I find that sometimes I'm just not in a good creative space to take interesting photos.
I'm sure you find yourself in that situation from time to time as well.
If you ask me, one of the best ways to extract yourself from a creative rut is to find ways to challenge your thinking as a photographer.
In the video above, Jessica Kobeissi offers up five challenges in the form of creating interesting photos using not-so-normal photography items.
Each tip is easy to do, too, so it's not like you have to spends hours on end trying to get cool shots.
Instead, just have a look at the video, get the step-by-step instructions below, and see how these photography hacks can transform your photos!
Cello Paper Filter
You know that cello paper stuff people use to wrap gift baskets?
Well, that brightly colored plastic stuff makes for awesome photo filters.
All you need in addition is a couple of light sources - a lamp or even your phone's flashlight will do the trick.
Then simply wrap the cello paper around the light, turn off all other lights, and you get an awesome effect like this:
You'd never know that this shot was lit with a couple of cheap lights and $0.99 cello paper, would you?
Play around with where the lights are placed, the number of light you use, and how far away they are from the model.
Experiment with how you frame the shot too, from above and below, at the model's eye level, and so on.
Editor's Tip: Check out some creative props that will help you take your portraits to the next level.
Suncatcher Filter
Those little plastic suncatchers that people put in their windows can also be used as an interesting photography filter.
Just hold the suncatcher in front of your camera's lens to filter the sunlight into a kaleidoscope of colors.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the effect can be quite fetching.
Just be sure that you hold the suncatcher up and away from the lens, as it's opaque and will block the view of your subject if you hold it directly in front of the lens.
Learn More:
- 6 Creative Photography Tricks You Can Try at Home
- Smartphone Photography Hacks You Don't Want to Miss
Kaleidoscope Glasses Filter
Speaking of a kaleidoscope of colors, you can use toy kaleidoscope glasses to make an interesting filter as well.
As shown above, you simply hold the glasses in front of your lens, but as described in the previous photography hack, be careful where you place the glasses so you can still see the subject.
In this case, with the glasses occupying the left side of the shot, you get beautiful colors in the image.
I also like how structural the kaleidoscope effect looks with the rectangular shapes that appear in the photo.
The only other things you need for a shot like this is a little bit of sunlight and a willing model!
Liquid Chalk Markers & Lamination Paper Filter
This photography hack gives you a little more creative freedom than the previous ones because you get to create your own effects.
Using liquid chalk markers (or any other kind of markers, really), you can draw lines, shapes, and blobs of color onto the clear lamination paper to get the desired look.
Then, simply hold the sheet of laminate paper in front of your lens, and boom! You get cool color effects for your portrait.
As noted earlier, it's important to experiment not only with the design you draw on the laminate paper, but also with the placement of the paper, the framing of the shot, the lighting, and so forth.
Don't just take a couple of shots and be satisfied! Instead, see just how creative you can be and keep on shooting.
Editor's Tip: Click here to find out what your creative photos would look like as fine art.
Holi Powder Color Effect
Holi powder is used during the Hindu Holi Festival to celebrate spring, love, and color.
But this colorful powder can be used to add interesting colors and textures to your portraits as well.
Just dab a bit of powder onto your model's hands, and you get a result like this:
In addition to the punch of yellow in this shot, I love how Jessica had the model bring her hands upwards.
It gives the image a bit of a pensive look while also highlighting the very shallow depth of field.
Again, this is a simple hack - just like all the ones presented above - but it can have a tremendous impact on how your photos look.
So, grab a few supplies, find a model, and get out of your creative rut by trying these amazing photography hacks!
Learn More:
- 7 Photography Hacks That Will Take Your Photos to the Next Level
- 10 Camera Hacks in Less Than 100 Seconds