There’s nothing I love more than grabbing a camera and setting off on the weekend to find a new place to photograph. But what happens if you’re confined to the house for an extended period and can’t get out? Fear not, there are still hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.
I have listed ten ideas for things to photograph below. I spent no more than 15 minutes photographing each item or idea. In some cases, it was closer to five minutes. For most images, I used either my Fujifilm XF 35mm f1.4 R lens or my Fujifilm XF 60mm f2.4 R Macro lens.
1. Family
The good news is that if you live with family or friends, you will always have subjects for your photography. The only trick is being a bit selective. Don’t take photos of them all the time and wear out your welcome!
For the image below, I sat my son on the trampoline with the afternoon sun lighting up the netting behind him. I took a series of shots with him looking into the camera. However, this one I like the best, with him looking away. I must admit, I did have to bribe him to pose for me, but it was worth a bowl of ice cream.
2. Pets
Another ready-made subject for you at home is your family pet. There can be both pros and cons for photographing animals. An advantage is that they can’t complain about being photographed like family or friends. A disadvantage is that they don’t want to sit still very often!
I tend to take images of our dalmatian Marshall when he’s doing something funny, yet rarely do I take a portrait. I love this photo of him; I took it as he was having a rest on the sofa.
3. Jewelry
If you have a macro lens, or a lens capable of getting close to small objects, why not photograph your jewelry? This could include items given to you by your loved ones or family heirlooms passed down from your relatives.
I chose to photograph my Nixon Star Wars watch. There are lots of cool details on the watch that I forgot about, including the second hand is a light saber!
If you have a lot more patience than me, you could take a series of images and focus stack them in an image editing program to create an image sharp across the frame.
4. Figurines
When my Grandma visited London in 1983, she brought me back lots of little gifts, including these three metal soldiers. They’ve sat on my bookshelf next to my travel guide books for years. When I was looking for things you can photograph in your home, they commanded my attention immediately.
I photographed the metal soldiers in my front doorway on a table, with a booklet about London in the background. You can make out the double-decker bus in the background, which gives the image an added British feel.
Try experimenting with any small figures you have at home: lego people, dolls, small toys. Imagine what it’s like to be that tiny.
5. Vintage cameras
Many photographers have vintage cameras in their house, either because they still shoot film with them or because they make fantastic decorations. When it comes to things you can photograph in your home, vintage cameras are my favorite!
I have so many cameras dotted around my home office it was difficult to choose just one to photograph. However, in the end, I went with my classic 1960s Japanese half-frame film camera, the Olympus Pen FT.
The Pen FT is a beautifully designed camera, even down to the lens cap, which I lay on the table next to the camera.
If you don’t have any vintage cameras in your home, you could always photograph your favorite lens or another vintage item in your house.
6. Flowers
I wandered outside to my much-neglected garden and found some flowers we hadn’t managed to kill off yet. Gardening is not my superpower, that’s for sure!
I shot this image handheld, with the stamen in focus, and most of the background is a wonderful blur. As with the jewelry shots, you could set up a tripod and take a series of images to focus stack.
If you don’t have a garden, any kind of plant or flower – real or artificial – will do. If you have some cacti or succulents, you could even combine this idea with the figurines idea. Try posing some lego figures in your cactus garden!
7. Coffee
One advantage of being cooped up in the house is that I can make a coffee anytime I like. However, this can be a danger – I need to keep track of how many I’m having!
I took a series of images of coffee and milk frothing. This one of espresso coming out of my home coffee machine into a metal jug is my favorite.
8. Food
Hopefully during your stay at home, you have access to some nice food, or maybe you are still able to order some amazing takeaway from nearby restaurants.
Set up an area where you can shoot a flat lay of your meal. Try to make it as colorful and cool-looking as possible, with lots of different colors and props.
9. Sweet treats
Unless you’ve gone full minimalist, you’ll probably find things in your house and wonder where they came from. I have no idea why we had these brightly-colored candy canes in a vase in our kitchen, but I decided to photograph them nonetheless.
I put a white sheet over the table and photographed them with natural light streaming in the front doorway. Look for any brightly-colored candy or sweets in your house. I also took some shots of colorful easter eggs in a basket.
10. Home photoshoot
Another idea for something you can photograph in your home is a styled photoshoot. Christmas in July, teddy bears’ picnic, fashion shoots: the only limit is your imagination.
Pick a theme and run with it. Turn a corner of your house into your studio and go wild!
Conclusion
Being confined to the house can be challenging for many people. Rest assured, though, there are literally hundreds of things you can photograph in your home.
The first port of call for many will be family and pets, but there are also lots of other opportunities. You can also photograph personal items with sentimental value, such as jewelry, to vintage items that usually sit on the shelf, like toy soldiers, or vintage cameras. Bright colored items such as pencils and sweets make good subjects, as do flowers and plants.
Getting more creative with photographic opportunities at home is one way to fill time, work on your photography, and discover a new perspective. Are you up for the challenge?
What items do you like to photograph in your home? Tell us in the comments below.
