Take Amazing Pictures At Home - Photography Tips
Sometimes you don’t want to take the time to find a location, to take all your equipment and props and photograph there.
For that reason, I advise you to try at home photography, especially if you are a shy person or a beginner in photography.
To help you obtain the best results, here are my 6 most useful tips.
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1. Have a theme and search for inspiration
Photography is all about control. You have control over where you’ll take the photos, which subject to photograph and even the light available.
But there are an infinite number of things and angles you can photograph, so having a theme gives you direction. How?
- You know what you want – with one clear focus it is easy to eliminate distractions.
- It saves time – you have a plan and ideas so you won’t spend hours trying to get the perfect photo out of thin air.
- Choosing photos is easier – It removes the gap between planning and execution. Your photos are more likely to look how you envisioned.
- You can create a story – storytelling allows you to use a series of photos or one single photo to tell a story that evokes emotion and engages your audience.
In practice: Random theme – wine. Subject – wine in various forms (wineglass, bottle, drinking wine). Storytelling – (2 made-up stories on which I’ll base the photographs, 2 different directions, evoke different emotions).
Story 1 – A woman had a stressful day and arrives home from work. She wishes to relax and spent quiet time alone. Emotions to evoke – peace, relaxation, sense of self-care.
Story 2 – Woman invites friends over and wishes to have fun and celebrate. Emotions to evoke – happiness, sorority, union.
You can now use visual search engines like Pinterest, Tumblr or Weheartit to search for images of women and wine.
Collect various photos as inspiration and analyse: the angles, lightning used, poses used, props and colour scheme.
After analysis, you can create your shotlist, and pick a time and day to photograph.
Story 1 Photos
Story 2 Photos
2. Look good
Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you should look like you’re home.
The point of a photo is to capture your best self and it’s no different in at home photography.
It doesn’t mean you need to wear makeup and a cocktail dress. Adjust your appearance to your theme.
A few general tips: drop the pyjamas (unless that’s your theme) and have your hair styled nicely. Trim and clean your nails. Wear flattering clothes with no stains, holes or missing buttons.
That’s enough to look polished no matter what style you’re trying to achieve.
Dirty nails, stains and holes are extremely visible in a photo.
3. Use natural light, if possible.
Natural light is sunlight. Sunlight lands more softly on faces/surfaces and highlights natural beauty.
You should stand in the direction the light is coming from. This means, you should be facing the window and not against the light.
Morning light and golden hour light (before sunset) are the best lighting, according to most photographers.
But, in my experience, you can use mid-day/afternoon light if you can find a wall that makes no shadows.
I mean, open your curtains and put your hand in front of the wall. The spot you want to use is the one where are little to no shadows.
Afternoon light and facing the window
4. It is okay if you don’t have an empty space.
The technical term is Negative space.
Negative space in photography means that the area surrounding the main subject in a photograph is left unoccupied.
It allows the viewer to immediately identify what is the focus of the photo without distractions.
Although it is very useful, it is okay if you don’t have an empty space to use. You can have things behind you and still take a great picture.
The new standard of “presentable” and “good” photography is limited and unfair to small creators.
Not having an empty space shouldn’t discourage you from photographing. Use the space you have. Don’t let your passion die over aesthetics.
Keep your space clean and have no visible clutter and no colourful objects. Wipe the floor because you can see everything in a picture.
Also, remove personal objects because you can’t trust anyone on this internet. Make sure the space is well lit according to tip 3. And that’s it. If you want more versatility in the same space, you can read this article.
If you are still not satisfied, consider creating your own photo set. Use a blanket/table cloth/curtain or paper. Hang it somewhere high with good light, and you’re ready to begin.
This PDF has 3 video references to create your own photo set at home on a budget (all videos by black content creators).
Negative Space
Cluttered Backround
Side by side Comparison
5. Try, try, try. Poses for at home photography
Mix two opposites for posing. First, pose naturally, meaning use poses from daily life and that looks like yourself. Don’t go out of your way to imitate other people.
Second, you are home, in your safe space and comfortable so you can try new things.
Move things around or lift a leg. Get crazy with posing. See what works and keep the good poses to use in other projects.
You may regret some poses and feel ridiculous, but these photos will help you solidify your skill by helping you see clearly what works and what doesn’t.
Look at it as your own personal portfolio. You might even be surprised at how great your photos look.
6. Use your rear-facing camera (back camera) to take photos at home
– for smartphones
The rear-facing camera of your smartphone will take higher-quality pictures. The photo will be more focused. Also, you can zoom in and out as you need to get the frame you want.
Although in the beginning, you may want to look at yourself to see what the photo will look like, I advise you not to sacrifice the quality of your photograph.
In practice: position your phone on a tripod or lean it against a heavy object. If you need more height, use an extensible tripod, or use books and put them below the leaned phone until your desired height.
Now to take the photo you have 3 options: set a timer, use a Bluetooth remote or install an app that takes several photos in your desired time interval (for iPhone: lens buddy, photo timer +; I found no alternatives for Android ).
Phone on a tripod | Phone leaned against a heavy object
In Practice The Set Looks Like This (timer set for 10 seconds)
I hope these tips were useful to you. Remember that photographing at home is one of the best ways to start when it comes to comfort and control. All you need is inspiration and ideas to take fantastic photos.
Fortunately, I have a list of at 20 at home photoshoot ideas ideas to get you started. Read below.
Taking photos at home is good practice to perfect your skills. I leave you 20 at home photoshoot ideas you can try by yourself or with a subject.
Disclaimer: This article is informational only. I am not a professional photographer so the knowledge presented is from my experience throughout the years. All the picture examples in this article were a result of self-photography and cannot be used without the creator’s permission.
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