COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns around the world have changed the way a lot of people live their day-to-day lives. Lockdown living means more people have been spending much more time in their home’s working and living together. That’s why our 10 lockdown photography ideas to try at home will give you inspiration anad motivation.
With the increased time spent at home in close and constant proximity to our families finding ‘you time’ and space is ever more important. However, it has created the perfect opportunity for people to spend more time exploring new hobbies or brushing up on their photography skills.
While being under lockdown has its challenges, it brings opportunities to practise and improve your photography. What may seem a bit limiting are the shooting locations, but there are plenty of photography projects and challenges you can do from home. All it takes is a little imagination.
Here at VeryEasyPhotography we have put our heads together and come up with 10 exciting lockdown photography projects and ideas that you can do from the comfort of your own home. These projects are also perfect for beginners and will help you improve your photography skills!
Dear Diary
One of the best ways to improve your skills is to practice often. So why not start a daily photo diary?
Starting a daily project like this will force you to not only find different subjects each day, but it will also challenge you to find something interesting about even the most mundane things.
Your photo diary can take the form of just a random photo each day, or you can create some sort of theme. Maybe try using up some of your indoor photography ideas? You could choose a different kitchen utensil each day and try and shoot it in an unusual and creative way.
Food Photography, Anyone?
I am sure you have been trying a few new recipes (or ordering new dishes). Why not let your food be the focus of your next shoot?
You could try staging some Instagram-worthy photos by taking some extra care when plating your food.
You could also channel your inner food blogger by taking photos showing the different stages of creating a recipe. Shooting close-ups, low down angles and different back drops will create interest and fuel your creativity.
This is a great photography project for beginners and can be done with your main DSLR camera or with a mobile phone.
Start with Phone Photography
Although this isn’t using your DSLR camera the principles of photography remain the same. Composition, exposure, filling the frame, rule of thirds etc… These can all be practised with a mobile phone.
This isn’t a substitute for using your camera because it’s important to get used to the feel, the weight, the controls and the lcd screen. But, it does help you practice the basics and as far as we’re concerned – any photography is good! Using our 10 lockdown photography ideas to try at home can be done with you mobile phone or your digital camera.
You could photograph anything you have around your home! Try a self-portrait or try taking some things around your house and creating an interesting still life scene with them. Modern phones are versatile and can create Instagram-worthy images using basic skills and editing.
Instagram and social media is a good way to share your photos, look for inspiration nd get praise for your photos.
Practice Your Portraits
This is a great fun project that could lead to some new wall or desktop art!
Shooting portraits of family members or housemates will really help you build your skills. Engaging portraits are more than just snapshots. You can hone your lighting skills, try a daylight portrait in front of, to the side of or backing onto a window and notice how the light changes.
Working on posing and noticing how the light changes the shape or energy of a particular pose. Does the subject look better standing, sitting or lounging? How does the light change the mood of the portrait, there’s so much fun to be had shooting portraits!
And portraits don’t just have to be of people, there’s dogs, cats, birds and many other pets you can use for portraits.
Try Out Nature Photography
If you happen to have a garden (or feel comfortable visiting a garden in your neighborhood), here are some nature photo ideas you could try:
Plants, Butterflies, Birds, Dragonflies, and Other Insects
Lucky enough to have some local wildlife? You could use that for inspiration, too!
If you don’t have any interesting wildlife around, or don’t have access to a garden, you could try taking photos of the night sky.
Once we start to ‘look’ at what’s around us there are lots of opportunities to take take interesting nature shots.
See the Abstract
You can use everyday objects from around your house to create stunning abstract photos.
Just try playing around with angles, lighting, and the overall composition.
the best thing about shooting abstracts is there are no rules, the only limitation is your own creativity.
Switch Up the Lenses
If you have multiple lenses, why not try taking the same photo with different lenses?
This is a great way to infuse some variety and creativity into your photos.
Don’t forget to compare all the shots – you might find a new lens and technique combination that you will want to use again.
How does a long telephoto lens affect the photo compared to a wide angle lens? Does the background look different? Does the distortion of a wide angle affect the view? Can you use either of these as a way to add interest to your photos?
Reshoot Old Photos
If you run out of ideas try recreating an old photo.
You can use the same equipment and create an identical scene, or you could make some changes like using a different angle or a different lens.
Setting yourself a project such as recreating 5 photos is a good way to focus your mind on a project and work within a theme.
Go on a Hunt with Friends and Family
Want to get your friends and family involved?
You could put together a photography scavenger hunt! You can put together some ideas, or you can involve everyone in the ideation process.
Sure this may seem counter lockdown but it can be done via Zoom or Skype. You can have everyone do the photograph scavenger hunt from their homes and only use indoor photography ideas or set a theme such as photographs flower, a food ingredient or view from a window. There are lots of possibilities for fun and interacting together.
Monochrome
If you want to try a unique challenge, try taking some monochrome photos!
You can see how contrast can really change the photo, and you can see what lines, shapes, and textures really pop when creating monochrome photos.
Shooting in black and white make you look at a scene in a different way forcing you to train your eye to see differently. It can be challenging and take time but it’s definitely fun.
Edit (or Re-Edit) Existing Photos
Have a large backlog of photos? You can take some time to edit and process those photos.
Or you could try editing photos you have already edited to give them a completely new look.
As a photographer I have a startling number of images saved on the cloud. Hundreds of images for each trip, event and holiday I have gone on over the last several years. Recently I went through some of these archives and released many are worth touching up and posting. Go find that gold.
I also notice that when I look at some of my older photos I would have edited them in a different way if I tackled them now. This could be because my eye has changed or because my editing skills have improved. Like you guys I am always learning and trying to improve my skills.
BONUS Challenge:
If you are feeling particularly adventurous and want to put your photography skills to the test, here is a popular challenge.
One Subject: 10 Techniques
There are a few variations on this challenge: one subject 50 ways, one subject 16 ways, etc.
All you need to do for our VeryEasyPhotography challenge today is pick a single subject and then try to take at least 10 pictures of it in different ways.
You can use different lenses, equipment, or you could even use a different editing style! Just make some change with each photo. You are welcome to send through the final results to us as we would love to see how you approached this.
Final Thoughts…
One would be surprised by just how creative they can be when confined indoors. The more you open your mind to the objects and opportunities around your apartment, house, or garden, you will never run out of things to shoot.
Just because there’s a lockdowns it does not mean you have to stop being creative.
All you need is your camera and a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
We hope our 10 lockdown photography ideas to try at home can inspire you to dust off your camera lens and take aim!