Most of us have been in lockdown for months now, thanks to Big Rona 2020. It’s getting to the point where you’ve cleaned out your closet, painted the bedroom walls where your kids made a sharpie masterpiece, and you’ve binge watched almost every show on Netflix.
And you are Bored. Out. Of. Your. Mind!
No fear — I am here to give you a little quarantine inspiration! This is a great time to learn some photography skills, or work on the skills you already have! You may feel like you’re going crazy now, but in time, you’ll want to have photos during this season to look back on.
So take that family photoshoot into your own hands! Here are five tips to taking amazing in-home photos:
Find the light
In any situation, light will make or break your photo. Thankfully, we can always adjust our camera settings to compensate for not-so-ideal lighting scenarios. But starting off with the perfect light makes taking and editing an incredible photo so much easier!
So, find the light! You want to go to a place in your house that has the most natural light (usually a room with big windows). Adjust your light as much as you can from there. You may need to open up or close down blinds or curtains — this can make a big difference!
Pro-tip: If your house doesn’t have many windows, open up the front door for the same effect!
Create a foreground and background
We all love that nice blurred background when it comes to portraits. One way to do that is by separating your subject from the background. This is especially important with in-home photos because you want the focus to be on your subject, not the dirty dishes in the background. You may not have a lot of space in your house, but even separating the subject from the background a couple feet will make for noticeably better photos!
For the win: doorframes are amazing for creating this look!
Clean the clutter
Speaking of dirty dishes, make sure to tidy up before your in-home photoshoot, and make sure to pay attention to everything that will be in the photo. No one needs to see your dirty undies.
Turn off your flash
Flash CAN be great, and it CAN add so much dimension to your photos. But it is a very tricky aspect to navigate. More often than not (especially if you’re not well-versed in using a flash) it will make your photos appear harsh, and it will give your subjects oily skin that shows every single blemish.
My recommendation would be to turn off the flash. Again, use as much natural light as possible and adjust your camera settings to the scene.
Get creative!
Many of us are stuck at home right now anyways, so what a great time to do some photography experiments! Close the blinds halfway, and create an artsy, dramatic look, photograph at night using only lamps as your light, rearrange your furniture and put a white sheet up to create your very own home studio. Experimenting with in-home photography is super fun and can produce awesome shots! The beauty is — if you don’t like the photos, just delete them!
So pull out your camera (or phone) and have a fun in-home photoshoot with your family! I want to see how it goes! Drop your favorite in-home photos in the comments below!
-B