Social Distancing? Photo Projects to Do at Home!

 

These days are crazy. It seems like the world is on hold! But you don’t have to put your camera on hold.

Some people are overwhelmed with new expectations – how to manage the kids’ i-learning platforms on top of a new home office schedule, for instance. Others are looking at possible months of isolation and a sudden loss of work schedule (and possibly also income) with dread.

Before you panic or bored, get creative!

Paul Smith once said: “You can find inspiration in everything: And if you can’t, look again!” But sometimes it is difficult to really see the things in our home environment. This could be especially true if you are not feeling very motivated to begin with.
Because so many people around the world suddenly find themselves in a similarly unusual situation, we want to help! We will be featuring blog articles about at-home projects. They will be geared towards using materials that are probably already in your home, or things that are still easily available to buy or order. (No toilet paper projects here.)

Here’s a list to jumpstart your creative processes. Stay tuned for reports about projects that we do, and please send us your experiences. We may feature you in our blog!

 

  • Make a photo series of things with a certain color. This can also be fun with kids, have them spot everything in your home that is red, for example. You could even push it one step further and try to create monochrome pictures with just one color.
  • Shoot still lifes. What objects in your house could fit together and could tell a story? You could tell the story of all your rooms. What feels most personal, or most useful in your kitchen? In your garage? Your living room?
  • Make photos of all letters of the alphabet. This could be great with smaller children. Find things in your home from A to Z. Another way could be to capture things which look like the letters or could be formed into letters.
  • Family pictures! Make some portraits at home. You can set up a little home studio or just document home life. Other family members, like grandparents and aunts, will thank you.
  • Create self-portraits. Already have enough pictures of your family? What about yourself? Make an everyday self- portrait and show others how you feel about being stuck at home.
  • Put your kids in charge! Make them the director of the photo shoot. Kids have creative ideas for photo sessions. Just let them brainstorm and encourage them to say all the silly ideas that come into their heads. The most important thing is to have fun together!
  • Explore the little world of your window garden. Many areas are starting to see the first stirrings of Spring. What better time to document the tiny goings-on! Rain can add an interesting touch, too. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you even have more options: new blossoms, little insects, or raindrops, can all be the main character of your picture.
  • Get out of your comfort zone! Take a camera or lens you have abandoned and give it a new try. Work around the limitations and let yourself be led in new directions.
  • Try to find some unusual angles. Maybe you have an animal at home, like a cat or dog. Get inspired by it— how would your pet see the world?
  • Go into a room with low light; maybe your cellar only has a small window, or you could close the curtains and let just one ray of light in. Let the light guide you.
  • Shoot a double exposure. Try a portrait combined with a space in your home where you spend a lot of time.
  • Make a long exposure. Set up the camera on a tripod and put it into a place where there is a lot going on. Maybe the kitchen table, or the sofa in front of the TV. See how you or other family members move around in the house.
  • Try light painting. A long exposure and nighttime darkness give you the possibility to highlight yourself and your favorite items in a room.
  • Do a long term time lapse project. Take the same picture of something with the same frame every day. You can document how a plant is growing, or blossoms start to bloom. Put a bunch of flowers in a vase and show how them fading. Documenting rotten vegetables or fruits can be interesting, too.
  • Try abstract minimalism. Have you ever had a closer look at your furniture, walls, or curtains? Or fruit of vegetables? You may be surprised how beautiful cracks, marks, imperfections, and patterns can be.

Picture by Annie Spratt

Picture by Annie Spratt

Picture by Markus Spiske

Inspired? Let us know!

Tag your results with #silvergrainclassics on Instagram or @SilvergrainClassics on FaceBook to show us what you have done. Or write us an email: info@silvergrainclassics.com

We are excited to see what creative projects will come from the present limitations!

By Amy van Veen
www.amyvanveen.com
www.instagram.com/amy_v_veen

 

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