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10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home

31 Mar

The post 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home Featured image

There’s nothing I love more than grabbing a camera and setting off on the weekend to find a new place to photograph. But what happens if you’re confined to the house for an extended period and can’t get out? Fear not, there are still hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.

I have listed ten ideas for things to photograph below. I spent no more than 15 minutes photographing each item or idea. In some cases, it was closer to five minutes. For most images, I used either my Fujifilm XF 35mm f1.4 R lens or my Fujifilm XF 60mm f2.4 R Macro lens.

1. Family

The good news is that if you live with family or friends, you will always have subjects for your photography. The only trick is being a bit selective. Don’t take photos of them all the time and wear out your welcome!

For the image below, I sat my son on the trampoline with the afternoon sun lighting up the netting behind him. I took a series of shots with him looking into the camera. However, this one I like the best, with him looking away. I must admit, I did have to bribe him to pose for me, but it was worth a bowl of ice cream.

Boy on a trampoline — When did you last take photos of your family at home?

2. Pets

Another ready-made subject for you at home is your family pet. There can be both pros and cons for photographing animals. An advantage is that they can’t complain about being photographed like family or friends. A disadvantage is that they don’t want to sit still very often!

I tend to take images of our dalmatian Marshall when he’s doing something funny, yet rarely do I take a portrait. I love this photo of him; I took it as he was having a rest on the sofa.

Thing you can photograph in your home — There’s nowhere to hide from the camera, pooch!

3. Jewelry

If you have a macro lens, or a lens capable of getting close to small objects, why not photograph your jewelry? This could include items given to you by your loved ones or family heirlooms passed down from your relatives.

I chose to photograph my Nixon Star Wars watch. There are lots of cool details on the watch that I forgot about, including the second hand is a light saber!

If you have a lot more patience than me, you could take a series of images and focus stack them in an image editing program to create an image sharp across the frame.

10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home — My Star Wars watch

4. Figurines

When my Grandma visited London in 1983, she brought me back lots of little gifts, including these three metal soldiers. They’ve sat on my bookshelf next to my travel guide books for years. When I was looking for things you can photograph in your home, they commanded my attention immediately.

I photographed the metal soldiers in my front doorway on a table, with a booklet about London in the background. You can make out the double-decker bus in the background, which gives the image an added British feel.

Try experimenting with any small figures you have at home: lego people, dolls, small toys. Imagine what it’s like to be that tiny.

5. Vintage cameras

Many photographers have vintage cameras in their house, either because they still shoot film with them or because they make fantastic decorations. When it comes to things you can photograph in your home, vintage cameras are my favorite!

I have so many cameras dotted around my home office it was difficult to choose just one to photograph. However, in the end, I went with my classic 1960s Japanese half-frame film camera, the Olympus Pen FT.

The Pen FT is a beautifully designed camera, even down to the lens cap, which I lay on the table next to the camera.

If you don’t have any vintage cameras in your home, you could always photograph your favorite lens or another vintage item in your house.

Olympus Pen FT half frame camera — Precision Japanese engineering – the Olympus Pen FT.

6. Flowers

I wandered outside to my much-neglected garden and found some flowers we hadn’t managed to kill off yet. Gardening is not my superpower, that’s for sure!

I shot this image handheld, with the stamen in focus, and most of the background is a wonderful blur. As with the jewelry shots, you could set up a tripod and take a series of images to focus stack.

If you don’t have a garden, any kind of plant or flower – real or artificial – will do. If you have some cacti or succulents, you could even combine this idea with the figurines idea. Try posing some lego figures in your cactus garden!

7. Coffee

One advantage of being cooped up in the house is that I can make a coffee anytime I like. However, this can be a danger – I need to keep track of how many I’m having!

I took a series of images of coffee and milk frothing. This one of espresso coming out of my home coffee machine into a metal jug is my favorite.

Espresso pouring into a metal jug — Coffee pouring into a metal jug

8. Food

Hopefully during your stay at home, you have access to some nice food, or maybe you are still able to order some amazing takeaway from nearby restaurants.

Set up an area where you can shoot a flat lay of your meal. Try to make it as colorful and cool-looking as possible, with lots of different colors and props.

9. Sweet treats

Unless you’ve gone full minimalist, you’ll probably find things in your house and wonder where they came from. I have no idea why we had these brightly-colored candy canes in a vase in our kitchen, but I decided to photograph them nonetheless.

I put a white sheet over the table and photographed them with natural light streaming in the front doorway. Look for any brightly-colored candy or sweets in your house. I also took some shots of colorful easter eggs in a basket.

10. Home photoshoot

Another idea for something you can photograph in your home is a styled photoshoot. Christmas in July, teddy bears’ picnic, fashion shoots: the only limit is your imagination.

Pick a theme and run with it. Turn a corner of your house into your studio and go wild!

Conclusion

Being confined to the house can be challenging for many people. Rest assured, though, there are literally hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.

The first port of call for many will be family and pets, but there are also lots of other opportunities. You can also photograph personal items with sentimental value, such as jewelry, to vintage items that usually sit on the shelf, like toy soldiers, or vintage cameras. Bright colored items such as pencils and sweets make good subjects, as do flowers and plants.

Getting more creative with photographic opportunities at home is one way to fill time, work on your photography, and discover a new perspective. Are you up for the challenge?

What items do you like to photograph in your home? Tell us in the comments below.

The post 10 Things You Can Photograph in Your Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

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Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters

24 Mar

The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters Featured Image

Macro photography is all about exploring the wonders of the world around you from a very close distance. Macro lenses let you see the tiniest parts of the world in extreme detail, often exposing an array of colors and patterns hidden right before our eyes. Macro lenses are also expensive! However, if you find yourself stuck at home for a while, you can start exploring your home with close-up filters instead. They’re a cheap alternative to macro lenses and can transform the mundane into the magnificent!

explore your home with close-up filters — Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/4, 1/125 second, ISO 220, +10 close-up filter

The first thing to do is actually get yourself a set of close-up filters.

These are basically just magnifying glasses that you screw on to the end of your camera lens. They’re absurdly cheap, ranging in price from $ 10 to $ 30 for a set of four. Just make sure you buy a set that fits your lens! The front of your lens will have a thread size listed in millimeters; for most kit lenses it’s usually 52mm or 58mm.

Close-up filters are not a substitute for a true macro lens. But they do let you get up close and personal with everyday subjects in a way that will blow your mind. It’s amazing how simple everyday objects, even just normal items in your house, take on a whole new appearance when viewed at extremely close distances.

A normal puzzle piece looks like a work of art when shot with a close-up filter. Every detail, from the texture on the flat surface to subtle scratches in the table, becomes clear and crisp.

What makes this sort of photography any different than just putting your camera close to your subjects? All lenses have a minimum focusing distance, which is based on how the glass elements inside the lens bend and shape incoming light. Most camera lenses are physically incapable of shooting objects closer than about 250mm. You simply can’t get very close to objects and still maintain focus

Close-up filters change all that.

All you do is screw one of them on to the front of your lens and everything gets magnified right before your very eyes. Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to see everyday objects in a whole new light. Suddenly you can take pictures like you never imagined, or thought you couldn’t get without spending hundreds of dollars on a macro lens.

Fun for the whole family

One of the best parts about using close-up filters is exploring your home with your kids. All their toys and games suddenly take on new life when viewed up close. Blocks, crayons, action figures, toy cars, stuffed animals, even their shoes can all make great photography subjects.

This behemoth monster truck scaled a mountain and did it without a scratch! Luckily, I was there to capture the moment of glory with my camera. Or perhaps my oldest son and I were just playing around with some close-up filters.

That’s one of the most enjoyable parts about exploring your home with close-up filters: sharing the experience with kids. They can find fun ways to look at familiar objects and see photographic opportunities where you might have never thought to look.

When my son and I were looking throughout the house with a close-up filter on the camera, it was amazing how even the most mundane objects took on new life. Even simple things like a video game controller took on a new life of color and perspective.

The important thing to remember is that it’s about creativity, not high art. You might not find the next wall hanging for the Smithsonian in your house just by taking pictures with close-up filters. But you will see an amazing world of photography open up before your very eyes that you never knew existed.

Tips and tricks

If you’re going to give this exercise a try, here are a few things to keep in mind for good results.

1. Use a Tripod

While you may take great shots with close-up filters when shooting handheld, a tripod will almost always yield the best results. Even the smallest movements are magnified many times over, so it helps to have your camera as steady as possible. You’re also working with razor-thin depth of field, so unless you’re a neurosurgeon, it’s unlikely you will be able to keep your hands still enough to get the shot you are going for.

2. Focus manually (using live view)

If you have never tried manual focus before, exploring your home with close-up filters might be a good time to give it a try.

Autofocus is very difficult when working with extremely close subjects because depth of field is so incredibly shallow. Manual focus gives you more control over your photos and helps make sure the results are exactly what you want.

Live View is a great option if you are not used to focusing manually. Many cameras, especially mirrorless, have a feature called focus peaking that lets you know exactly what part of your picture is in focus.

DSLRs don’t usually have focus peaking, but you can often use Live View to zoom in on a selected portion of your image. This is great for making sure your close-up photos are tack-sharp right where you want them.

3. Use smaller apertures

Normally when you want nice-looking, out-of-focus areas on your pictures, you use a wide aperture. The same is true when using close-up filters. But, you’ll quickly find that shooting wide open results in a depth of field that is basically unusable. Stop your lens down to f/5.6 or f/8 to get good results.

In the above image, which is just a normal washroom soap dispenser, the depth of field is so insanely shallow that just the very tip of the pump is in focus. And that’s with using a small aperture of f/5.6! Shooting at f/4, f/2.8, or f/1.8 would be a muddy, blurry mess.

4. Shoot in Manual Mode

Working with close-up filters is a great way to experiment with manual mode on your camera. Not manual focus, but manual exposure control where you set the values for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Each of these parameters has a specific effect on your image, and when shooting close-up, you can easily see the effects that these parameters have. The stakes are low, the creativity is high, and if you’re stuck at home, you probably have some spare time to learn something new.

If you’re not sure where to start, just keep your eye on the light meter. Adjust aperture, shutter, and ISO until the meter shows that your image is properly exposed. Take a shot, and then change the aperture so it’s smaller. You’ll need to compensate by making the shutter speed longer, but that’s okay since you’re using a tripod.

Notice how the depth of field is different on the photo with a smaller aperture.

Keep experimenting with these, and pretty soon you’ll start to develop a good understanding of how to master your camera’s manual mode.

Conclusion

Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to pass the time. Moreover, it’s also an outstanding opportunity to see the world around you in a whole new way. The possibilities really are endless. If you have ever wanted to try macro-style photography, this is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.

If you have any close-up shots you would like to share, or any tips I forgot to include, leave them in the comments below!

The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting

03 Dec

The post How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Every subject has different properties according to shape, color, and material that determine the way you light it. With smoke, you want to keep a dark background and a grazing light. Here are a few things to consider when you light and photograph smoke in a home studio setting.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Have you ever tried to photograph smoke or steam? Perhaps you’re doing a portrait of a smoker or a steaming cup of coffee. Odds are that sooner or later you may face this challenge. Fortunately, the lighting technique is not as elusive as the subject.

Safety first

Before you start to photograph smoke, keep safety in mind – even if it is just smoke. If using a cigarette, always place the cigarette on an ashtray, or place incense on a burner, etc. Remember, you are working with ignited materials – you can never be too careful to avoid burning yourself or starting a fire. Also, it’s always good to have a fire extinguisher handy.

Backdrop

To photograph smoke, you first need to set up a lightbox. If you don’t have one, make the set by putting a piece of cloth as a backdrop. Black or any dark color will create more contrast.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Subject

To create the smoke, you can use an incense stick. It’s the best way to create continuous smoke for a long period of time.

home studio set up

Place the incense far enough from the background so that it’s well separated and the light won’t spill into it.

Light

Set up your flash to the side of the subject. Never place it directly in front of the smoke or it will illuminate the background. Then put a piece of cardboard to direct the light towards the subject. For more tips on this, you can check How to Control Your Background Tones by Manipulating Light Fall-Off.

It also works best if it’s a hard light.

You can always use a continuous light source too, but be sure to narrow the light fall-off by using a modifier or barn doors.

If you place the light in front you won’t get the dark backdrop you need.

Camera

Place your camera in front of the subject, the distance will depend on the focal length of the lens you’re working with. I recommend a telephoto lens because you will get better background compression. To help you decide which one is good for you, see this article.

With a telephoto lens, you can work with a smaller background. The left image was made with a 35mm lens, and the one on the right with a 75mm.

Also, if you work with a telephoto, the background can be smaller. And not less important, you can position your camera further away, which will protect your lens from any damage by the smoke.

Settings

Again, this will depend on the focal length, the distance between camera and subject, and the intensity of your flash. However, I can give you some pointers to take into consideration.

Shutter speed

When setting your shutter speed, try to keep your settings fast so that the lines of the smoke are well-defined, instead of a blurry cloud. This is particularly important if you’re working with a wide source, as with this pot of boiling water. If you’re using something smaller, like a stick of incense, the effect is less drastic. Still, don’t underestimate it.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

A longer shutter speed creates a stronger motion blur. This image was made with a 1/30 of a sec.

Aperture

Keep in mind that the smoke is not a flat, static surface. You want your aperture to be wide enough to keep it all in focus. But you don’t want it to be too much that it will capture the texture of the background. Don’t forget to consider other elements of the composition if you have them.

A small aperture creates a deeper depth of field. This image was taken with an f/11.

Focus

Using manual focus, set it before you turn off the lights. Focus the source of steam or smoke you’re using. For example, the tip of the incense stick if you’re going to do some abstract smoke shots. For this to work, you need to use a tripod so you don’t change your distance.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Extra tip: to create more smoke, capture the image just after you put out the flame. If you placed it inside a container, keep it covered to concentrate the smoke, then uncover it to let it all out at once.

ISO

Keep your ISO as low as your lighting and other settings allow you to go. This is because you want to avoid noise as much as possible, and dark colors make it more evident.

Higher ISO settings create more digital noise. This image was taken with a 12800 ISO. Notice all the color speckles? That’s the noise.

Conclusion

This is a very basic studio set-up to photograph smoke that can be done at home with minimum equipment. As you can see, it can still be very effective to photograph smoke. While this can be very easy, capturing the perfect smoke shot may not be, so keep shooting until you’re happy with it.

smoke, abstract, low key photography

If you have any other tips to photograph smoke, or would like to share your smoke photos with us, please do so in the comments!

The post How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

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3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home

19 May

The post 3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Erin Fitzgibbon.

Bring out your Creativity

With our phones becoming an essential tool in our lives, we’ve started integrating them into our daily routines. We use them to document events and milestones, and then share them on social media.

One trend that seems set to continue is having photo booths at events and even gatherings. Guests are invited to shoot photos in front of a fun background to help document the memories of that special day.

And photographers are always looking for great studio backdrops to help make portraits interesting.

Keeping both scenarios in mind, I’ve put together three examples of easy-to-create backdrops that can be used in all sorts of situations. So whether you’re a serious portrait photographer who wants to create something unique for your business or a creative individual who wants to give your guests with something fun during an event, here are step-by-step instructions for creating some pretty cool backgrounds.

1# String and a Theme

For this creative effort all you need is a lot of string and some paper clips. I’ve used this technique with everything from displaying art to creating a fun backdrop for portraits in support of Down Syndrome awareness.

(The creases in the fabric can easily be removed in Photoshop. I just wanted to show exactly how it looked.)

Created using some friends’ socks, two pieces of white fabric and some push pins.

The steps are quite simple.

Get some string. (I’m partial to either black string or brown hemp-based string.)
Using strong tape or hooks, run the string back and forth across the area you’ll be shooting. This works best on a blank wall or a plain backdrop cloth. (If you don’t have a backdrop cloth, iron a bed sheet and hang it up using thumbtacks.)
Attach whatever theme items you’ve chosen at random places along the string using paper clips.
Take some test photos to make sure you like the look of your backdrop.

I hung the socks from the string using bobby pins.

Here’s a background we made for a school. The design was created for World Down Syndrome Day. Everyone was encouraged to raise awareness by wearing crazy socks. So we created this simple background and then took photos of the students in front of the socks. It was easy to set up, and a lot of fun to shoot.

2# Paint Splatters and a Tri-Fold Display Board

Remember those tri-fold display boards we all bought to make our science fair projects? Well, here’s a backdrop you can make using that school day staple. It’s also easy to transport – just fold it up and away you go. It’s also a great way to use up any paint you have sitting around in the basement.

I used some acrylic paint and a palette knife for this background. I decided to smear it this time, but you can also splatter the paint.

Buy a tri-fold display board (black or white) from the dollar store.
Choose some paint colors that go with your theme (or use whatever you have lying around in the basement). If the paint is too thick to splatter, adding water can help make it more pliable.
Take the tri-fold board outside (or put down a lot of newspaper on the kitchen floor).
Using a variety of brush sizes, randomly drip, splash or flick paint onto the tri-fold.
Let it dry for several hours before moving the board.

If you load the knife with a few colors and drag it across the palette you get lots of mixing and color variation.

Here’s the full tri-fold display board. While the background isn’t very big, it’s quite portable. However, it does limit how much you see. But keep in mind you can always use a zoom lens and have your subject stand at a distance from the background. After all, a lot of DIY is about making do with what you have.

A simply white tri-board can be really useful. And in a pinch it can also be used as a reflector.

3# Brown Paper and Old Books

For this one you’ll need a roll of craft paper, which you can either hang from a studio backdrop or improvise by taping it to the wall. But you’ll have to be gentle with this backdrop, and if your guests or clients aren’t careful they could easily rip the paper.

Next, choose some books that have significance to your event. If it’s a baby shower, old children’s books might be a good choice for the background.

(I realize that some people think dismantling a book for a backdrop is blasphemous. Personally, I think it’s a great way to give it another purpose instead of having it just sit on the shelf. If this really bothers you, use newspapers instead.)

Gather up old books you won’t be reading again, or visit the library and ask for any damaged books they’ll be throwing away. Flea markets and garage sales are also great places to find books.
Cut pages out of the books that you find visually appealing
Glue the pages to the long strip of brown craft paper you hung up
Apply as many pages as you see fit. (You may want to use only a few pages, while someone else may want to completely cover the brown paper.)
Carefully adjust the roll of paper so guests can easily stand in front of your backdrop

I used pages from an old Writer’s Market to create this background. The nice thing is I can roll it up and take it anywhere.

I also like the look of this background with a black and white treatment.

A classic black and white portrait in front is quite pleasing.

Other Ideas

Here’s are some more ideas for backgrounds.

Run party streamers diagonally down the wall in a variety of colors.
Hang homemade snowflakes from the ceiling.
Hang Christmas lights behind a bed sheet for a glowing look.
Collect fall leaves and glue them to brown paper.
Use old rolls of wallpaper and drape them behind your subject. (No gluing required.)

There are countless ways to create an inspiring look for portraits. Don’t be afraid to be creative and use items you have lying around the house. And please share your ideas and examples. We’d love to see what items you use to make something truly fun and creative.

The post 3 Fun Backgrounds for Portraits and Photo Booths You Can Create at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Erin Fitzgibbon.

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Healthy.io uses your smartphone’s camera for medical lab testing at home

25 Apr

Thanks to the attached mobile computing power your smartphone camera can be used for more than just taking holiday snaps. A product from Israel-based company Healthy.io is a prime example. Dip.io uses a smartphone and a dipstick to perform urine tests that can detect ten indicators of disease, infection, and pregnancy-related complications.

The system is very simple from a user point of view. You capture a photo of the dipstick against a color and Dip.io does the rest. The app uses machine learning to color correct the image, considering camera make and model, lighting conditions and a variety of additional variables. The app then performs an instant analysis.

In clinical trials undertaken in the process of receiving FDA approval, Dip.io was capable of matching the accuracy of professional laboratories. This is achieved at a considerably lower cost and less inconvenience to the patient as the system removes the need for visits to a physician and lab referrals. In addition, it does away with waiting time for the results.

The makers of the system say that this could encourage more patients to undertake regular screenings which could save them dialysis or even a transplant by detecting signs of kidney problems early.

According to an analysis by York Health Economics Consortium, in the UK alone the new technology could result in early diagnosis of more than 33,000 cases over five years and estimated savings of more than £670 million ($ 867 million). Healthy.io is currently running a pilot program with the pharmacist Boots UK. Women who suspect they have urinary tract infections can use the system to self-test and receive treatment from a pharmacist without seeing a doctor or visiting a lab. The results of the pilot are expected to be announced in May.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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500px Home Feed redesigned to increase photographers’ exposure

16 Nov

500px has launched a redesigned Home Feed that was inspired by photobooks, according to the company. The new 500px Home Feed is designed to increase photographers’ exposure and enable them to browse more images without navigating away from the feed. 500px says machine learning powers a new recommendation system to help surface content.

500px explained in a blog post that its new recommendation system will help increase photographers’ visibility on the platform by more evenly distributing exposure. Users will see a greater variety of content on the new Home Feed, as well.

Photo pages have been redesigned to make details, Pulse, views and other info readily accessible without being distracting. Photos are prominently displayed at the top of the page on a dark background for minimized distractions.

The changes apply to both desktop and mobile, the latter of which now supports the ability to view and publish Galleries. The redesign also enables users to add images to existing Galleries and then share them with followers.

Other changes revolve around the recommendation system and include suggested images in a grid format for desktop and carousel for mobile, as well as recommendations based on user activity. Recommendations will also draw from recently uploaded images to improve the discovery of new content.

According to 500px, it will not provide NSFW content on its new mobile Home Feed in order to comply with Google’s and Apple’s respective app store restrictions. The NSFW images will still be accessible on desktop, however, assuming the user opts-in to the content in their account settings. The changes are rolling out now.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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5 Road Trip Photography Tips – Come Home with Great Photos

23 Sep

Who doesn’t love a good road trip? You pick a destination, plan your route, pack up your stuff in the car, and hit the road. For many, the open road signifies freedom, opportunity, exploration, and adventure. As much time as you spend planning out a road trip, you never know what surprises may be out there waiting.

It’s exciting! It’s truly an iconic American experience. There will be moments and memories you plan to capture and a whole host of others you won’t want to forget.

Road trip photography tips 01 - old swing set

On every traveler’s packing list is a camera. Whether that’s your phone, a simple point and shoot, or a DSLR, you want to make sure you’ve brought something to capture your experience. So, how do you make sure you’re getting the best possible photos?

What are some tips and pointers for capturing all of those memories? Here are a few quick tips that you can use to make sure you can do the best road trip photography possible.

Road trip photography tips - b/w person taking a photo

1. Research Your Spot

Thanks to the internet and social media, you can search for any destination online and see photographs others have taken. This is a great way to see what attractions, large or small, await you. A quick search of the highway or road you’re going to take, the cities you’re going to pass through, may bring up unexpected and worthwhile stops.

Another really helpful tip is to research your destination on social media. A quick search on Instagram or Facebook will reveal all of the top spots that other photographers have found. This will be helpful to make sure you don’t miss a monument, historical landmark, or site along the way.

Road trip photography tips - sunset and mountains

But, it’s also really helpful to find all of those hidden gems that only the locals or seasoned travelers might know about.

2. Plan and Pack

If you’re a photographer hitting the open road, packing your camera gear is almost as important, if not more so, to you than remembering your toothbrush. Depending on the trip, you may have enough room to bring all your gear or you might have to limit yourself.

Take note of important things like the locations you’re going to be driving through, the time of year you’ll be driving, what kind of photographs you’ll want to take, and the weather. All of these components will affect what kind of gear you will need to bring with you.

It can be easy to get carried away or get overwhelmed and not pack the right things. So, take a minute and think through what your most useful and crucial gear might be given where you are traveling. What is going to help you capture those can’t miss moments the best?

It is always better to have a few extra pieces of gear to ensure you have what you need rather than miss a moment.

A quick list of things to consider as you plan and prep:

Will you be walking a lot at your destinations?
Will your gear be safe at your destinations?
What time of year is it?
What will the weather be like where you’re going?
Do you need any accessories (i.e. tripod, filters, reflectors)?
What is the one camera/lens combo you can’t live without?

Road trip photography tips - curves in the road sign

3. Prepare a Go-Bag

Any time you’re on a road trip it is vital to have a setup close-by and ready to go. This means a versatile lens, your camera, a fully charged battery, and your settings already set up.

You can pack up the bulk of your gear elsewhere in the car but keep your camera bag or an additional bag with all of these necessary items next to you. It will help you in a pinch. You never know when you might see a great scene out the window as a passenger or when you’ll want pull over to capture an unexpected sight or beautiful landscape.

It is helpful to keep a short list of must-have gear for your go-bag so you can quickly pack one at any time. Some of these items may include:

Camera bag
A tripod
Fully charged batteries
Camera body and lenses
Dust cloth, air blower, or any tool you use to remove dirt and dust from your gear
Filters
Memory cards

Road trip photography tips - scenic telescope viewer

4. Slow Down and Expect the Unexpected

You can plan, and you can prepare. You can have a list of all of your top spots ready and marked on your route. As important as all of these tips are, being ready for the unexpected is just as important.

If you see something cool or unique, stop and take a photograph. If you pull off into a little town, take some time to walk around and keep your eyes peeled so you don’t miss an interesting photo opportunity. Don’t let the excitement of heading to the next destination keep you from missing out on a great photograph.

Remember to carve out time to slow down and see the sights both with and without your camera.

Road trip photography tips - dirt road

5. Never forget to have fun!

Finally, never forget to have fun doing it.

Do you have any other road trip photography tips? Have you done any good road trips lately? Please share your tips and images in the comments below.

Road trip photography tips 07

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5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

07 Jun

Having a brick and mortar studio when you are a photographer is such a huge and daunting step. There are so many overhead costs to consider such as rent, electricity, insurance and various other bills. It’s a worry to cover all these before you pay staff and yourself and still make enough profit to make a living. This thought can make one feel that having a studio is an impossible dream or is too of a big a step to take. But you can always start somewhere, so let’s look at some tips for how to setup a home studio.

portrait of 2 girls - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

How to set up a home studio

If you have a spare room in your home or a basement, that is a good place to consider as a home studio. You may be surprised at just how much space is needed to start a portrait studio. Not that much at all! In this article, I will show you how I have set up my little home studio which I have recently revamped to make into a dedicated portrait studio.

I live in London in a narrow Victorian house. These houses have a typical 2-up 2-down rectangular layout, short side across and long side from front to back, with a narrow corridor that runs on one side of the house all the way to the back. My house has two reception rooms (living rooms) and a dining room and kitchen at the back. I decided to make the first reception room (the front room of the house) into my studio. It has a bay window at the front which juts out of the house and provides nice ample natural light.

At first, I set up my backdrop on the opposite side of the window so it was facing the window directly. The reason for this was so that I could get a much wider area for shooting. However, this is not great for dramatic lighting with natural light flooding from the window, with the camera right in between the backdrop and the window. This lends itself to flat lighting instead which isn’t what I wanted for my studio.

In order to achieve a more versatile directional lighting and avoid flat lighting from the window, I use strobes at 45-degree angles to the backdrop to get the lighting setup that I like.

Recently, I have moved things around so that I can use dramatic natural light if I want without the need for strobes, although I still have the flexibility to add strobes and artificial light if needed. This is how I’ve done it.

#1 Make sure your backdrop is at 90-degrees to the window

lighting diagram 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

This angle gives you a lighting that is more dramatic as it is only coming from one side. If you position your subject so that the far side of the face is unlit, you could achieve lighting similar to the Rembrandt style or low-key portraits.

#2 It is ideal to have an L-shaped corner connecting your window light to your backdrop or wall

lighting diagram corner - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

Having this little dark, unlit corner between your backdrop and the window gives you a 45-degree angle lighting setup which is one of my favorite set-ups. The corner minimizes the light for you to be able to create a moodier image with only the front left of the face illuminated rather than full light flooding from the side.

In terms of artificial light, this is similar to controlling the amount of light hitting your subject either by the use of grids, a strip light or a snoot. You don’t want your subject awash with light as that would make for a rather flat lighting.

My personal preference is for having both light and shadows in my images so I can sculpt my subjects using directional light. If you don’t have such a corner, you can use a V-flat (two black pieces of mountboard taped together to form a V) positioned in the corner as shown in the diagram above.

#3 Paint your wall dark or use a dark backdrop

portrait of a happy girl on a dark background - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

You will be astonished at the difference a dark backdrop makes! It brings focus to the subject far more than a light backdrop can. It also lends itself to more artistic photos.

#4 Diffuse your window light

portrait of a girl in black - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

Window light, albeit coming from an angle, can still be a bit harsh. You can further soften this light by diffusing it with some white sheer curtains or voile or any fabric that can diffuse the light. The bottom half of my windows are frosted which means they are already perfectly diffused. I cover the top half with pieces of diffusion fabric to cut out the light.

#5 Use a reflector or light opposite the window

lighting diagram with reflector - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

Much like in a painted portrait, reflected light is a pleasing detail found at the edge of the unlit side of the face. A silver reflector can achieve this very well with a stronger reflective light result as compared to a white reflector. I find that the gold reflectors can make the skin too warm so I stick with the silver and warm up the overall image in post-production.

The reflector does have to be positioned really close to the subject to make it more effective. If you don’t have an assistant who can hold it in place for you, get a free-standing reflector arm that you clip the reflector into thus making it easy for you to position it as needed.

two different portraits of girls - 5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits

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Using strobes

If you want to use or add artificial light such as strobes or continuous lighting, consider a portable studio kit that you can fold and hide away when not in use. Here you can find suggestions of equipment to use for your portable studio kit.

There are many possibilities and things that you can do with this type of setup. Even with just one flash (like this tutorial), you can create dramatic home studio lighting. Another fun thing you can do with flash is creating double exposures.

These images below were taken in exactly the same spot as those above. But this time a gridded softbox was placed on the right as the main light instead of using the natural light coming from the window on the left.

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I hope you found this article helpful. Please share images taken in your home studio, and if you have one or more tips on how to create portraits in a small studio space please share those too.

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Two Videos With Photography Ideas to do at Home and Outdoors

27 Apr

Whether the temperature outside is not cooperating and you’re stuck at home, or it’s warm enough to get outside to shoot – here are some photography ideas for both occasions. We got you covered with these two video tips!

Get outdoors

Time to get outside with these creative photography ideas.

Stuck inside?

Never fear, here are seven ideas of what to shoot when you’re stuck at home.

Do you have any other creative photography ideas you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments below.

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7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

15 Mar

I love rainy days. I always feel more productive when I can hear droplets hitting the ground or pinging off my umbrella. But apparently I’m in the minority, so on this rainy day I thought I’d compile a list of things that I like to do when the clouds open up.

Feeling inspired but stuck indoors at home? Here are a few photography activities that are great for those rainy days or weekends at home, and sunny days too!

1 – Rainy Scenery

7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

An easy way to create atmospheric images on rainy days is to photograph dramatic scenes through the droplets on your window pane. The more droplets, the more drama and contrast your images will have.

Try changing the focal length of your camera lens to reveal rainscapes in the distance or close-up of water droplets.

2 – Get Close

Macro photography is a great activity to do at home. Because the home is a relaxed environment, you’re free to take your time and get that perfect shot. Often, on location, I feel rushed to complete a shot as best I can in a limited amount of time.

macro - 7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

But at home, you can slow down and experiment which is great for macro photography because it is such a sensitive process. You don’t need to look far for interesting subject matter either. Macro photography reveals a hidden world wherever you look.

Try photographing plant life in your garden or droplets of rain on your window pane.

macro - 7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

3 – Making Do

Photography isn’t always about traveling around. Sometimes it’s nice to just stay home and relax with some in-house photography.

You may interact with it every day, but your house is a treasure trove of photographic opportunity. But often, familiarity can fatigue the creative eye. What forgotten bits and pieces do you have hidden away in the craft box? Imagine yourself as a stranger seeing your home for the first time, what are the most interesting things you have on display? It’s amazing what you can uncover with a shift in perspective.

Don’t be afraid to “make do” with a bit of craft. This little guy was photographed with a background constructed of aluminum foil and cardboard. Simply grab a piece of cardboard (the size is up to you, but the larger the cardboard the more light you will be able to reflect on your subject) and cover it with aluminum foil.

Here, I sat the figurine on one end of the reflector and propped the other end up to form the background of the image. This is great for product photography too.

7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

4 – Give Scanography a Go

Scan-o-what? Scanography! Scanography is photography with a scanner.

If you have a scanner at home, grab a few bits and pieces and try placing them on the scanner. Flat objects like flowers or paper work the best. Activate the scanner and review the results!

It’s a simple project that yields some very interesting imagery.

7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

5 – Revisit Older Photographs

How long has it been since you looked back over your older work?

On rainy days, I often enjoy revisiting files from a couple of years ago to see if I can uncover some hidden or forgotten gems. Nothing is more telling than the difference between your editing techniques a year ago compared to today.

I’m always surprised by how much my editing has changed and improved, even in a short period of time. Often I’ll come across photos that are definitely worth a re-look and re-edit.

7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home

Before and after. My original edit for this image was a conversion to black and white. Recently, when I revisited this file, I realized that I was letting the beautiful colors go to waste!

6 – Lightning Photography

If you are stuck at home during an evening storm? If so, why not try your hand at a bit of lightning photography?

Grab your camera and set it on a sturdy surface or tripod. Point your lens in the direction of the lightning, set your camera to Shutter Priority mode and select about 30-second exposure. At night, it’s best to set the ISO to the lowest setting possible.

Don’t wait for the lightning to hit before pressing the shutter button, you’ll never catch it in time! Instead, depress the shutter and wait for the 30 seconds to lapse. With a bit of luck, you’ll capture a decent bolt while the shutter is open!

More on lightning photography here: How to Photograph Lightning – the Ultimate Guide

7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home - lightning

7 – Make a Mood Board

If you’re like me and you love to have plenty of inspirational material around, why not make a mood board?

A mood board includes everything from prints to objects and notes or online sources, anything that informs and inspires your artistic practice. You can also make use of websites like Tumblr and Pinterest to create an online mood board to sort through the myriad of amazing images on the internet.

Having a mood board can also be therapeutic when too many ideas start to become overwhelming. Drawing diagrams and making notes that you can view physically is a proven way of easing anxiety and increasing productivity.

Conclusion

So next time you find yourself stuck at home on a rainy day, count yourself lucky! Take some time to have a look around and change up your photography a little.

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