Every photographer believes that one must deliver his/her best in everything they undertake. But did you know, all of their Creative Photography starts at home?
In the beginning, it didn’t make sense to me either. After some introspection, it all made sense. An item, even as small as a coffee mug, can bring out the creative side in a photographer.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine approached me for help with respect to a product she wanted to bring into the market and asked me the best way to make it look homely and presentable?
It got me thinking for a while, and I thought to myself, why not give it a try! The outcome of it was something that blew me away. It is something I didn’t anticipate. It helped me realize the creative side of me at home.
Photography is not limited to the outside world alone. It is a skill that can be developed at home, as well. The best part about it is, you don’t have have to be a photographer to learn this skill.
Join me as we explore the creative side in us as photographers starting at our very homes. Let us unleash the creativity in us.
What is Creativity?
Creative Photography is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.
It is the same with Creative Photography as well. Photographers keep dreaming of the very next picture they would be clicking the very next morning or the next day. They keep their camera active even when they are in the car and they have a car tripod for phone installed in their cars.
For one to be Creative Photography, he/she must visualize what they want to do. When you have a visual in mind, thoughts of doing things differently slowly start taking place, giving you a Creative Photography idea, thus making it a reality.
It all starts with a thought, followed by a visual, leading to a creative result, also known as reality.
Experimentation
Photography is all about experimenting. It all begins with small steps. Experimentation can include
- Choice of Cameras: Such as a Digicam, SLR, DSLR, or even a phone camera.
- Surroundings: Home, Locality, Places of Interest, etcetera.
- Choice of the subject: Stuff at home, such as food, furniture, architecture. Automobiles, Events, People, etcetera.
- Choice of Style: Depending on the kind of photographer one wants to be, for example, Portrait, Landscape, Fashion, Architecture, Automobile, etcetera.
- Choice of Equipment: Equipment comes in handy based on the situation, surroundings, and the need of the hour. Types of equipment include External Flashes, Lenses, Lighting, Backdrops, etcetera. If you’re looking to enhance your photography skills, you might also want to learn how to use a lightbox for photos, which can significantly improve the quality of your shots, especially in controlled indoor environments.
- Softwares: Professional photographers usually use Photoshop, Lightroom, and a few other Softwares for photo editing. As a newbie, this software can be a tad expensive. The best alternative would be to go for open-source software which is minimally priced or free of cost. Some of these include GIMP, Krita, Pinta, Darktable, Shotwell, Snapseed, etcetera.
As mentioned earlier, it is all about experimentation, and creativity starts at home; all of the above can be executable at home. The main aim here must be how to obtain the best results with either minimal or no cost at all, especially for those of you who are just starting or trying to establish yourselves.
Execution
Execution is all about implementing the tools, techniques, and hacks to give you the optimal result you have always wanted.
To execute or to get behind the wheel and take control, one must be willing to sacrifice and risk it all to embrace their hidden talent.
All of the experimentation steps listed above can be executed efficiently. The only prerequisites required are
For Camera Users:
- A DSLR body
- 2-3 lenses based on application. Preferably a wide-angle, a zoom, and a prime lens.
For Mobile Users:
- A phone with dual camera preferred.
- Inbuilt apps on the phone as per application.
When I say creativity begins at home, it can be within the four walls or outside the vicinity.
Many factors help bring out the creativity in us. Just yesterday, I was using my coffee mug to drink coffee. But the more I looked at the cup, the more ideas I got in my head to shoot it from different angles.
The coffee mug as an independent entity or it accompanying a scrumptious breakfast. Now the very visual of experimenting a shot such as this would be a start.
Creativity is all about experimenting with different thoughts and ideas to execute a thought process into reality.
Set-Up
To implement or work on an idea to convert into a reality, you need to work behind the scenes, which include setting up to getting all the equipment into workable action.
Just like how an entire band has a soundcheck just before performing to an audience, it is the same with photography.
You get the required equipment, lighting, and the subject ready.
This illustration shows us a food court, but if you notice it carefully, you may observe that there is a chef who is preparing the food before it is served to the customers. You can call this as the setup or behind the scenes.
How to go about it?
- Get the equipment such as your camera, phone, and tripods ready.
- Keep the subject available. Now when I say subject, for every one of us, it can be different. It can be a mug of coffee, a dog, a sibling, a car, or even your very home, for that matter.
- Optimize your camera based on the settings you require, such as your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
- Use lighting as per your convenience. It can be your camera flash, an external flash, or your very own DIY lighting. DIY lighting can be homemade, which can include bulbs or tube lights with a lampshade or translucent color paper, which will give you the composition for the right picture.
When all of this ready, it’s lights, camera, and ACTION!!! Go all out to get that shot you have always wanted.
After all of this comes the photo editing, which is also known as post-processing. Choose the software of your choice and go all out with your creativity.
Photo editing is all about beautifying the image and making it presentable in its natural glow. At times we do not get the picture we desire due to some cancellation of picture properties. Using the photo editing software, you will be able to correct the image and get the best out of it.
Get Ready to Show Off!!
When I say show off, I do not mean for you to go bragging about it or rubbing it into somebody’s face. Exhibit your skills on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, and many other sites, showing the audience your capability in the given field.
In turn, this will result in making a name for yourself and may land you a gig as well.
Conclusion
They say starting something is the hardest thing. But I would disagree.
Starting something or anything at all for that matter is the easiest. Consistency, Perseverance, Dedication, and the mindset to take things forward is the hard part.
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As a wise person rightly said, to take things forward, you need five qualities, also known as the Panchasutra (pronounced as panch-a-sutra), namely:
- Conviction
- Domain Expertise
- Passion
- Innovation
- Commitment to excellence
Start something today, take it forward tomorrow, and go full throttle over it. Do it for yourself and do it because you love it. After all, Creativity Starts at Home.
So what are you waiting for?
Get started today!
