As artists, we all have our favorite places to create — the spaces where we feel most inspired or pushed to do our best work. For me, I love photographing my boys in nature. Exploring a new beach or hiking trail allows them to burn off energy and provides me an opportunity to bring my camera along. But this year, we’ve all spent a lot more time at home. Travel was replaced with seeing the same four walls each day, and I had to get creative within our small rental home.Â
Our military family has moved, on average, every two years for the past 15 years. We’ve lived in homes we loved and homes we loved a bit less. We’ve lived in homes that have offered us a lot of flexibility and ones where we had to be very creative in how we settled in. We are currently living in one of those spaces that has proven to be a bit more challenging to settle into. I often find my creativity challenged by the inability to make this space truly mine.
So what do you do when faced with documenting life in a space that sometimes doesn’t feel inspiring? When you can’t change wall colors, or you have limited natural light? Or maybe the layout of your home is just tricky for photos? Having lived in so many different places, I have developed a few tricks to document my family even in spaces that are challenging. Here are my tips for creative photos in uninspiring spaces:
1. Shoot from above.
Shooting from above is one of my favorite perspectives. Capturing children at play, at work or napping when done from above can limit parts of a space you find difficult to work around, like clutter or a background you don’t love. It directs the viewer to the story you are trying to tell.
When shooting from above, I nearly always set up before bringing in my boys — especially if the baby is involved! I will find space with nice natural light (directional light works well from shooting from above) and then visualize the story. Using directional light draws the eye to the main focus of your image. I normally choose a wider lens, most often my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens if only one or two of my boys is the subject. If I am trying to include all the boys, I will choose my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens.
2. Use light to your advantage.
If you find yourself in a space that does not provide plentiful natural light or particularly creative light, you can still find ways to use what you have. Watch the light in your home as it changes through the day and throughout the year. Knowing where the light will be best and when you are able to use that light in your images can help to continually inspire you with new ideas.
During the fall and winter, the sun will shine down my hallway in the afternoon. My hallway is not particular exciting, but using the light I am still able to create images I love.
Here’s a pullback photo of my uninspiring hallway. There is a circuit breaker box right in the middle of it, the ceiling is low and it is dark, but during these months, I can use the light coming down the hall to focus on my boys and block out what I don’t want to see.
“Watch the light in your home as it changes through the day and throughout the year.”
You don’t have to rely only on natural light. Finding other ways to incorporate any type of light in your images can create powerful photos. I recently used my son’s aquarium tank light for an image for our youngest and oldest together. I positioned them so the light was falling on them directly and the rest of the room fell into the shadows.
3. Focus on the details.
When you feel creatively limited by the space you are in, focusing on details will help you create a strong image. When I am feeling stumped in my home, I will take a few days to focus on the details of our day to day life. Using my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens or Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, I will focus on the boys at play — LEGOs make a great subject! During our school days, writing or various art projects are the perfect opportunity to capture small moments of their day.
I have recently begun experimenting with freelensing for capturing detail photos. I find this works beautifully for giving my images a dreamy look that draws the viewer into the slice of focus you’ve captured. This allows the you to direct the viewer’s eye through the image.
I love that with freelensing and close-up detail photos you do not need to worry how furniture is arranged or if the wall color is what you’d prefer.
4. Use creative post processing.
The biggest obstacle in my home is the color casts the wall color gives to every room. We are not allowed to paint, so there is no fixing this particular problem. I know many of you who are in rentals can relate to this.
Maybe the walls are a more plain color and you yearn for color, or you are minimalist and the brightly colored rooms of your home do not agree with your artist vision. I’ve found that playing with both the temperature and tint sliders in Lightroom, as well as the HSL panel, has helped me to correct many of images. I can dial down colors where I need to make adjustments, and can play up other colors that will help make my images feel and look more natural.
If I cannot correct the color images, I will often convert to black and white. That can help take away the distraction of harsh color casts and keep focus on your story.
6 Things you CAN change in a rental
1. Greens: Plants are a great way to breathe some life into your rental. A little bit of nature goes a long way to freshening up any space, and they photograph beautifully. Solo plants or groups of them can be perfect subjects or backdrops for photographing in your home.
2. (Removable) statement wall: Removable wall paper is a fantastic way to change up a space in your rental! Have a wall that gets beautiful light but the color is less than ideal? Removable wall paper! There are many many more choices today than even a couple years ago. Rich colors, patterns, shiplap… Making a simple and easy change like this can offer so many photo opps!
3. Floor coverings: Rugs are a fantastic way to cover up a floor you are not enthusiastic about. They also make wonderful backdrops for pictures. Shooting down on my children playing in the playroom is one of my favorite ways to capture them.
4. Wall decor: You can create a beautiful wall using baskets or varying shapes and sizes hung together, plates or even one large art piece. Any of these choices can make a space in your rental your own and can bring unique or fun elements to your photos.
5. Painted furniture: If you can’t paint your walls, there are usually no rules against painting your furniture in a rental. A strong statement piece of furniture can do wonders in an otherwise bland room. You can paint your child’s bed frame or dresser, or even your kitchen table, which can serve as the perfect spot for so many pictures.
6. Textiles: Change up your textiles! Pillows, throws and curtains can all be changed relatively easily. Textiles in your home can really add so much of your personality to a space and can allow your house (or apartment) to feel more homey. Pillows and throws can provide a beautiful back drop for pictures. And, if you have a variety of pillows and throws then you have a variety of looks for your images! Curtains can be used beautifully in photos too. The movement of curtains, shooting through sheer curtains or shooting down at curtains as your subject sits on the floor are all ways to make the textiles in your rental space work for you.
Never let something hold you back from taking creative photos in uninspiring spaces! Be proud of your life and document the story of your family. I hope that if you struggle shooting inside your home, these tips will encourage you to take a new approach. It is possible to create beautiful images in a space that you may not have the chance to make your own.Â
Photos by Ryan Elizabeth Ward
More tips for creative photos in uninspiring spaces or challenging homes:
28 Unexpected places to create amazing photos at home
The parents aren’t alright: How to photograph your kids during a pandemic
How to photograph a full newborn gallery in just one room
6 Ways to create beautiful photos in small spaces or dark apartments
Love this article Ryan! It opens your eyes to being more creative with what you have.
Such great tips Ryan! Love seeing the pullback of the hallway location! Your use of perspective is always so great, so I am glad that was your first tip.