Did you know that you have the power to freeze time? With photography, this superpower is right at the tip of your fingers! Today I am going to provide you with a step by step instructional guide that will help you freeze time and make it look good, too!
In this tutorial, I will be mentioning tools that you most likely have at home which will allow you to get professional-looking photographs in no time! All of the photographs in this blog were taken using an iPhone11 ProMax to show what types of images are possible without a high-end camera or editing software. To edit the images, I used the iPhone manual editing options.
3DUX STEM DESIGNS:
Here in my tutorial, I am using a STEM project created by 3DuxDesign. When I came across this STEM project and learned that the designers were students, I was all in. Being a teacher, I am very passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs and these creators designed a very well-made and purposeful project that students can use to fuel their creativity. I absolutely love that there are no rules and you can use the pieces provided to create anything you can imagine! I was asked to help incorporate the concept of photography with 3DUX and I thought it was an excellent idea to encourage youth to explore photography. By allowing young minds to explore the art of photography, they are immediately given the opportunity to express their point of view, show their creativity, and learn through trial and error as they continue to increase their photography talents. With 3DUX STEM projects, students are able to create structures and creatures that they envision, play with their creation, and experiment with different building techniques! I am excited to now be able to explain how young designers can photograph and create images that look professional, too! I hope these tips and tricks are helpful to you in your creative journey!
(1) SET YOUR PURPOSE:
Before you begin to take your photographs, think: What is my purpose for photographing?
Do you want to create a unique looking image that captures the minds or hearts of your audience? Perhaps you are wanting to photograph in a clean, brightly lit atmosphere so you can show off your subject. Either way, you must know what the subject will be in your photograph. A subject is the main focus of your image. It can be a person, creature, building, object, structure, piece of nature, and so much more! My subject for this series of photographs will be my 3Dux Design!
(2) FIND A LIGHT SOURCE:
Before you photograph, look around and ask yourself: Which type of lighting would look best for the photograph I want to take?
Natural Light (The Sun!):
There are many different light sources that you can explore. I personally love to photograph with natural light - the sun! You can set up your photograph by a window that pours in natural, bright light. You can diffuse (soften) the light with white, sheer curtains and set your creation on the floor with the soft light behind it. The images below use a soft white curtain and natural light indoors as the primary light source. I also included some soft led lights to add an interesting light piece as well.
This image below shows the setup for the image I took of my 3Dux Trees. As you can see, I got up close and used only the natural light that poured in the room to light my image.
You may also decide to take your creation outdoors and shoot outside! You can get very beautiful images if you simply use bright, natural sunlight. Be sure to pay attention to where the sun is located in the sky. If the sun is directly behind your subject, it will not be well lit and might look dark. Your subject will become a shadow which can create an interesting photograph, but if you want to show off your subject you will need proper lighting. Instead, while you are outdoors you might want to have your subject facing the direction the light is shining so you can have a well-lit subject.
Artificial Lights (Lamps, LED Lights, & More!):
If it is a gloomy day and you aren't getting enough light, you still have options! Lamps, LED lamps, LED rope lights, Christmas lights, flashlights, ring lights, soft-box lights, and many other forms of light can be used. If you are just beginning your photography hobby, rather than spend lots of money on professional lighting, I recommend using white LED lights when photographing objects. Here, I've used a white LED lamp! It has many different options and was bright enough to bring this image to life! I dislike using any lights that have an orange tint to them unless I am going for a specific mood in my images. If you want your creation to show as you see it in real life, you will want to use a bright, white LED light when sunlight isn't available.
Here is my setup for the photo above. As you can see, even just a simple LED light can light up your image beautifully! Before taking the above image I was sure to turn off any orange ceiling lights and used only the LED table lamp as the light source.
If you are going for an interesting, futuristic, and fun look - try out LED rope lights that change color! You can get some really fun photographs using multi-colored lights.
(3) GET CREATIVE:
If you know your purpose for your photograph and you've found the light you will be using, you are ready to get creative and take your photos! In order to take good photographs, take your time, and pay attention to the following:
Quality vs. Quantity: When you begin taking your pictures, remember that it is more important to get a good shot than it is to take a lot of shots. This idea is called "Quality vs. Quantity" and professional photographers believe in setting up the perfect shots rather than just taking a lot of shots and hoping for a good one.
Background: Be sure your background is what you'd like it to be. If you are photographing an object, a busy background might take away from your subject. When you take your photo, look at what is behind the subject. If you dislike what you see, change up the background. You can use a plain wall, sheet, nature, and so many other things to have your background look good and not take away from your subject. I like to blur out my background by being far away from what is behind my subject. When you have your background a distance away, the entire background will blur out like the images below. You could even take a photo with Christmas lights feet away from your subject and they will blur out and become light orbs!
Perspective: Making your photograph interesting can be as easy as changing your perspective. Perspective is changing your view of the subject you are photographing. Imagine if you took a photo of the same subject but you took it when you were standing up, laying down, standing on a chair looking down at the subject (bird's eye view), or even on the side of the subject. Although you will be taking a photograph of the same subject, you will change the image because you've changed your perspective. Check out my examples here:
CLOSING MESSAGE:
I hope these tips and tricks have helped you better understand the concept of photography so you can photograph your ideas and creations with purpose and pride.
Please visit my photography blog for more tips and tricks!
Teachers, if you are visiting and would like to have resources to help teach your photography club, please visit my TPT store for all of your photography club needs. Thank you!
Creatively yours,
Lisa Casella