Certain individuals are inherently endowed with a heightened degree of innate creativity, yet this doesn’t imply that creativity cannot be nurtured and honed, akin to the growth of a muscle. Armed with appropriate resources and diligent practice, anyone can acquire the skills to master the art of producing striking, resonant creative photography. For those instances when one might encounter an artistic standstill, we’ve curated an inventory of creative photography concepts below, serving as a wellspring of inspiration.
Pano Stitching (AKA Brenizer Method)
Referred to as The Brenizer Method, the technique of wide aperture panoramic stitching offers a unique avenue to craft images. This method empowers you to achieve a slender depth of field that centers on your subject, while simultaneously encompassing every intricate detail of the surrounding environment. An ideal choice for picturesque vistas, it becomes a captivating approach to diversify your photography when you’re presented with a stunning scenic backdrop. Typically, this involves merging anywhere from 9 to 24 (or even more) images together, demanding both practice and precise settings to master.
Panoramic compositions inherently exude dynamism, possessing the remarkable capacity to encapsulate a vast expanse within a single frame. Employ the Brenizer Method to produce high-resolution environmental portraits that skillfully highlight your subjects and their surroundings. This technique particularly flourishes with lenses that grant you a shallow depth of field and heightened compression. For a comprehensive exploration of conceptualizing and executing the Brenizer method, refer to our comprehensive course here.
Spray Bottle
A spray bottle, a seemingly unassuming tool, might not immediately come to mind in photography, largely due to our instinctual avoidance of water in such contexts. However, this tool can prove surprisingly useful. The water droplets adhering to the lens interact with incoming light, generating captivating bokeh patterns that embellish your image. If concerns about potential lens damage arise, you can experiment with this creative photography technique by employing a lens filter placed over the lens.
Directions:
- Spray water on desired part of the lens
- Control the size of the foreground bokeh by adjusting your aperture (wider aperture = bigger bokeh)
- Make sure there’s no dirt on your lens, because you can scratch your lens while wiping the water off
Mixed Lighting
While many photographers tend to avoid blending different lighting sources to prevent undesirable alterations in skin tones, this technique can actually enhance the visual appeal of your image when executed skillfully.
The key lies in effectively segregating the light sources to prevent inadvertent blending or casting light across the subjects’ bodies. For instance, combining daylight and tungsten lighting and then addressing the skin tones can result in an intriguingly moody orange tint for the backgrounds, as illustrated in the image above.
Conversely, when illuminating a couple with a tungsten light during the blue hour, the mingling of disparate light sources imparts a rich blue hue to the skies, infusing an additional layer of fascination, as showcased in the image below.
Shoot Throughs
Here’s a technique that compels you to explore unconventional avenues, regardless of your shooting location. Employing the method of shooting through objects can result in a plethora of distinctive compositions, lens flares, and viewpoints. Our comprehensive special effects course provides an in-depth exploration of the diverse accessories that can be employed to craft both striking and atypical light flares, or even simulate the allure of the golden hour.
Atmospheric Aerosol/Fog
A touch of mist in specific locations can infuse a considerable amount of depth and texture into a scene. While fog machines might be the ideal solution, they often prove unwieldy to transport during shoots and come with a substantial price tag. Enter Atmosphere Aerosol, offering a remedy: these fog-filled cans are exceptionally budget-friendly and enable you to disperse fog selectively in desired areas. Among the creative photography concepts outlined in this article, employing this product stands out as one of the simplest and most straightforward techniques.
Directions:
- Fill the scene with the desired amount of fog
- Using a reflector (or any thin, broad object), waft the fog around to control the spread
Conclusion
Possessing a handful of these innovative photography concepts in your repertoire can set you apart from fellow photographers. They serve as the means to elevate mundane or lackluster scenes into captivating ones. Beyond this, they also infuse an element of enjoyment into your endeavors as you experiment and refine your skills. So, seize the opportunity to venture out and put them to the test!
