Even when you move back to digital you’ll benefit from being more selective rather than clicking away because you have plenty of room on your memory card. For starters, when you’re shooting with film you’ll be much more selective and careful about the photos that you take. If you’re new to macro photography see Macro Photography for Beginners.Īlthough digital photography offers plenty of benefits, there are still some things that can be learned by practicing with film. You can even capture seasonal moods and subjects, like autumn leaves, blooming flowers, or objects covered in snow or ice. Textures are everywhere, so they are easy to find if you look for them. You can practice with flowers and plants around your house or at a local park. Macro photography is a great option for a weekend project because it can be done anywhere. You may already have a lens that can handle macro shots, or extension tubes to increase the magnification. I mentioned macro photography earlier when I mentioned lens rentals, but it deserves its own section as well.
If you haven’t taken self portraits before, see How to Take a Self Portrait for some helpful tips. Don’t let the amount of selfies that you are bombarded with on a daily basis discourage you from taking quality self portraits. Set up your tripod and experiment in your home or wherever you want. Taking self portraits can be an effective way to practice and improve without needing anyone else. If still life is new to you, you may find this article to be helpful: 10 Tips to Get Started with Still Life Photography. Still life is not something that most photographers practice on a regular basis, but it can provide some excellent opportunities to work on things like composition, lighting, angles and perspective, as well as to gain more experience with your camera and lenses. You could photograph flowers, fruit, jewelry, toys, and any other objects you find around the house.
You don’t need anything fancy or expensive to make this work. If you want to work on your photography without even leaving the house, still life is a great option.
Photo by Promise Tangeman ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/60 exposure. If you have kids this is a perfect approach to have some fun photos, and the kids can enjoy it as well.įor some ideas and tutorials see 55 Awesome DIY Photography Backdrops and 55 Fun and Creative DIY Photography Backdrops. Just find a friend or family member and practice some portraits with your new backdrop. Creating your own backdrop is a perfect weekend project. There are loads of tutorials online that show how to create great, and in many cases inexpensive, photo booths or backdrops. It’s possible to take great photos right from your own home, even without having an expensive studio setup. You may also have a local camera center or shop in your area that offers rentals. Of course, if you’re renting a lens online you’ll need to plan ahead to allow time for it to be shipped to you. There are several websites where you can rent lenses, including Borrow Lenses, Lens Rentals, and Adorama Rentals. As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities. You could rent a macro lens and practice photographing flowers or insects. You could rent a telephoto lens of take it to a sporting event or a zoo to put it to the test. You could rent a tilt shift lens and experiment with depth of field and perspective control.
You could rent a fisheye lens and experiment with landscape or urban photos. Renting can be a great way to try it before you buy it, and if you’re looking to do something fun for a weekend, renting a lens can be a great option. One opportunity that many photographers overlook is the option of renting equipment, and specifically lenses. Photography gear, and certainly lenses, can be quite expensive, so most of us will never be able to buy everything that we want. I’m sure you have several pieces of gear or accessories that you have been waiting to get your hands on. Photo by Giuseppe Milo ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/500 exposure.