturing buildings or structures. If you minimize the distractions in this photo, it will look more stunning!
6. Double Exposure
This type of photography involves layering 2 images to get a unique composite image. It might work best if you have a singular subject with another photo that works as a good background. You can make a double-exposure photo using Google’s Snapseed photo editing app or more professional software like Adobe Photoshop.
Or you can achieve this on a film camera also. Making your subject underexposed while choosing a background that is bright and colorful will improve the quality of the photo. If you take black and white photos, when you combine the photos, it will be much smoother and easier, and the final image will look more put together.
7. Capturing Patterns
Patterns have a sense of regularity within themselves, and it will make for a striking photo if captured. This can be seen in textures, shapes, or objects. Sometimes patterns can be very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. These patterns can be geometric (buildings/objects) or fluid (leaves or water).
Here the camera settings will vary according to the subject of the photo, but usually, images that have a smaller color palette or are in black and white will be more captivating. You can also create your patterns using blocks like Lego pieces.
8. Photos in Different Rooms
Every room in your house will have a special meaning to you, and it might be possible for you to capture some of it through your lens as well! Some rooms might have great decor or a good wall, or amazing lighting. These also happen to work well for photography. You can take pictures of a subjectlike your pet or family members or even try your hand at self-portraits in different rooms like the kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, hallways, office, etc.
Make sure you are aware of the lighting and its sources in each room so that your photo isn’t over or underexposed. You can also compose your photo differently and use some of the techniques mentioned, like double exposure or playing with shadows and light. This is one of the easier photography ideas at home that you can try!
9. Looking Through Windows and Doors
Sometimes if you take photos of a subject through glass using the correct settings in your camera, you will naturally get a photo that looks double exposed! This is because the reflection from the outside and the inside (subject) will create this effect. Taking photos through windows or doors will also create a unique perspective. This is especially if the lighting is subtle and the subject is in focus.
Photos composed like this will create illusory effects due to the number of layers present, making your photo very interesting. The camera settings will vary depending on how you envision your photo. Your main subject can express different emotions or make different poses which create another dimension to the photo!
10. Try Your Hand at Portraits
You can capture the emotions of the subject from different angles and lighting. This type of photography has its roots in portrait painting. One important aspect of a portrait is choosing the color palette and the background. Another aspect to focus on is bringing out the emotions of the subject naturally. If you force or fake emotions, it may not work well for the portrait.
A blurred background will help to focus on the subject and its expressions. After capturing the portrait from different angles, you can choose the one you like best and start editing it. You can use props such as plants, books, wrappers, smoke, etc., to add more meaning to the portrait.
11. Light Trails
This is a type of long-exposure photography that captures the movement of light in dark conditions. You need to increase the shutter speed and reduce the ISO. This will ensure that the shutter captures more light even though it is dark. The light source will move, and it is possible to capture the path in which the light moves. You can do this using car headlights, streetlamps, rear lights, a torch, or any light source by moving it in the desired shape.
You can try capturing light trails using a torch or any light source at your home. Light trails will produce an amazing result if done properly. If you have a tripod, then the photo will not be fixed, and this is much better than holding the camera for large periods. Although the general settings are given, you need to play around with the settings to get the optimal photo.
12. Capture Your Collections (Stamps, Mugs, Records)
You can arrange the collections in a unique pattern that suits your collection. You can decide the background, lighting and color, and angle. Playing with the possible patterns you can create with your collections will make for amazing photos. For example, if you have stamps or cassettes, you can arrange them next to each other in rows and capture them from above.
This will create an interesting pattern. It would help if you symmetrically arrange your collection of objects as this will be more striking.
13. Still-Life Photography
Here a set of objects will be arranged, and a specific composition for the photo will be decided. Traditionally flowers, fruits, and vegetables were captured as still life. You can experiment with textures, colors, lighting, materials, etc. Unlike other types of photography, here, there is more control and so more scope for experimentation.
You can explore different settings in your camera and different editing styles. Still-life photography is commonly seen on social media platforms, and so this can be a motivating factor in composing aesthetic photos. Overall, capturing still life creatively is a skill that can be highly beneficial to photographers.
Let’s Start Taking Photos At Home!
All in all, with so many interesting photography ideas that you can try, why waste time at home doing nothing? These ideas are simple, but they can be complex depending on how you want your photo to look. If you have a camera, trying out the different settings will help to hone your skills. Some of these ideas are different types of photography, so mastering them will lead to more opportunities. You need to learn how to apply different camera settings to different types of photos, and trying these ideas will help you get there soon.
Some of these ideas, like light trials, portrait photography, playing around with shadows, etc., can be helpful to get out of a creative rut as well. One added benefit is that you can always use these photos for your social media profiles or your portfolio.
The more you experiment, the better you will become at photography!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Have a Camera to Try out These Photography Ideas at Home?
Not really. You can try these ideas with your phone. However, some phones have better manual settings that you can change and control. The quality of the photos will also not be as good as compared to the ones taken using a DSLR.
Are These Ideas Only for Beginners?
These ideas can be used as prompts for professionals or beginners. For professionals, photoshoots like these, done in the comfort of their homes, can be helpful just to try photography for fun. For beginners, these can be helpful to learn the basics of camera and photography, such as composition, angle, lighting, color, etc.
How Important Is Planning When It Comes to These Ideas?
These ideas can be executed after detailed planning or can be done spontaneously also. Sometimes, just capturing a photograph without any planning works best. The moments that you want to capture might last only for a short while, so planning in those situations is not possible. However, for some ideas like taking portraits or still life, planning might be better.
Leave a Reply