Create dramatic photography effects with these 15 simple household items.

Search around your home and you’ll probably find these 15 common household items to use on your next photoshoot to create some pretty dramatic effects.

1. Christmas or Fairy Lights — Fairy lights are fun to have around any time of the year! If you don’t have any or don’t fancy getting out your Christmas box then the string lights are just as much fun to play with. Simply ask your subject to engage with them or hold them in front of your camera for some out of focus effects! Best shot in a darker scene to allow the blurry light effect to really shine and show.

“Fairy Lights: Hands” by Isabell Hubert Lyall, CC BY 2.0.

2. Music CD — With some patience and the help of sunshine you can create a colourful rainbow effect due to the refraction of light. Simply angle the rainbow onto your subject or any part of the image you want to capture and shoot away!

“Eyes and colours” by Mika Franganillo, CC BY 2.0.

3. Petroleum Jelly — This is something nearly all of us have. Did you know that you could rub this on your lens (it won’t damage it) for some lovely out of focus effects? To remove it, simply wipe down your lens with a damp microfiber cloth.

“Softly” by Anne Worner, CC BY 2.0. The photo was not originally taken using this technique but does demonstrate a soft-focus technique.

4. Picture Frame Glass — To create a dreamy rainy day effect, spritz the glass with water drops and shoot through it. This works really well for portraiture and paired with moody colour tones.

Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

5. Mirror — Reflections are a great way to explore concepts and add interest to images. You can shoot the subject reflected in the mirror, or bring it close to the lens for an interesting effect.

“A6 — Mirror” by Rosy Zimmerli, CC BY 2.0.

6. Baby Powder — Flour works really well too. Throw the powder or flour on the subject and make sure to have your camera settings set to a high shutter speed to capture everything in sharp precision!

“Flour” by Apionid, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

7. Cardboard — A great way to create playful custom bokeh is to cut shapes in cardboard, hearts and stars work really well! Tape onto your lens and enjoy the in-camera effect this creates. Lower your aperture for a more noticeable effect.

“Different Bokeh” by Gustavo Marin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

8. Lace Fabric — Look for anything that has interesting holes or patterns in your home, pasta strainers work well too! By shining a light through it you can create some really interesting and dynamic effects that add lots of interest and drama to a picture.

“And the world was gone” by Bardia Photography, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

9. Glass Jars — Just as you can shoot through the lace, shooting through objects like jars, glasses, or perfume bottles can create really striking imagery.

“When my jar is empty…” by Martin Martinsson, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

10. Bubbles — Are a great way to add some playful interest to your images. Try shooting through them or having your subject blow them towards you. To make your own bubble mixture all you need is dish soap, water, glycerin, and corn syrup. Have a look on Google for the exact measurements.

“Bubbles” by Andre Meyer-Vitali, CC BY 2.0

11. Magnifying Glass — This is a great way to get that close up and focused look on a subject or object while the rest of the photo is out of focus. Experiment with this at different times of the day exploring the way the light interacts with the glass.

“Sunrise under scrutiny” by Loco Steve, CC BY 2.0.

12. Glitter — Bit of a dangerous one since glitter has a way of getting everywhere! Throw it, have on the hands, mix it in water, glue it to cardboard and hold it close as you shoot… there’s a huge amount of ways that this tiny sparkly thing can help you create stunning images!

“Glitter and drop” by Tambako The Jaguar, CC BY-ND 2.0.

13. Candles or Incense Sticks — Whenever we blow out a candle there’s a wisp of smoke, and if you have incense sticks there are lots of wisps of smoke! Place your subject against a dark backdrop and shoot through the smoke for an interesting effect! Set your camera to Burst/ Continuous mode to make the most of the smoke wisps before they disappear.

“wisps of light” by Kathy Ponce, CC BY 2.0.

14. Aluminum Foil — We know that aluminum foil stretched across cardboard makes a great reflector. But did you know that if you also have it near or close to the lens as you shoot you can get some lovely soft out of focus effects? So don’t throw away any foil after you’re done with it, it still has some use yet!

“Macro Mondays | Texture” by Ralf St., CC BY-ND 2.0.

15. Tulle Fabric — Cover your model, yourself, and the camera in the fabric for an interesting effect. Make sure to use the leading lines of the fabric to frame your subject so that you can still see their face Sometimes partially framing the face gives a more impactful effect.

“Gene 2” by Llima Orosa, CC BY-ND 2.0.

About the Author: Bella Kotak is a fine art, fashion, and portrait photographer living and working in between the US and the UK. Photography changed her life when she picked up a camera and started a 365 project on Flickr. From that moment she was hooked by this medium that translates thoughts and imagination into tangible form.

Originally published at https://www.smugmug.com.