Lighting & Props for creating content at home
Congrats on your new home studio! Oh, you didn't know? You can create your own amazing content for your business or your personal accounts using what you have in your home!
Once you figure out your lighting and understand your space, using props around the house can really add some personality and provide you with content that isn't so literal.
Using Props you already have 🌿
Your photo DOES NOT have to be a direct visual representation of what you're talking about in the post. You can post a photo of your morning coffee and talk about the recent changes in your business operations. Ideally, there is some connection, but simply saying "good morning! Here are our thoughts" ties the photo to the text.
Get creative! Make sure you're taking a variety of shots to create a diverse feed. Get product shots, details/close-ups, behind the scenes, and tips from your own family or your industry.
Sometimes it helps to just keep an eye out for these shots, and take them when you see them. Then you can figure out what you want to say later, but at least you have the photo saved somewhere.
Has your content creation changed since social distancing and self-isolation has started? I was pretty sad to not be able to go out and do any photo series with new clients, but I have had to be creative with helping small businesses make content from our separate homes, a challenging but rewarding task.
Find your light
1. Understand colour temperature
The light from the sun and the light from your indoor lightbulb have different colour temperatures. The sun/natural light has more of a blue tint, and regular incandescent bulbs are more orange. Fluorescents are more white or green even. Try to eliminate having multiple light sources and colour temperatures in one photo for a more even and consistent look.
2. Find your light
Know your space and understand how light works. Big windows and bright spaces are the best places to capture photos using natural light. This also means timing your photoshoots to the sun and to the best time for lighting in your space. It can be annoying to time your day around the sunlight but it's worth it!
3. Soft vs hard light
A direct beam of sunlight might sound great for a photo, but direct and bright sunlight can cause overexposure and harsh looking photos. A bright but cloudy day or a set that doesn't get direct light is best!
4. Direction is everything
Just like finding your best selfie angle, finding your light will make the difference between looking like yourself and looking like a shady witch. Try to position yourself so that you are facing your light source, play around to find how it makes you look different!
I hope these tips can help you find your light, tag me in your photoshoots!
