Levitation photography captures various objects and people floating in the air. Such pictures seem to violate all the laws of gravity since they show a subject hanging in the air without any support.
Levitation photography is divided into two main types: portrait and product shots.
25 Levitation Photography Ideas
If you need inspiration for any of these flying photography styles - explore this compilation of the most unique levitation photography ideas.
1. Flowy Dress
To achieve the floating effect, pay attention to the model’s outfit. Use a loose light dress that will help you create a visual motion effect.
The main condition for successful levitation photography is airiness. Long, fluttering dresses will help emphasize it, like no other thing.
2. Sweet Dreams
Emphasize the surreal nature of sleep by capturing people hovering over their bed. To add some kind of magical touch to your float photo, try lifting the pillow into the air.
3. Witchcraft
If you’ve always dreamt of being a witch, levitation photography can help you bring this vision to life. All you need is a broom. Kids will love to be a part of this too. To enhance the mysterious mood, use a witch hat and other sorcery-related props.
4. Add Props
Sometimes, just a small accessory can elevate your levitation ideas, create context and draw more attention to the subject. You can find lots of cheap photography props that will make viewers linger on your photo and think about the meaning behind.
5. Backflip
It is very important to diversify floating objects photography with interesting eye-catching poses. Try the pose above where the model seems to be flipping backward. Make other things in the room float too. Use sturdy enough items (make sure they won’t break hitting the floor) and be careful not to hurt anyone in the room, when throwing them around.
6. Carried Away
Balloons will be a great addition to your flying photography. You can either use real helium balloons, or add them in post-production, if you’re tight on budget.
For a simplified version of this idea, don’t tie the balloons to the body, but simply ask the model to hold them in one hand and jump.
7. Fairy
Adding fairy wings is a great idea for levitating pictures with kids. Think creatively about your location as it can drastically change the mood of the photo! This fairy idea will look particularly good in gardens and forests.
8. Create a Backstory
Photos that contain an interesting story attract more attention from viewers. The photo above can be a great example to follow. The whole composition is ideally thought out, including the facial expression of a flying girl, her clothes, hair, and the birds around her. All these details create a special atmosphere and mood.
9. Include More People
To make the composition more complex, capture several models levitating in the frame. If you are not ready for such a challenge, you can start by making only one person soar, while others are watching them, or trying to stop them from flying away.
10. Keep the Color Palette in Mind
Using a well-designed color palette will help you realize the most creative levitation photography ideas. Black is suitable for creating a dark atmosphere, red conveys passion, and blue corresponds to a melancholic mood.
Light colors can be used to convey the atmosphere of airiness. If you want to achieve a gloomy or sad effect, use a dark background when photographing a floating model.
11. Lotus Pose
Start with the simplest levitation pose. Tell your subject to close the eyes and act like they are meditating.
This is one of the easiest levitation poses for yoga photography, since it super comfortable for the model and doesn’t require much effort in post-production from you.
12. Jump
Leaping is one of the simplest ways to capture a person in the air. Find a winning-looking background, give the model some directions, and start taking pictures.
Keep in mind that it’s better to use fast shutter speed to get a clear exposure. Such an idea is simple to implement and the shots do not require deep photo post-processing.
13. Go to the Beach
Try taking some photos on the beach. Almost any levitation pose will look incredible thanks to the additional reflection on the water surface. Make sure to remove whatever your model was being propped on from the reflection too! Otherwise it’s going to give the entire illusion away.
14. Floating Pianist
Incorporating musical instruments can add an extra layer of elegance and delicacy. Capture the model playing the piano, while floating in the air. You can also add music sheets flying around.
15. Mundane Chores
Add some magic to your everyday routine: cooking, cleaning, getting ready or enjoying a cup of tea. To get stunning photos of levitation, you do not have to capture something unreal or mystical. Ordinary household chores can be a great scene for a floating photo session.
16. The Magic of Books
Reading can be so exciting that it makes you fly! Take a picture of a model who is reading something while hovering in the air. Scatter books or pages of books around and throw them in the air for a more compelling image.
17. Blown Away by Wind
Create an image of a model being carried away by a gust of wind. When creating such a picture, take into account the influence of wind on other objects in the frame. Everything should look natural.
For example, if you take such levitating pictures inside, scatter things, open windows and doors. If you’re outside, make sure that the trees are influenced by the wind too. Look at the picture above and pay attention to how the photographer even included the shadows of all the flying objects.
18. Create Silhouettes
Create amazing silhouettes with lighting to implement your levitation photography ideas. Such photos look especially great during sunset, due to dramatic sky coloring.
19. Look for Murals
Explore the locations around you and look for fun murals that your model could interact with. The photo above, with a girl against the wings mural is a great example of how your location can enhance your levitation pictures.
20. Poltergeist
If you are new to this genre, begin with photographing floating objects. Learn the basic rules of how to make things float in videos and photos and start shooting. This will be easier than capturing a flying person, since it doesn’t involve dealing with balancing the model, her hair and the outfit.
21. Telekinesis
Another simple solution for beginners is to create the illusion of telekinesis. Tell the models to toss up a ball or other object and photograph it while it is in the air. Use a small and strong prop that will not break if it hits the ground. This idea can be combined with crystal ball photography to achieve more impressive images.
22. The Flight of Imagination
Make ordinary objects levitate! Get inspiration from Laurent Chéhère and his “Flying Houses” project. This flying objects photography series shows ordinary buildings, like hotels, circus tents, trailers from the urban settings soaring high in the air.
23. Product Photos Levitating
Use the power of levitation photography to bring creative product photography ideas to life. Various tricks will help you add motion to this kind of still life photos. You can create the desired effect by using strings and then deleting the extra lines in Photoshop.
24. Flying Food Photography
Levitation photography is closely related to food photography. By making food composition vertical instead of horizontal you can achieve unique and breathtaking pictures.
25. Show the Ingredients
As a rule, the ingredients of any dish are almost invisible to the lens. However, using the flying food photography technique you can draw the viewers’ attention to them. Moreover, your flat still life will gain more height and become more interesting.
Freebies for Levitation Photography
Want to make your flying photography even more magical and speed up your post-processing? Use these freebies for Lightroom and Photoshop to add professional edge to your images.
Sparkler
This overlay is great for pictures with prevailing cool tones. It focuses on the center of the photo, adding a touch of soft shine. The overlay will help draw attention to the main character and looks especially good with pictures capturing someone in a jump.
Magic
Apply this overlay to add a magical charm to your levitating pictures. Golden sparkles scattered throughout the image will improve the overall look and turn it into a real masterpiece.
Light and Airy
Enhance your images with this Lr preset. The soft glow creates a warm atmosphere and gives a comforting and welcoming feeling.
Color
If your photos lack brightness and saturation, use this action. It will increase vibrancy and make pictures more attractive without destroying the natural look. The action goes especially well with various types of aerial photography.
Fairy Wings
Embody your daring levitation photography ideas with this overlay. Create an atmosphere of mystery and fairy tales with the help of wonderful white transparent wings.
Tata Rossi
Hi there, I'm Tata Rossi - a professional blogger, read more
