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10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas

15 May

The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

at-home creative photography ideas

There is really no better time to practice some at-home creative photography ideas. There are lots of ideas you can experiment with, and with some basic equipment, you can really work wonders. Let’s get into it and discover some creative photography ideas you can work on at home, and work into a series of images.

1. Photographing water droplets

This is a classic project that you can try at home. It’s also relatively simple to set up, though you will need some specialized photographic equipment.

The equipment needed here includes a camera with a macro lens, a tripod, and an off-camera flash. You’ll then need to set up a location where you can drip water into a bowl of water. Learn more about how to take these photos here.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
Water drop photography is another form of refraction photography.

2. Food photography

Everyone loves to practice food photography, especially when the food looks amazing! This genre is huge, and potentially lucrative, as the images you take could be sold as stock.

So what are some of the things that can lead to successful food photography in the home? Take a look at this list, but for a more detailed guide take a look at this article.

  • Lighting – This is key to good food photography. Natural light such as window sidelight works well. If you use off-camera flash, the light should come from behind the food, but be sure to reflect the light back to avoid shadows in your photo.
  • Backdrop – Standard still life backdrops like photographing the food in a lightbox can be effective. Otherwise, make sure the background provides context to the food you wish to photograph.
  • Food layout – Make sure your food is well presented. The best professional food photographers use food stylists, so see how you can produce something with style. The use of repeating elements is one potential solution here.
10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
The best bit about food photography is eating the food!

3. Lensball light painting

A lot of Lensball photography will be carried outdoors, however, the Lensball is an excellent still-life object too.

One popular indoor project for Lensball photographers is light painting. You’ll need a dark room, tripod, and sheet of glass to go on the table as your initial setup.

  • Keyring – Use this under the ball to prevent it from rolling on the glass.
  • Table – Place the glass sheet on a table, and then put the ball on this.
  • Camera – Set the camera up on the tripod, and focus it on the ball.
  • Dark – Turn the lights off in the room, and ensure no ambient light seeps into the room.
  • Exposure – The exposure length should be around five seconds, but could be longer.
  • Light painting – With the camera setup, hit exposure, and light paint behind the ball with the light-emitting device of your choice.
10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
In this photo, an iPhone was used to produce the light painting.

4. Freezing objects in ice

A fun project to try when you have a bit of time at home is freezing objects in ice. You’ll need a few days to complete each photo since there is a process involved in freezing an object. The main thing you need to achieve is getting the object to freeze in the middle of the block of ice.

If you want to read about how to successfully carry out this technique, then click this link.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
Take your food photography in a different direction with this technique.

5. Still life photography

Once again, this is a huge genre in photography. The most professional photos will always have good lighting.

This style of photography could dovetail nicely with another hobby you may have. For instance, if you’re a quilter, photographing your finished product is a great idea.

If you want to get the best out of your still life photography then you can learn more by reading this article.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
A nice simple image with a white background can look nice.

6. Mixing oil and water

Another of the at-home creative photography ideas involves getting into the science vibe with a bit of hydrophilic and hydrophobic action.

That’s mixing oil and water and then photographing the resultant oil “bubbles.”

You’ll need to add your oil and water mix to a glass container, and then suspend this glass container above the ground a little. Now you’re ready to photograph downwards and through the oil bubbles.

To get the best results, use colorful backgrounds underneath the glass container.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
A classic project to try at home is mixing oil and water.

7. Water droplets on glass

Another science-based photography project you can try is placing water droplets on glass.

This style of photography utilizes refraction and repetition to produce great results.

You can experiment with the number of water droplets, or varying the background to increase your output. To learn more about this read this article.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
Use an interesting background to get great results.

8. Learn a new post-processing skill

One of the more obvious candidates for at-home creative photography ideas is post-processing.

Everyone knows this is a vital aspect of photography, it’s basically the new darkroom. Yet investing time in learning new post-processing skills when you’d rather be outside photographing? Well, if you have to be inside, then learning some new post-processing skills is a great idea!

  • Digital blending – A great technique to learn for landscape photographers, you’ll learn some key Photoshop skills like layer masking through learning this procedure.
  • Cloning – Whether it’s cloning an object out of the image, or cloning yourself multiple times, this is a great skill to learn.
  • Sharpening and softening – An essential skill for portrait photographers to learn. Sharpen the eyes and soften the skin for best results.
10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
In this photo, cloning and selective coloring were both used in post-processing.

9. Creating bokeh shapes

This is a great project with a little hands-on craft to it.

Bokeh is produced when your camera blurs the background, and this area of the photo is referred to as bokeh. When there are points of light in the background they will enlarge to “balls of light.”

To create bokeh shapes, you need to put that shape onto the front of your lens. This involves attaching a black disc to your lens, with the desired shape in the center of this disc. Want to try this out? Take a look here.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
This photo used shaped bokeh with colored fairy lights in the background.

10. Light spirals

Another kind of light painting you can try at home is light spirals. This is a lot of fun, and you can get quite creative with the patterns you produce.

You’ll need a completely dark room to get the best results from this. You’ll be spinning a light source attached to some string, and this will be above your camera.

This is a long exposure photo, so of course, a tripod is recommended. However, you could go without in this case by placing the camera faced upwards on the ground. If you want to learn more, then check out this excellent video.

10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas
Light patterns like this can look great.

Which of these at-home creative photography ideas will you take on?

With time at home it’s a great chance to take up an indoor photography project. Have you ever tried any of these at-home creative photography ideas yourself?

If you haven’t, which of these is the most interesting to you? Perhaps you have another technique like water-drops on a CD, that you’ll try out?

As always, please leave your thoughts and comments below, and if you have any images you’re willing to share that would be great as well!

The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.


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The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

09 Apr

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

dps-at-home-7-day-photography-challenge

As many of us around the world are continuing self-isolation, and social distancing (whoever thought that would be a thing?), we thought we’d make it a bit more fun and creative (as well as keeping our photography skills sharp). So, we are giving you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”

This is now week four of the challenge (see week one here, week two here, and week three here. You can still do those challenges, as there are no deadlines on any of these).

This week we are going to focus entirely on post-processing your images and fun techniques you can try.

As always, it would be fabulous to see your results, so please share them with us in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!

At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

Day 1

The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

This is a fun challenge. Take a series of photos of anything and turn them into an animated GIF in Photoshop! You can also add text or make it into an animated meme. You can then use them for social media if you like! How to Make an Animated GIF in Photoshop

Day 2

The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

This one shows you have to make a multi-exposure image in photoshop. How to Create a Multiple Exposure Effect in Photoshop

Day 3

The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

Another fun one – create a tiny planet in Photoshop! How to Make a Little Planet Quickly and Easily in Photoshop

Day 4

Split toning can give your image some interesting effects. So, jump into your archives and see what you can do to enhance some of those images with split toning in Photoshop. How to Rescue an Image in Lightroom With Split Toning

Day 5

This one is all about creating reflections in your images. Make it look like a landscape has a water reflection! See what you can come up with. Create Awesome Reflections in Photoshop with Ease (Step-by-Step Guide)

Reflections in Photoshop
© Kevin Landwer-Johan

Day 6

This one is for creating photo composites. Take bits and pieces of various images and turn them into a new image! Fake it to Make it – Creating Convincing Photo Composites

The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four

Day 7

Create a cool photomontage with this great technique! How to Make a Cool David Hockney-Inspired Photomontage in Photoshop

photomontage-in-photoshop

I’m looking forward to seeing your results. Don’t forget to share them with us in the comments!

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Four appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three

03 Apr

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

dps-at-home-7-day-photography-challenge

As many of us around the world are continuing self-isolation, and social distancing (whoever thought that would be a thing?) due to the C-word, we thought we’d make it a little less boring and stressful and give you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”

This is week three of the challenge (see week one here, and week two here. You can still do those challenges, as there are no deadlines on any of these).

These are all things you can try in and around your home.

As always, we would love to see your results in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!

At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three

Day 1

Go through some of your photos on your computer or hard drive, and give this post-processing challenge a try: Simulating False-Color Infrared Photography in Photoshop. You can get some fantastic results.

Day 2

This one uses the open-source editing program, GIMP. Download it and give this a try: Creative Uses for the GIMP Jigsaw Pattern.

Day 3

This one requires some close-up filters, but if you don’t have those, try macro lenses or even try putting a magnifying glass in front of your lens! Just experiment. Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters

Day 4

This one can be fun too. DIY: How to Create a Coffee-Stained Texture for Aging Images in Photoshop. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, use tea ?

Day 5

Look for patterns and repetition around your home or garden. Photograph them and then play with them in edit to make them black and white, or bold and bright! How to Use Pattern and Repetition in Photography Effectively

Day 6

Take photos (or use ones you already have), and turn them into monochromatic images in your favorite post-processing application: How to use Monochromatic Color to Convey more Emotion in your Photography

Day 7

This is another color-focussed one. How to Create Abstract Photos with Colored Paper. Find some colored bits of paper (or material) around your home and try this one out.

I can’t wait to see your images!

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Three appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Two

26 Mar

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Two appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

The dPS at-home, 7-day photography challenge feature graphic

As many of us around the world are continuing self-isolation, and social distancing (whoever thought that would be a thing?) due to the C-word, we thought we’d make it a little less boring and stressful and give you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”

This is week two of the challenge (you can see week one here, and still do those challenges, as there is no deadlines on any of these).

These are all things you can try in and around your home.

As always, we would love to see your results in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!

At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One

Day 1

This one will be a lot of fun, and you get some interesting effects! Creative Water Photography – A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Water Monsters

Day 2

This one How to do High-Speed Photography – the Fundamentals

Day 3

Okay, so this one can also apply to any of your furry friends that you are self-isolating with. We’d love to see you take some photos of your pet and share them with us! Who doesn’t like a cute pic of a cat, dog, or hamster? Tips and Tricks for Photographing Your Own Dog

Day 4

So this next one gets you onto the computer for some fun creative editing. How to do Creative Photography Montages with a Contact Sheet Template in Photoshop

Day 5

Another one on the computer for more creative editing. How to Add a Toy Camera Effect to Your Digital Images Using Photoshop

Day 6

Want to learn how to create a cyanotype in Photoshop? Try this one. How to Mimic a Digital Cyanotype Using Photoshop with Ease

Day 7

You can try this one with someone in your household, or do them as self-portraits. Whichever way you decide to go, it has some interesting effects. Dragging the Shutter for Creative Portraits

Have fun! And share them with us in the comments section either on this page or the page of the challenge article.

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week Two appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One

19 Mar

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

The dPS at-home, 7-day photography challenge feature graphic

Since many of us are self-isolating and stuck indoors due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19), we thought we’d make it a little less boring and stressful and give you (and us) an “At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge.”

That’s right – these are all things you can try in and around your home.

And, as always, we would love to see your results in the comments section. That way, we can connect and share, and keep ourselves occupied with something positive and creative!

At-Home, 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One

Day 1

This one is great. How to Create Beautiful, Artistic Photos Using a Book

Day 2

Making the Shot: Your Guide to Creating Stunning High-Speed Splash Photos Without Flash

Perhaps if you can’t try this in your yard, try it in the bathroom ?

Day 3

How to Create Abstract Photos with Oil and Water and a Little Dish Soap

Day 4

Taking fun self-portraits in the mirror. 13 Fun Self Portrait Mirror Shots

Day 5

Onto the computer now. Play with overlaying textures onto your some of your favorite (or not so favorite) images. If you don’t have any textures, try Unsplash and download some to play with. How to Use Textures to Create Compelling Photographs

Day 6

Still on the computer – How to Turn Your Images into Kaleidoscope Patterns. This is a fun one.

Day 7

Now, most of us have one of these (though not me at the moment as I live in a tent – a story for another time…) – A refrigerator, or simply, the fridge. Show us what’s inside in a creative way. How to Take Cool Food Photos in Your Refrigerator

I can’t wait to see your images! And, also, feel free to share your stories too. Many of us are feeling isolated, so it’s so great to have this community to be a part of ?

The post The dPS At-Home 7-Day Photography Challenge – Week One appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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Adobe announces free at-home Creative Cloud service for students and educators impacted by COVID-19 outbreak

15 Mar

Adobe has announced it will be providing students and educators at-home access to Creative Cloud applications free of charge due to the increasing amount of remote learning current taking place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to qualify for this service, a student must otherwise only have access to Creative Cloud applications on campus or at a school computer lab.

In order to access a temporary license to use Adobe Creative Cloud software at home, an IT admin must request access for students and teachers from Adobe. The access application can be found here. Once access is granted, users will be able to remotely access Creative Cloud apps through May 31, 2020, or until their educational institution reopens if this occurs before the end of May.

Remote education can be challenging, especially for students who are only able to access certain services on campus, so it’s nice to see Adobe working to help those affected. Per PetaPixel, the initial request for help came from RC Concepion, a professor at Syracuse University. He told PetaPixel, ‘We have been running around—like every other university—quickly coming up with an action plan to keep serving our students through COVID-19. Teaching communications, we rely a huge amount on Adobe Software—reporters, cinematographers, photographers, designers. It dawned on me that a lot of student access was here at school and that with any students at universities, there would be many that couldn’t afford using the software.’

Image credit: Adobe

In addition to free at-home access to Adobe Creative Cloud for students and teachers, Adobe announced earlier this week that it would make Adobe Connect, its web conference application, free to all users until July 1, 2020. This decision has been made to facilitate remote business and education, and also allow healthcare and government institutions to coordinate their efforts in real-time. Of the decision, Adobe states, ‘We believe that Adobe Connect has a vital role to play for enterprises looking to continue business operations despite travel restrictions, canceled conferences and delayed projects, all while keeping their people safe.’

As more students, educators and other workers are forced to work remotely, access to technological services becomes even more important. It’s great to see a large company such as Adobe working to make people’s lives easier in what are trying times for many.

Adobe Enables Distance Learning Globally for Schools Impacted by COVID-19

March 12, 2020: The past few weeks have shown us that, even in times of uncertainty, our schools and business communities remain strong and resourceful, all while continuing to find creative ways to maintain learning and business continuity.

With many schools facing physical campus closures and moving to online learning due to COVID-19, we’re announcing that we’re giving greater access to Adobe Creative Cloud desktop apps to facilitate distance learning. We believe that doing so will make it possible to keep coursework, teamwork, and student progress on track through at-home access to Creative Cloud for students and educators.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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You are My Wild — Great Kid Photography That’ll Inspire Your Own At-Home Photos

25 Apr
Photo by Brooke Schwab

When you were a kid, having a camera in front of you was just a little less scary. You probably didn’t even notice it was there most of the time.

It’s that enviable carefree ‘tude kids have that makes taking portraits of them so much fun.

That’s just what You are My Wild is all about. 14 photographers document how they see their kids by submitting one remarkable portrait each week.

Meaghan Curry explains how it started:

Right after the new year, and in sort of a creative lull, we were brainstorming about starting a project to force ourselves to put down our phone cameras down and pick up our other cameras more regularly…

Ironically, Instagram is the common thread between us. It is where we found other people documenting their children in really loving, beautiful and respectful ways.

We hoped that some of these other IG photographers would be interested in using their higher quality cameras to “see” the same way that we were using our phone cameras.

And it seems to have worked! Check out their portraits, and may they inspire you to photograph your loved ones in a new light.

You Are My Wild — Beautiful Kid Photography

p.s. INK361 has a special offer for you guys! Get 25% off their Instagram prints and more by using code PJJ25.

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