Are you currently stuck at home and lacking inspiration as to how you can create beautiful photos inside? I love to get creative with photography so in this blog post I will share 24 home photoshoot ideas. Your house doesn’t need to be instagrammable to take beautiful photos, these original photography ideas will work for everyone!
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP – When shooting indoors I would recommend using manual mode so that you have full control over what your photo looks like. Shoot near the window to use as much natural light as possible. Then use the lowest aperture and ISO you can.
Find out how to take photos inside (lots of indoor photography tips) or check out my ebook on How to Take Better Photos (for Instagram) for more tips!
Props are a great way to add something extra to your pictures as well as make them more fun! You might think ‘But I don’t have anything cute at home’. Don’t worry! Props come in all shapes and sizes, there are so many things that you can use as a prop. Here are some ideas of props you can use for your home photoshoots.
Mirrors are a great way to get creative in photography. Play around with the reflection to make a boring scene fun! The majority of people have mirrors at home. Head to my Mirror Creative Photography Board on Pinterest for more inspiration.
Another item that you can easily find at home are bed sheets (ideally plain white ones). These can be used as a backdrop to create a nice clean background or you can use them to create depth and movement in your photo. Why not try dancing around with the sheet or getting the photographer (or tripod) to hold the sheet near the camera whilst the model holds the other end of the bed sheet.
Plain white sheets also help to boost the natural light in your photo helping it to look more crisp and sharp.
One of my favourite props to use in photography are flowers! They immediately make any photo more colourful and classic. Pose with a bouquet, use them to decorate your wall, or throw some petals in the air!
Another great and easy prop to use in indoor photography is food & drink! You can literally use anything! Get creative!
Home photoshoot ideas with food:
– Eat some noodles
– Cut up some fruit
– Put sprinkles on your face
– Pour a drink and capture the movement
– Lick an ice cream or lollipop
– Pour a bowl of cereal
– Have fun with pizza
Matches are a super unique prop and work especially well in portraits. Just be careful not to burn yourself! I would advise having water nearby just in case.
Check out my Instagram picture below. I sellotaped matches to a piece of cardboard and lit one side, these were then held close to the camera to create more depth in the photo.
If you have a bath then you should definitely make use of it! Have fun with bubbles, make a milk bath or fill it with fruit or flowers.
Another idea to create fun portraits is using polaroids to frame your face. Move them around to find the best perspective.
Shadow and light have always been popular subjects in photoshoots, and they are easy to incorporate into your home photoshoots. Here are a few ideas!
Have fun cutting different shapes into paper or card. I would recommend creating recognisable shapes like stars and hearts. Use a torch (the one on your phone will work!) to shine a light through the paper. Make sure the surrounding light is not be too bright so that you can see the shapes.
The complex detail in lace makes it look so beautiful when light shines through it creating shadows on our skin. Stand by the window for a nice natural light.
If you don’t have any lace you can buy some quite cheap on Amazon.
It can be hard to take professional looking photos indoor (unless you have studio lights). The best way to overcome this is by embracing the natural light you do have any shooting by the window. Why not move your bed to make a cosy setup?
Portrait photography is a great home photoshoot idea as the focus is all on the portraits and you don’t need to worry about the background or having an instagrammable house. Here are some different portrait photoshoot ideas that you can try at home.
Sometimes simplicity is key. Human eyes are so expressive and super fun to shoot. Take a close up portrait of your eye(s) and try to capture the different emotions you’re feeling.
Get a bit silly with this portrait! Pour some water in a glass and play around with the perspectives!
Make your portrait more dynamic by creating depth. Keep your portrait nice and crisp and get the model to reach towards the camera with something. This could be anything from a hat, to flowers, to sunglasses! Alternatively you could also create a border around the camera to frame your portrait.
If you have a projector you can create a really unique portrait photo by projecting a cool image onto your model. This could be anything from some writing, to the logo of your favourite designer (like below).
Make your subject more interesting with some glitter or paint!
If you have a bit of outdoor space at your house you might want to try these two outside home photoshoot ideas.
Head outside and get your subject (or you!) to stand on something high like a table or chair, whilst your camera is down low. Get your subject to do a unique pose (ideally with legs and arms apart) whilst shooting upwards so just the sky is behind.
I have always admired photos shot through windows. I love the soft, vintage effect the glass creates. If you’re able to go outside then you should definitely try taking photos through a window. If you have a polarizing filter I would recommend using it here to reduce (or even remove) the light reflecting off the glass. You could even spray water on the window to make it look like it’s raining.
Use my Golden Film preset on Lightroom to further enhance the vintage look.
Editing is a great way to make a plain photo more exciting and instagrammable. You don’t need a pretty wall or cool props to achieve these looks! Below are a few home photoshoot ideas that you can improve with editing.
Something that I personally struggle with is not having a pretty wall in my flat. However I can overcome this by editing the wall to look how I want! You can then do a fun pose in front of any plain wall and edit the wall to look cool!
You can make a wall pretty by:
– Using the brush tool in Lightroom. Highlight the wall and play with the settings to make it whiter or a specific colour. I would also decrease the clarity and texture to smoothen it.
– Use the touch retouch app to remove any imperfections
– Use the PicsArts app to add fun art (like below) it’s available to download for free on both iOS and Android.
Make sure to check out all my favourite mobile editing apps.
Another fun indoor photography idea is to take a portrait and then photoshop it to create a double exposure effect. You can use any landscape or cityscape that you desire. You can follow this tutorial on Youtube to create your own double exposure portrait.
Create a super fun edit by taking a portrait on a plain background and then edit in your own magazine headlines on photoshop or the PicsArt app.
Here are a few extra home photoshoot ideas for you to try!
Why not use your old photos to create new photos? Show one of your pictures on a TV or laptop and then create your own reflection using a flat surface with water on. This will reflect your picture giving a cool new twist to an old photo!
Choose a colour scheme and then plan your photoshoot around it! You can edit the wall to that colour and find props that match!
A great way to make a photo more fun is to add movement and throw something! This can be anything you find at home! For example newspaper, confetti, flowers, deck of cards, a hat etc…
Another way to reuse old photos in a creative way is to display your photo on a screen (TV or laptop) then spray water droplets onto a glass screen. Take a photo through the glass so that the picture behind is reflected into the water droplets!
I hope this article has given you lots of inspiration for fun and beautiful photos you can take inside. Which of these home photoshoot ideas will you try first? Make sure to check out my indoor photography tips article for more information on how to take photos inside and make your pictures look more professional.
If you want to learn more about photography check out my ebook on how to take better photos (for Instagram).
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Love these ideas!! x
Great tips! Love the flowers, the portraits and fun with it ?
Really fun ideas for ways to spend time stuck at home. Might have to give the magazine cover a try with the kids - could be a great way to capture what it’s like as expats during the coronavirus. Thanks for the tips!