20 Creative and Easy Photography Hacks to Try Today
By Tata Rossi 7 days ago, Professional photography
Photography is expensive and if you want to do it professionally, be ready to spend a lot on the gear. However, you can considerably save your budget by following these photography hacks.
Top 20 Photography Hacks to Repeat
Those who are ready to spend some time and have enough patience, can study these DIY tricks and get no less efficient results without using high-priced photography equipment. These tricks require simple items that can be found at home or bought at an affordable price.
1. Modify Light with Strainer
If you are engaged in shadow photography, you can position a strainer with holes over the flash of your camera or take a picture opposite to the source of natural light. It is possible to use any kitchen utensils with interesting shapes and holes.
Play with light to create an extraordinary effect to spice up your portrait photography portfolio. You can even go further and create a stripe pattern with window blinds.
2. Use a Fish Tank as an Underwater Camera Housing
Would you like to take stunning photos underwater but don’t have expensive waterproof camera gear? One of the most effective underwater photography tips is using a common fish tank to take jaw-dropping underwater shots on a budget.
Just check out whether your fish tank is leak-proof and safe and make sure you have a solid grip before you put your fish tank into the water. Aside from taking breathtaking underwater pictures, you can use this prop to take splits and demonstrate what is happening over and under the water.
3. Use a CD to Achieve a Rainbow Effect
Try this CD photography trick to emulate a rainbow effect that is so popular among famous photographers, for example, Brandon Woelfel. All you need is a regular CD. Its metal side reflects light thus creating rainbow colors and interesting patterns.
Activate the flashlight on your phone and direct it to the CD which you will need to hold in front of your camera. It is necessary to attach your camera on a tripod or ask an assistant to hold it. Then try to play with light and find the perfect angle to achieve the desired effect.
4. Imitate Rain with a Spray Bottle
If you don’t want to risk shooting in rain but need that peculiar feel in your images, you can try one of the simplest photography hacks to achieve a rainy atmosphere. Use a spray bottle and a photo frame. Spray the glass surface with water to create raindrops.
The result you will get really deserves attention as it is really difficult to find out that these raindrops across the frame were created artificially.
5. Create a Reflection Effect with Your Phone
This is one of the easiest to implement reflection photography hacks that require using your smartphone. Position your phone screen at the base of the DSRL to create a reflective surface. This is a popular trick that allows you to get a fantastic look and feel in your shots.
6. Achieve a Hazy Look with a Plastic Bag
Use your sandwich bag in a completely new way to take fantastic pictures. Make a hole at the closed side of the plastic bag. Don’t do it with scissors as the hole should be raggedly uneven at the edges.
You can use the bag as a hood for your lens. Make sure the hole end goes a bit further than the end of the camera lens. The rough edges of the hole should obstruct the view of the lens.
Be open to experiments and color the bag with bright markers. This trick allows you to produce a hazy, vintage, light leak effect without breaking a bank.
7. Wind Effect with a Hair Dryer
Ask a model or your assistant to hold a hair dryer to simulate a wind and blown-out hair look. As a result, you will get eye-catching and dynamic shots that will leave everyone in awe. This is one of the DIY photography hacks that will come in handy for those who are doing self portrait photography.
8. Achieve the Soft Focus Effect with Tights
Rubber band and a pair of tights are effective photography props that will help you create an amazing soft-focus effect. You can use black or nude tights and cover the camera lens with them. Then use a rubber band to attach the tights to your lens.
9. Create Custom Bokeh Shapes
Among numerous photography hacks and tricks, this one is great for those who work with bokeh photography.
With a little creativity and imagination, you can transform ordinary light orbs into elements of particular forms. You can cut out hearts, stars or other shapes using black poster board. Attach the poster board to the camera lens and play around with different focal lengths.
10. Replace Filters with Your Sunglasses
There is no need to use any additional apps if you want to add a filter to your picture. Rather than purchasing filters for landscape photography, you can put your sunglasses in front of your lens thus tinting the color of your shot.
Apart from sunglasses, photographers usually use sheer fabric or colored shrink wrap to change the tones of their images.
11. Create Seamless Backdrop with Paper
One of the most important styling components of product or food photography is a background. Nowadays it is popular to use a negative space technique that removes any distractive elements. You can create a background with a piece of cloth or paper.
It is recommended to arrange your backdrop in such a way that it can seamlessly transit from the vertical to the horizontal surface rather than just place it behind the subject. This is one of photography backdrop hacks that produces a visual illusion of an ‘infinity curve’ creating ethereal space around the subject.
12. Use Your TV to Create Backdrops
Your TV is a perfect prop to create an extraordinary background if you don’t have an opportunity to shoot in a studio or can’t find a perfect location. Just pick the desired image, play in on TV and press a shutter button.
Among numerous cool props for photography, the TV may serve as an excellent backdrop for portrait photos. If you are doing product photography, you can choose something smaller like your computer monitor.
13. Create a Bokeh Backdrop with Foil
Go to your kitchen and take a piece of foil to make an engaging background. It is possible to use either silver kitchen foil or wrapping paper to create an unusual texture while crumpling it. You can place it as a background around 7 feet away from your subject.
Use a light source of a different color and direct it to the backdrop in order to change the color of the bokeh. You can go even more creative by positioning a mirror under the subject to produce a reflection effect.
14. Create a Softbox with a Plastic Bag
If you are using an internal flash, take full advantage of it. Look around for a plastic bag, slightly inflate it and wrap around the flash to create a DIY softbox.
Make sure the plastic bag doesn’t touch the flash in order to prevent its melting. It is also possible to use a white balloon instead of a bag.
15. Make a Reflector with Foil
A reflector board is one of the most useful photography props to create a directional light source, control shadows, and produce amazing effects. You can make a reflector board yourself with cardboard and a piece of silver foil. Use spray glue or double-sided tape to stick a piece of foil.
Make sure you are going to use a shiny side of the foil. Carefully smooth it out and use white paint to brush the other side. Thus, you will achieve a robust reflector that will serve you for two purposes. The silver side will reflect more light and the white side will help you get a soft look in your photos.
16. Create a Light Box with Window and Paper
One of the most effective photography hacks is to create a DIY Light Box with a piece of paper and tape. Stick a paper to a window with tape and position your subject in front of it.
Choose the Av mode on your camera with such settings as f/8 aperture and 100 ISO. Use the Exposure Compensation and select +1 or +2. Make sure the subject is in focus and press the shutter button.
17. Create a Flash Grid with Cardboard
Another effective DIY photography lighting trick is to create a flash grid attachment to achieve a spotlight effect.
All you need is a sheet of honeycomb cardboard and an elastic band. You certainly have some boxes around, so this is a perfect chance to open new photographic opportunities without spending a dollar.
18. Use Magnifying Glass to Imitate Macro Lens
This is one of the most money-saving macro photography hacks that allows you to replace a lens or camera for macro photography.
Take your photography skills to creative heights with a variety of macro photography ideas such as using a magnifying glass to take close-ups. To add a special touch to your photo, you can incorporate the magnifying glass into the frame.
19. Create an Overhead Camera Holder with Cardboard
Want to know how popular Instagram photographers take top-down pictures of themselves? If you want to take a photo of yourself lying on the couch or doing any activity, you should use a long strip of folded cardboard.
This is one of those DIY mobile camera hacks that require using a ladder to get to the ceiling and attaching there cardboard to create a mount for your mobile device. Before you get in the desired pose, it is necessary to activate a timer. If you use this trick, your mobile photography results will never be the same.
20. Create a Snoot with a Pringles Can
You will certainly like this trick as it will help you produce more focused lighting in your photos and eat a whole tube of Pringles at one go. Cut out the opening at the bottom of the can in order it neatly fit a flash head.
To avoid flash scratching, it is recommended to attach it with duct tape. You can improve your DIY lighting accessory by adding some straws to the front end of the can. This will allow you to focus the light better. Black straws will modify the light output with utmost efficacy, gray straws will deliver average focusing and clear straws produce a minimal effect.
Freebies for Improving Your Photography Hacks
Ever wondered how to supercharge your photo editing game? Aside from the above-mentioned photography hacks and tricks, you can enhance your pictures with these 5 freebies designed for Lightroom and Photoshop. They will help you perform professional photo color correction just in several clicks.
Bright Sky
This overlay for Photoshop is perfect for dull photos in dire need of some clouds and light. It considerably enhances the sky with white clouds floating across it.
Contrast
If your photos lack contrast, this Lr preset is a perfect tool to fix this issue. Apart from boosting the details in the pictures, this plug-in will make them crisper and more vivid.
Vintage
This Lr preset allows you to make your pictures sharper and more vibrant. It corrects colors and white balance while enhancing the overall look of the image. Apply it if you want to achieve classic vintage coloring.
Warm Haze
If you want to complement your images with sunlight, feel free to use this Ps overlay. It will make your shots warmer and more vivid while adding a slight bokeh effect. Use it for photos of children or love stories.
Matte
This Photoshop action will add a nostalgic feel and matte look to your pictures. The faded colors and warm tones will improve any photo.
