Mainly, I do photography for fun, and I like experimenting with random stuff to get unusual effects in my photos. For my birthday last year, a got a brilliant shiny cosmetic purse from a friend. It instantly became my favorite traveling companion, but I also immediately saw the potential for using it in my photos.
There have been a few occasions this year that I have used this little purse for photography, combining it with the LED flashlight on my smartphone. And I must say: I’m surprised by the funky lighting effects you can achieve with just two everyday items!
The first time I tried out this purse for photos was back in February this year after attending Kraftwerk’s concert in Belgrade. This was the second time I’ve seen them live. But this time, the show also included a 3D projection that made the whole experience even more memorable. It made a huge impression on me, so I made a photo dedicated to the band and the way I see them. I used the purse and the smartphone light reflecting from it. My ex-boyfriend helped with the light painting, and this is one of the photos:
Since the purse casts some pretty neat light onto surfaces, I snapped a new Facebook profile photo while I was in the mood. : ) The lighting and the picture are far from perfect, but it was just for fun.
More recently, I have both moved house and I have traveled a lot, always carrying my shiny purse around. So, I got some more ideas for using it in photos. The surreal lighting it casts onto walls kinda reminds me of the Universe and distant galaxies. And the idea was born for illustrating My Little Universe, a Depeche Mode song I love very much:
“My little universe is expanding… slowly
Those who know me say I’m growing every day
Beautiful emptiness surrounds me
I take small steps
I’m making progress in an unspecific way”
I’m a fan of self-portraits (not selfies), as you could have probably concluded by now. But, I wanted to give another type of photography a shot using the shiny purse and the smartphone flashlight again. Only this time, I added a speedlight to the equation, too. I set up the purse and the smartphone so they created a funky background and light-painted a few items with the speedlight. Of course, you can go more DIY and use any other light if you don’t own a flash. Here are the results:
I think this one looks cool in b/w, too
Of course, these are only some examples of how to use two everyday items to get some interesting shots. You can build upon these ideas and make some unique portraits or product shots; my goal was merely to inspire you for some experimenting. So, get one of these silly purses (they are sold in H&M as far as I know), switch on your smartphone flashlight… And don’t forget to share the results with DIYP! : )
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