Stuck indoors with cancelled travel plans? There is still a lot that you can photograph at home! Scratch that itch to shoot and #createpicturesfromhome with these photography ideas.

 

1. Shoot pictures with a sparkly background

What you need:
- Something small to be your subject (e.g. a small figurine or trinkets)
- Aluminum foil
- A kit lens will do, but a fast lens gives best results. Got a macro lens? Even better!

Lenses to try: EF-M22mm f/2.0 STM, EF50mm f/1.8 STM, EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM 

More detailed instructions here.

 

2. Create a story with a beloved toy

Imagine if your favourite soft toy (or action figurine) came alive. What adventures would it have around your house? Unleash your imagination, and capture your little actor’s exploits in a series of pictures. We have some techniques and ideas that might help here and here.

Tip: Share your story with on social media right after with the help of Canon Camera Connect.

 

3. Play with PL filters

When two polarisers are laid out in a certain way, they cross-polarise, creating interesting rainbow-colored patterns. Why not see how this transforms objects around your home?

What you need: 2 polarisers

Find out how to do it here.

 

4. Create your own personal vortex

The circular panning and zoom burst techniques may seem simple, but they can take quite a bit of practice to perfect. Why not make conquering them your next goal?

What you need: Your kit lens will do, but a wide-angle zoom lens works best!

More details in:
Slow Shutter Art: Creating Surreal, Spinning Radial Blurs
What Unique Images Can I Achieve With Circular Panning?

Warning: Don’t get sucked into another dimension in the process!

 

5. Have house plants? Try photographing water droplet reflections

What you need:
- Potted plant
- Macro lens
- Portable external lighting e.g. torchlight
- Tripod

Lenses to try: EF-M28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM, EF-S35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM, EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

The most challenging thing about such shots is usually to get the water droplets sharply in focus. This article has some tips to help!

 

6. Preserve memories: Capture candid portraits of everyday family life

You don’t have to wait for the next major occasion or family vacation to take family photos. How about capturing some candid shots of everyday family life to rediscover in the future? Or snapping family portraits right at home where the heart is?

Fun fact: Mundane everyday moments are more important than we think. Studies have shown that rediscovering such moments in the future actually makes people happier compared to when they recall extraordinary occasions!

Here are some basics to get you started:
2 Simple Tips for Beautiful, Blur-free Indoor Portrait Photographs of Children
4 Tips for Happy Family Portraits

 

7. Print your photos and make something with them!

Have your photos been sitting in your memory card or hard drive? Give them a new lease of life with a print photo project. Create scrapbooks of memories to flip through in the future, or use your favourite shots to decorate the things around you.

Up the fun with the compact and ultra-portable Canon Mini Photo Printer and SELPHY SQUARE QX10 Compact Photo Printer, which let you decorate and print images onto sticker photo paper from anywhere in the house, straight from your smartphone.

P.S: No one’s stopping you from taking new photos for your new project. ;)

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What have you been shooting at home? Share your shots with us on My Canon Story with the hashtag #shotathome and you might stand a chance to get featured!

 

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