Easy Ways to Take Better Photos in Small Spaces

Whether you’ve always lived in a modest home or you’ve recently downsized, it’s possible to take great photos in a smaller space. If you enjoy taking photos of the people you love but are tired of all your photos looking similar because you’re working in a small space, here are a few handy tips to help you produce fresh images you love.

Pay Attention to the Light

We all know that light can completely change a photo’s mood, which is why it’s important to pay attention to the light in your home if you want to take beautiful and creative shots.

Spend time paying attention to how the light changes in different rooms of your house throughout the day. You may realize that you’d be better off shooting your pictures at a certain time of the day when you can make the most of the natural light.

Move Things Around

When you want to shoot professional-looking photos at home, you may need to shuffle things around to eliminate a lot of the noise and clutter from the background. Want to feel like you’re working in a brand-new space? Why not rearrange your furniture or move a few things around?

Look at some of your older photos – do you notice an object in the background that you could move? Even something as simple as changing the bedding can completely alter your photos. It can take a little bit of effort, but you can drastically improve the quality and feel of your photos just by rearranging a few items.

Look at Things from a Different Perspective

A professional photographer can produce such breathtaking images because he or she is constantly looking at everything with a critical eye. They didn’t always have that ability – it’s one they developed with practice. And you can too if you work at it.

Take the time to look at things from an alternate perspective if you want to create fresh photos that have a different feel than the ones you usually shoot. Think about the angles you generally use to shoot pictures of friends or family members – how can you change this up? Changing your perspective is an easy way to liven up your images and add a creative touch to a seemingly ordinary shot. You can even play with perspective and light for something really different.

For instance, when taking pictures of your child playing in their playroom, don’t shoot from above them as you usually might. Get down on all fours and shoot pictures from the floor where they are sitting. It will completely transform your photos and give you more insight into how they view their world. Your child will love seeing you entering their domain, and their face will light up – so have the camera ready to go as soon as you get down there.

Don’t Overthink It

To create a collection of memorable photos, sometimes you need to slow down and only focus on one or two things. When you’re overly focused on trying to make the photo something new and creative, it can detract from the result. For example, instead of shooting posed, smiling photos, why not try capturing candid black and white photos?

If you still want a posed picture, shoot some like that, and then keep shooting as your family begins to interact with each other after the posing is finished. You’ll get more natural expressions and see the magic of the relaxed interactions they have with each other. Sometimes, a little less direction is a good thing in photography – it allows for unforgettable spontaneous shots.

Recreate Something from the Past

When you can’t necessarily think of something new, browse through some of your older photos and find ways to recreate past photos using a new angle or different lighting. Now that you have more experience, you will certainly come across a few photos that you know you can shoot better.

Shoot Some Close-Ups

For those days when you just can’t muster the energy to rearrange your items to allow for a less cluttered background, you can still take some beautiful photos. Instead of shooting images that show a background, take close-ups of your loved one. A headshots photo that shows their face close up can bring out things you don’t normally notice in other pictures – such as the highlights in the eyes and their luminous skin.

Practice Makes Perfect

Regardless of the size of your space, remember to keep picking up your camera –that is the only way to learn to work with what you have. No one produces professional photographs without practicing a lot to get to that level. The beauty of digital photography is that you can take hundreds of photos in one session, and it’s simple to delete the ones that don’t work out. Eventually, you’ll have more that you’ll want to save than delete, even while working in a small space.

Originally article posted on Suvi Tory Photography