How to create interesting content at home?
Hey again!
So this entire day has started very weirdly for me, low energy, not much motivation, and then I find out that my Photoshop got deinstalled mysteriously. Then I actually didn’t know what day it is. And so on and so on. So here I am writing this post. Luckily I actually wrote the basis of this post few days ago when I was a bit more sane than today haha.
Pretty much the entire Europe is facing extended lockdowns. We truly believed that by now we will be able to get back to our routines and work the way it was in the summer at least. Now we have to figure out how to keep creating content, and at home. The weather is also pretty bad so one more reason why photographing at home makes much more sense.
So let’s start!
What is essential for photography no matter where you are is LIGHT. Technically, without light, there would be no photography. So firstly, find the corner of your room or apartment that has the most light. In case you have artificial lights, or a good house lamp, you can definitely use that as well.
I personally prefer to use natural light, but in winter days, especially in Berlin, getting enough light is nearly impossible. If it is, then it’s also gone very quickly.
Depending on what you want to create, you will style your set. When styling the set you can use everything that you can find in your house, mugs, plates, vases, flowers, etc.. most of us like to gather all kinds of coasters, candles, small plates for house decoration, and these come in very handy in these situations. If you struggle to find inspiration of how to place your props, check Pinterest and IG. This does not mean do exactly what the other person did, it just means to see how it can be done, what goes well together etc.
Once your set is done, place the pieces and start photographing. Sometimes you will need to try a lot, change the set 10 times until you achieve what you had in mind. Other times, you will place the props in 2min, take photos for 3 and you will have what you wanted in 5min. In case you are not managing to achieve your goal, please don’t let this discourage you. It takes time to understand how the props work together, and the more you try the better you will get. Also, it might not be your day, so sleep on it and come back tomorrow.
What is the key here is to be creative. You don’t have a background? Use your skirt, use your bedsheet, use your tablecloth.. you need more harsh light for some details? take your phone and use the flashlight.. just think of the ways to use what you have to achieve what you want.
I personally prefer to work with someone else when it comes to set design because I am very impatient with this. I can take photos of one product for hours, but when it comes to placing the props, I give up after 2 minutes hahah. So if you have a friend that is better in this, you can work together, just like I do :)
One tip for achieving your goal is to be prepared. Create a mood board, plan the session, write a checklist.. all these preparations will help you to spend less time on the content creation.
However, your end results might not even look like anything close to your mood board, and that is totally fine. You might have some crazy idea when you take the camera, let your brain do its thing.
Now is the time to look at what you’ve done, choose your favs, edit them and there you go, job done! :)
styling for these photos was done by my friend Helga :)
IG: www.instagram.com/_edottir/ | website: edottir.com
