At the beginning of 2020, our lives took a turn for the worse. The global health-crisis caused by the novel Coronavirus is an unprecedented event unlike anything we’ve seen before. Now, almost a year later, most businesses and industries are still recovering or finding ways to continue their work from home. The same goes for amateur and professional photography.
Unable to roam the busy city streets, artists have to find inspiration inside their apartments and houses. However, we still believe there are ways of using this unfortunate situation to your benefit. Whether it’s practicing and learning new techniques or shooting still-life photos, it’s not all that bad. Hence, our article aims to help you find ideas inside your house, garden, or living room.
Life in Quarantine
Since most countries in the world think it’s best for people to socially distance, quarantine is the new normal. Of course, there’s no doubt this will change once a safe vaccine comes along. Still, no one can tell for sure when it’s going to happen. Until then, most of us are stuck and working remotely.
There’s no doubt it’s hard to live like this. For some who enjoy the company and roaming around all day long, it’s almost unbearable. Desperation is especially evident in artists who draw inspiration from the outdoors, like photographers. Going through albums and digital galleries of unfinished images can seem somewhat depressing, but we believe there are silver linings too.
Your home is a perfect place to explore still-life photography ideas. Moreover, created still-life, which means arranging objects in front of you the way you want. Subjects and subgenres are many, so it’s up to you to experiment with them. On the other hand, you can always improve your editing skills too.
You see, photography isn’t just about focal lengths, light sources, and camera models. It’s also crucial how your final image is going to look. Editing photos is now easier than ever with all the high-end computer software. Hence, we suggest that you look into some of them and explore free online tutorials. See these top photo editing apps as listed by Forbes.
Plenty of Subjects
Still-life home photography can be powerful and fun as much as anything else. You know, great artists can find inspiration even in the most mundane of subjects. That’s what you need to apply to your craft. Shooting inanimate objects, flowers, or the panorama through your window can prove to be fine art.
Arranging a bowl of fruit on your dining table is a classic scene for still-life photographers. But it doesn’t mean it cliche by any means. Although not revolutionary, it’s a great way to practice composition, framing, and explore rich, natural colors. Moreover, you can shoot flat lay compositions of a cup of coffee or a plate of food too.
In case you have a garden or some indoor plants, experiment with capturing their every angle. Furthermore, don’t forget that furniture, windows, or your work-from-home items can also prove to be more than useful. These everyday life images are often overlooked by young photographers, thinking they’re boring. But in reality, it’s quite the opposite.
Make Use of Natural Lighting
Although most artists associate classic still-life photos with artificial lighting, it’s more fun the opposite way. Experimenting with natural light sources can prove to be rather challenging and helpful for furthering your overall photo skills. People usually think that natural light is always the same. However, it depends on various factors.
Just like you know from everyday life, sunlight depends on the time of day, the season of the year, weather conditions, and so on. It means that you can get all sorts of results in different scenarios. An ordinary still-life scene can hugely benefit if you capture it in a unique combination of factors.
For example, if you shoot food photography, you’ll usually go for a flat lay composition. That means your camera will capture the image atop the subject. So, if you place your plate of food next to your window on a sunny morning, it will reflect light with the richest of colors. What more, your audience will be able to almost taste it just by viewing it. See food photography 101.
Use Your Tables
Once shooting still-life scenes, we recommend you make use of tables. From dining ones to countertops, they’re all useful. They can help make a great composition, as well as position your object of desire next to the light source (window). Also, if you begin working with food photos, it’s only normal to have your dishes on them.
On the other hand, if you choose to experiment with your work-from-home items, they’ll sit well on your study table. Just imagine your laptop, a cup of coffee, a notepad, and some cool-looking action figures next to one another. Wouldn’t that look great? It’s just one of million ways you can make your day more creative and fun while in quarantine.
Explore Different Angles
Still-life can be as experimental as any other style of photography. However, it all depends on the artist. You can have the best equipment and the most powerful editing software but still fail to deliver something for your audience. But if you explore unique angles and framing, you just might make your masterpiece in quarantine.
We suggest you experiment with still-life macro photography and shoot images in extreme close-ups, providing fascinating results. For example, it can work great in your garden, with insects on plants, and so on. Moreover, you can apply it to almost any other object that has a unique texture.
Nevertheless, you’ll need macro lenses for it. So, go online, browse some adequate lenses that will fit your device, and start shooting! We’re eager to see your results. Stay safe, stay at home, folks!
