How to Shoot Photography While Quarantined with the Gear You Have
We’re not going anywhere for a long time, so try these.
We know you’re quarantined for the foreseeable future. But that doesn’t mean you need to put the camera down. Instead, this is a great time to shoot and embrace all the fun you can have with it. Trying something new helps us grow. So we came up with a few photography project ideas on what to do while quarantined. Check this out!
Daily Documentary Photography
The Idea
With this idea, you’re just documenting yourself doing mundane tasks. But you’ll find a way to make the most of it and make it unique.
You’ll Need
- A tripod
- Your camera
How to Do it
Set the camera down on a tripod. Focus it out to a certain distance or set the camera to wide focus and continuous. Tell the camera to shoot a timelapse of one photo every two or five seconds. You can do this one of two ways. You can set a fast shutter speed and just have it capture you crystal clear. But to me, that’s boring. I prefer to shoot at a slower shutter speed, stop the aperture down, and lower the ISO a bit. Shooting at a slower shutter speed lets you document a lot of what you’re doing. You’ll get some really, really cool effects too.
Adding motion to an image gives it drama.
Food Preparation Photography
The Idea
With this, you’re photographing yourself making food. It’s a variation of the previous idea but more focused on the idea of color, details, and telling a photography story.
You’ll Need
- A camera
- Strong window light or an off-camera light
- A tripod
How to Do it
Do this as a variation of the previous idea, but bounce the light off the window to amplify the look of the natural light. And go for those cheesy angles that you see in all the food videos. (Pun totally intended, so don’t judge me.)
Rembrandt Lighting Portraiture Photography
The Idea
With this project, you’re going to shoot portraits at home using the Rembrandt lighting technique. It’s fun to do at home by yourself or with someone you’re quarantining with.
You’ll Need
- An off-camera light
- Ideally an umbrella
- Your camera
How to Do it
Here’s a quote from a previous piece:
“Rembrandt lighting is all about angles. As annoying as that sounds, it’s true. The big things:
– Your light has to be to the side of your subject though still in front of them. With the subject facing you, place the light between a 45 degree to 90 degree angle.
– Have your subject turn their face towards you at a 0 and 30 degree angle.
– Fire the light”
Double Exposure Photogrpahy
The Idea
With this, things will get a lot more complicated. There are tons of ways to do multiple exposures. The way we’re showing above is a very creative way to do it, but not the only way. Multiple exposure photography isn’t at all easy.
You’ll Need
- A tripod
- A camera with multiple exposure mode. Sorry, Sony.
How to Do it
Set the camera down and shoot multiple exposures. Each camera manufacturer has variants on metering, but they’re not consistent. Find a way to tell a story in a single image. It’s going to take a lot of trial and error, but you’ve got time.
Re-Edit Older Images
The Idea
With this, you don’t need to shoot anything. Instead, you’re applying new editing techniques to old images.
You’ll Need
- Your photos
- Your favorite photo editing software.
How to Do it
Literally, just sit down and edit. Mess around.
In-Camera Painting Photography
The Idea
With this, you’re playing with slow shutter speeds and slapping sharpness in the face. The result is some fun photography!
You’ll Need
- A camera
- A wide lens
How to Do it
Here’s a quote from a previous tutorial:
“Keep pulling the camera and then shoot. The combination of the low ISO, the slow shutter speed, and the narrow aperture should provide a lot of motion blur and camera shake. If you’ve ever seen the panning effect done with sports and wildlife shooting, you’ll realize it’s very similar.”