Tips on Taking Photographs within 10 Feet of Where You Live
Are you having a “photo-block” and need some inspiration? Are you frustrated because you think you need to travel across the globe to find an intriguing and beautiful location? Guess what, you don’t have to leave your house! The following tips will inspire you to take brilliant photographs in any location.
1. Find where there is an interesting light and shadow interaction. Remember that photography means “light writing.” How does the light look coming into your house? Are there objects that create interesting shadows? What does the reflection of water in a glass look like on the table?
2. Try getting close to objects so you distort the content of your photo making it unrecognizable. You can zoom in, or try angling the camera one way or another. If you have access to different lenses, macro and fish eye lenses are particularly fun. The detail in fruit and flowers is amazing if you take the time to look.
3. Make it a point to find patterns. They are all around us, and we typically don’t even take the time to see them. If you think monotony is boring, find something with interesting color or texture.
4. Get a different perspective. What do your surroundings look like when you are on the floor, or looking down from above?
5. Have fun with different shutter speed and aperture settings. If you want a blurred background use a small aperture (shallow depth of field), and if you want more of the background in focus use a big aperture (large depth of field). Experiment with slow shutter speeds if you have a tripod, because you can track movement. If you want to freeze motion, use a fast shutter speed.
6. Have fun with self-portraits. Think about what defines you. What do you want the viewer to know about you? Can you photograph your surroundings and possessions to get a point across without actually being in the photo?
Now you should be inspired to photograph anything, anywhere. Our surroundings are fascinating. Look at the world around you with an open mind because it is so magnificent. Most of us take our surroundings for granted, but there is endless beauty.
