6 Creative Portrait Photography Tricks

Photography Tips  •  Portrait Photography

Looking to spice up your studio shots? The photographers at Shootr have put together a few concepts for your next photo shoot using things you’re likely to find lying around your house:

1. Foil Backdrop

Start out by taking out a few sheets of aluminum foil and crinkling them up. Wrap each sheet along a stand and let them drape down next to one another. Bring down your depth of field and pose your model in front of the foil. You’ll find that this creates a bright, shimmery backdrop that will make your model shine!

Foil Backdrop

2. Foil Scrap Bokeh

Even if you’re running low on aluminum foil, it can still be of use. Rip scraps apart to create small aluminum flakes. Then, with the help of an assistant, toss the aluminum scraps into the foreground. The result will be silvery, shiny bokeh that beautifully frames your subject.

Foil Bokeh

3. LED Lights

You can also easily bring bokeh into a scene with the help of LED lights. Drape string lights across a bar held up with two studio stands, then position your model behind the lights. Experiment with different colors and sizes to create different looks for your images.

Foreground LEDs

4. DIY Cinematic Snoot

DIY Snoot

A snoot is a tube that fits around a studio light to create a more directional, controlled radius of illumination. Often times, cinematic snoots are employed on the sets of professional photo sets and film studios. However, making one of your own can be as simple as fitting a few pieces of foam core together around a portable flash.

5. Faux Window Pane

Faux Window

Want to give a standard set a bit more of a personality? You can do so by creating a sense of place within an image. This can be done by taking a fitted piece of foam core and cutting out rectangles to create window panes. When you shine light through it, it will create a rather convincing shadow of a window just outside of the composition.

6. Water Spray Texture

Water Spray Texture

When all else fails, simply bringing in water can have a huge impact on the look and feel of your photographs. If you have an assistant squirt a spray bottle into the foreground, small droplets of water will catch the light. This will create a more textured look and feel to your photographs.

Do you have any other creative portrait ideas using household objects?