Creative photography is an extension of traditional photography into creative art. It allows the photographer to play around and experiment with unique concepts that result in unusual and engaging images. Looking to level up your photography game and show off your creativity? Here are a few easy ways to be more creative when it comes to shooting.
Creative Shooting Techniques
Camera Movement
One often assumes photography is a still and staged action, but we can capture motion. In order to capture recognizable blur, you need to shoot at a gradual enough shutter speed to shoot significant motion. This creative technique encourages camera movements. Play around with creating blur deliberately for an artistic effect.
Switch to Macro
When we think of macro photography we assume it only entails plants and flowers. But we can use a macro lens to isolate a subject and capture the close-up details, of say, the wax on a surfboard or hot filament of a light bulb.
Use reflections
Instantly spice up your everyday scene by shooting it through a reflection – this can be a puddle of water or car side mirror. Try and find a way to mirror the subject on a reflective surface. You will end up with images that are richer and more abstract than the traditional shot.
Try out a glass lens or prism
Holding a glass prism or convex lens in front of your camera can result in blurred, abstract forms. These small changes can help make the subject feel more magical. Prism photography is the way of capturing people, objects or locations with the help of refracting light that comes through prisms.
Go full 360
Editing software allows you to combine multiple shots together from different angles to create a spherical 360-degree photograph.
Make things miniature
A cool trick to make subjects appear smaller than they really are is to use tilt-shift. Tilt-shifting in photography means making real objects smaller, like a miniature scale model. This is achieved through blurring and distortion.
Take photos from unusual perspectives
Think outside the box when you approach a subject. How else can I capture this scene? Bird’s eye view? Bottom-up? Over the shoulder? Shooting something from an unusual angle can often result in fresh, unexpected portraits.
Make-believe using forced perspective
Forced perspective is a method which applies optical illusion to make an object seem farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. A common object would be the moon or sun, being cradled or squished by the subject’s hand. However, don’t be limited by these two objects. Plan ahead before each scene and bring along props to help create a visual effect.
Take with a spray bottle
You might be wondering why? Well, a spray bottle can be used to spritz fine water droplets across the foreground of the scene to create bokeh effects. The light will catch the mist and create a unique image.
Consider taking a long exposure
One such creative method to master is the shutter drag, otherwise known as long exposure photography. This picture-taking procedure is achieved by its use of a slower shutter speed to expose for dim scenes or capture action of passing objects. You can use this to create stunning visual effects.
Create a Rainy Window Effect
To make the scene feel like it is being shot on a moody, rainy day consider using a glass pane. All you’ll need is the glass inside of a picture frame and a spray bottle filled with water. Use a high depth of field to capture both the water on the glass and the subjects face.
Use Fairy Lights for a Dreamy Image
Fairy lights photography can add creativity to your photos. They are lightweight and can fit in your pocket. There are many ways to combine fairy lights into your shooting. You could brighten objects with it, whether that’s a chair, bottle, or plant. Or you could use them in your portrait shots to light up a model.
Shadow play
Shadow play or silhouetting is one of the most interesting creative photography techniques. It is most common in conditions when the sun is high in the sky producing harsh shadows on the earth, on buildings and directly unto the subject. Shadows are used for emphasizing sensation and adding a feeling of reality to a photograph.
Cover Your Subject in Fabric
For this picture-taking way, you’ll need a long bit of fabric, whether that’s lace or tulle. Just cover your subject in the textile and make sure that you can still see their face. Cloaking your subject in this way helps focus on a single spot, which makes for an unusual image.
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