Creative Photography Ideas & Techniques To Get You Inspired

As photographers, we often say “this picture would look best with this lens.” And although that’s a valid strategy, sometimes it begs the question: what if we took a picture with what we consider the wrong lens?

For example, why not experiment with taking portraits with a wide-angle lens? It will look distorted – but if realism isn’t the main intention, there’s nothing wrong with adjusting the focal length.

Chiaroscuro is the technique of using light and shadow in a visual image, often by way of stark contrast. We’ve seen chiaroscuro used expertly in wood carvings, Caravaggio paintings, and Orson Welles’ best movie, Citizen Kane. In photography, chiaroscuro often works best when there’s clear contrast between a lighted element and a shadowed element.

Double exposure is actually a rather old photographing technique but it’s only become prevalent in recent years due to how easy it is to achieve with digital cameras. It’s so popular in fact that it’s become a cliche in movie/tv opening credits. Some cameras have a built-in double exposure setting. If your camera doesn’t have a double exposure preset, you can always achieve the effect in Photoshop or most other editing programs.

False color programs may be most frequently used on film sets to achieve perfect exposure, but they’re also incredibly useful for taking photographs. False color is essentially the process of seeing degrees of exposure represented by different colors.

We’re taught that overexposure – or when an image appears brighter than usual – is a bad thing. And it is… most of the time. There are times when overexposure can be used for an artistic purpose – like it is in the image above from Danny Boyle’s Sunshine. Play around with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to get a similar effect. Just be mindful that it likely won’t come out like Boyle’s image did on your first try.

Amateur photographers and professional photographers alike love taking photos of animals. Why? Because everybody loves pets. Well, mostly everybody. But the more important question is: how can we get creative with pet photography? One way is by using different lenses.

By using different camera lenses, we can capture animal subjects at different angles in different depths of field.

This still from Alejandro Iñárritu’s Birdman is often cited as one of the most “perfect” shots from contemporary cinema. Why? Two reasons: color and framing. The color of the pepper-lights make the image pop; and they frame our primary subject at the center of the frame.

Kudos to the great cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for his work on the film. Consider framing a picture of your own with Christmas lights and a central subject to get a similar effect.

Aerial photography offers a perspective we rarely see in our everyday lives. As such, aerial photography serves as the perfect basis for picture ideas that we can take from new vantages. Drones like the DJI Mavic Air aren’t cheap though – so if you’re anything like me, you might need to save up before taking your camera to the skies.

Production lighting is great for on-set shoots but sometimes it’s nice to get away from artificial luminescence in favor of something more natural. You won’t find many more stunning photographs than those of a night’s sky with little or no light pollution; added bonus: you’ll get to reconnect with nature!

Go out into the world during Halloween or Holi to capture visually compelling photographs without having to stage a scene of your own. And follow our tips for portrait photography to capture subjects in purposeful detail.

Whether you like sports or not, you should consider practicing your photography skills at sporting events. But before you venture out onto the local pitch, field, and or court, make sure you have a good lens. Check out our article on telephoto lenses to see the best tools for shooting sports photography.

The long shot is a bit different from the extreme long shot; whereas the former usually captures a full-subject in zoom, the latter captures a setting or subject from an extremely wide angle.

Here’s a long shot:

Forced perspective photography is a type of photography that relies on illusion to make subjects appear larger (or smaller) than life. You’ve probably seen forced perspective photos taken in front of world monuments like the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In 2020, the world famous Getty Museum tasked aspiring creatives with recreating famous pieces of art by way of photographs taken from home. The results were… surprisingly excellent. Take the image above for example: the similarities are uncanny (sans the pink and blue socks). Recreate a classic with a comedic flair for an attempt at photographic satire.

Sometimes you can find a great photograph hidden in the confines of your home. Photographer Jordi Koalitic has taken some great photos from a home setting (like the image above).

Just be mindful that many of his photos have heavy-editing flair. Consider framing your photos from home with different film lighting techniques.

Golden hour is the last hour of light before sunset – and it’s often when we capture the most effusively-glowing outdoors photography. During golden hour, consider using a wide aperture and underexposure to capture the warm glow of the fading sun.