Fine Art Photography

GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOT FAR FROM HOME

Sure, it’s fun to photograph in such picturesque places as the Canadian Rockies, the California coast or a quaint village in Europe. But you also get great shots close to home! If you put on your “photography hat” and really begin to look, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the photographic opportunities in your own house, in your backyard or right in the neighborhood.

Here are some ideas. Inside the house, begin in the kitchen. A still-life composed of different cooking utensils will make an interesting shot. Use your butcher block countertop for an ideal background. Or how about the row of plants on the window ledge? Careful composition and exposure will produce a picture of which you’ll be proud.

Late afternoon light spilling shadows on the carpet or hardwood floor will work fine for your camera. Or the subtle shadows and textures of wrinkled sheets on an unmade bed will enable you to make an interesting shot.

Really “look” at your house on the outside and I guarantee you’ll see many things just waiting to be photographed. Maybe it’s the pattern of bricks under the window sill delicately interwoven with a vine of ivy. Or perhaps a close-up of a decorative door handle would make an excellent detail picture.

How about some of the flowers in your garden or a cluster of fallen autumn leaves? Moving in close and simplifying can reward you with a real winner.

A foggy morning prompted me to head outside with my camera. I found this moody scene not far at all from my home. Careful framing and exposure produced this shot for me. It could have been taken in the woods in some faraway place. But it was almost in my own backyard.

So you don’t have to venture far from home to produce strong pictures. Just keep your “photographic vision” geared up and you’ll see many possibilities right at home.