If you’ve been shooting for a while, you know that there are so many locations that are challenging to say the least. They can be too chaotic, dirty, ugly, or just plain boring. But hey, that doesn’t mean you can’t take great photos even in these places. In this video, Evan Ranft gives you four simple, but effective tips that will help you take creative photos even in the most boring locations.
Evan found himself in a boring location and he wanted to make it more interesting and create some intriguing shots. He used the Aputure MC 4-Light Travel Kit and experimented with it quite a bit. He created fake lens flare and light leaks and used them to add color cast on the subject. He even added multiple lights on the ground to transform the location completely.
Of course, you don’t need to buy a brand new light kit for something like this. You can simply use the headlights or tail lights of your car to add to the atmosphere or use the lights you already have.
Here are a few more tips from Evan that will help you use the boring location for interesting shots
- Use universal symbols: look for the symbols that are easy to understand for everyone, not only for those who are familiar with the location. For example, Evan focused on cars.
- Remove context: if the location is boring, choose details that are interesting in that particular place. Focus on shooting them out of context and creating an interesting with these elements alone.
- Utilize shadows: shadows can be a valuable part of your composition. Look for them and incorporate them into the scene to create more dynamic images.
- Utilize reflections: similar to shadows, reflections will also add layers to your photos. They can be a little chaotic though, so bring a polarizer to be able to control the reflection.
Over the past few months, I’ve been struggling to find inspiration for photography. It’s probably because I’ve been stuck in my boring hometown that I know like the back of my hand. If you’ve felt the same, I believe that tips like this are a great way to inspire you and spark some ideas.
So, no matter how much I miss taking travel photos – I think I’m gonna go out with my camera now and look for some interesting new compositions in my boring old town.
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