I have some new photography equipment. You may even have taken basic photography lessons. But whether you’re at home, college, or work, it can be hard to come up with cool photo ideas for beginners. It looks easy, but it’s surprisingly difficult to decide where to point the camera or smartphone.
With these photography ideas for beginners, you’ll be snapping pictures in no time. From toys to animals to the night sky, you’ll find tons of cool photo ideas. All you need to do is start snapping!
1. Rubik’s Cube
Let’s start with the simple things. Many of us have a Rubik’s Cube. Otherwise cheap!
Art lessons often begin with rendering a cube or sphere immortalized by casting shadows from one or two light sources. The Rubik’s Cube presents a similar challenge to photographers, but also shows off the camera’s ability to capture amazing colors.
Its crisp lines also introduce the concept of leading lines.
2. Still life
Once you’ve mastered one object, it’s time to throw more objects into the composition. We are once again taking inspiration from art courses.
A still life is a collection of items, usually against a solid background. Fruit is a plausible example, but you can also use books, old electronics, or busts.
Experiment with different lighting. Adjust the proximity of the lamp and ask how the shadow changes. Which objects are highlighted and which are hidden? What would your work look like with lamps as part of your still life?
The items you choose say a lot about you. Paul Cézanne’s interest in skulls speaks to his fascination with death. Steve McCurry’s Broken Sculpture tells of a lost society. Vincent van Gogh’s obsession with sunflowers epitomizes his tortured attitude towards life.
Skulls are too morbid, but what does your still life photography tell the viewer about you?
3. Self-portrait
All art is a reflection of its creator, consumer and civilization. It extends to self-portraits. So here he takes a moment to tackle one of the most common (and controversial) photographic subjects in modern life. Of course, we are talking about selfies.
You might think that you have very little skill in portraying yourself. But so many talented people use self-portraits to reveal hidden sides of themselves. What kind of expression do you use? what’s in the background? What is the focus of your work?
This will also help you understand your camera’s timers and selfie modes.
4. my child
you took a self portrait How do you apply those skills to others?
Your own child is the perfect subject. If you don’t have children, ask relatives if you can take pictures of them. Children vary greatly, not only in age, but also in temperament and energy.
You will want to naturally capture your child having fun. But what about the more intimate moments when they’re anxious, reading a book, listening to music? These are the perfect times to practice creative photography at home.
But get consent first.
5. Crowd
I have mastered taking portraits of one or two people. Then try the crowd.
People are unruly. Even on a straight line, it stops and exits at strange intervals. We suddenly change direction, start a conversation, break up, and get out of direction.
There are endless photo ideas in any crowd. Capture the movement of the crowd itself. Find interesting shots of individuals. how do people behave? What stands out? How is a large group of humans different from a single person?
You are capturing people in their natural habitat, together.
6. Movement of vehicles
Vehicles offer a wide color palette, interesting lines, reflections, textures, and many other aspects that photographers love.
But moving a car is an entirely different challenge.
What are your main interests? Does a completely blurry composition show what you’re trying to achieve, or does focusing on one side “speed up” the rest of the image? Capturing it also lets you experiment with shutter speeds.
7. Carnival
A fun fair is perfect for dark nights. More challenging for beginners and professional photographers alike. Consider shutter speed and composition, and add ISO to the mix.
ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor to light. The higher the ISO, the better the camera is for shooting in low light. However, the higher the ISO, the more “noise” or grain that speckles the image.
With so much going on around you, you will want to be ambitious. Remember: there is beauty in simplicity.
8. Animals
you have mastered people. Try animals now.
If you’re looking for fun photo ideas, you can’t go wrong with pet photography. A candid shot is ideal. Trying to instruct an animal to acquire a particular configuration is equally difficult.
Reach the same level as your pet. Aim to catch the eye. Those are great focal points.
The best results are obtained from extreme values. approach or move away. The former gives a very intimate insight into the animal world. The latter gives context and shows playfulness.
9. spider web
This is one of the most difficult photography challenges. why? Because you’re trying to capture a virtually intangible object.
Spider webs are often invisible to the naked eye, so how can a camera see them?
The obvious answer is moisture in the air. It means early morning or late evening when the fog settles on land. Do not spray water on them. Let nature take its course.
light factor. Where should the light source be placed to illuminate the subject?
10. Sunrise and sunset
If you’re trying to photograph spider webs in the morning and at night, the sun is the perfect subject in the sky.
It’s dazzling. In addition, it leaves gorgeous streaks of color across the roof of the world, especially during its ascent and descent. In fact, if you’ve ever struggled with motivation, find out. That’s your challenge.
Do not look directly at the sun or point your camera at it when it is high in the sky.
Please be patient. He has a “second sunset” 20-30 minutes after the sun has set over the horizon with great results.
Don’t be afraid to take lots of images. You may only get 1 in 50, but that’s one of the great things about digital and mobile photography.
11. Reflection
Playing with photographic reflections provides an opportunity to present a unique perspective.
Experimenting with reflection photography combined with sunrises and sunsets can create a multitude of points of interest for a bright, rich final product. Using mirrors in every situation on this list can carve out an interesting niche.
12. Fountain
When it comes to creative photo ideas, nothing beats water. It contains infinitely varying rows. Reflects light in an interesting way. It is found in so many contexts.
Fountains are a good place to start. Freeze He misses one frame and he gets another chance soon. This will give you time to prepare. Start with a shutter speed of 1/500 second and a low ISO. It captures just enough detail without compromising the overall effect.
Smaller apertures generally result in greater depth of field. Great in natural light, not so much in artificial lighting.
13. Fire
Let’s turn our attention to another unpredictable element: fire.
Please take safety precautions. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area and can easily extinguish the flame. Please don’t mess around. Better yet, just take a picture of a candle or home fireplace.
To capture individual flames and smoke, start with a shutter speed of at least 1/250. If you want to show full brilliance, a slower speed will help. What if fire was the only light source?
14. Extreme weather
Light and dark, anger and happiness, construction and destruction, all extremes are perfect for photographing. Few things are as extreme as the weather.
You don’t have to live in hurricane territory to show the fury of nature. There are many ideas for photography in more mundane weather. Heavy rains are just as interesting as monsoons. Also signs of drought. Photography is about documenting the world around us. If there’s one thing that unites us, it’s the weather.
Most conditions are short-lived and come without warning. Snow may last for days, but it can come and go intermittently in minutes.
15. Graffiti
This is divisive. For some, it’s an art. For others, it’s vandalism. Either way, it’s a perfect photography challenge for beginners.
You get points regardless of your opinion. Need to trim close? Do you provide broader context? What’s in the background or foreground? This is about storytelling.
However, if you want to profit from your photos, check out the copyright laws. Some graffiti her artists are trying to trademark their work.
16. Townscape
Skyline is compelling, evocative, and nostalgic. If you have time, spend most of your day in that position. Check how the composition changes depending on the light and think about which ones you want to keep on film.
Lower for incredible scale and intimidation. Look around the intersection to see how busy or empty something is. Find a dominant line or pattern to draw the eye.
17. Woodland
The forest is a microcosm of life!
It has a spectacular range of trunks, rough bark, twisted branches and leaf veins. Daylight and twilight are the best times to take pictures, but using artificial light sources at night can result in unusual photos.
18. Astronomical Event
Look up at night. Isn’t that great? Capturing the infinite wonders of the universe? How do you photograph stars and natural satellites?
Start with a tripod. Depending on what you’re trying to shoot, you’ll need different ISO and aperture settings.
Let’s start with our moon. Set your DSLR to Base ISO. Probably either 100 or 200. The former would require a shutter speed of 1/125. The latter is 1/250. Both come with an f/11 aperture.
There’s too much to get into here, but as long as you’re inspired, you’re doing it right. But if you want to dig deeper, check out our article on tips for better night sky photography.
Discover unique photo ideas
Combine some of these ideas and mix things up. The key is to be experimental.
And if you’ve tried all these situations, you’re no longer a beginner.You’re an experienced photographer.