Here are 7 DIY Creative Photography Lighting Tricks you never thought of but will amaze you while learning photography lighting tips for beginners. These camera tricks will change your photography!
7 FUN Ways to Play and Learn with Light – No Professional Equipment Needed!
Look around! Believe it or not, in your house right now, you have an untold number of ways to get your kids excited and involved in taking photos with you!
I know, that sounds too good to be true, but I’m going to show you how to play with LIGHT to give your photos a little extra oomph. Good light is a great help if you want to get sharper and more dynamic images of these wiggly little beans that we love so dearly.
Photography is all about capturing light which makes this a great list of exercises to help young ones begin to understand how the camera and photography work.
Are you asking yourself…How can I make My Pictures Interesting? –>
Here are 7 FUN ways to play with lighting techniques that will get you great results and happy smiling faces.
7 DIY Creative Photography Lighting Tricks
- Flashlights
The average flashlight is more fun than you think for kids to play with. You can use them to get a shy child involved playing assistant and to get photos in really difficult lighting conditions. On the go, your phone’s flashlight is always in your pocket and on some phones, it’s even adjustable.
Advise little ones not to shine the light in each others faces but to aim for chests instead.
- Christmas Lights
Guaranteed to be longing for use in a closet or garage right now, your christmas lights are versatile little buggers that can give dramatic effect.
Make a dreamy backdrop by draping lights back and forth or place a bundle of lights inside a book and have your children read with the pages lighting up their faces. Both are very easy to execute and really wow little ones.
- Light Painting
Kids love drawing and ‘painting’ with light. Set your camera to a longer shutter speed and get the kids up and moving. Challenge them to write cool words in the air and draw fun shapes. If you don’t have sparklers or small flashlights around, try pulling up different solid colors on your phone screen to use as a light pen.
Here I’ve used ¼ second to capture a fun time swinging an LED hula hoop around my nephew’s arm.
You can experiment making globes and floating circles with even longer shutter speeds. Attach a light source to the end of a string and swing away. Small flashlights and light up balls are easier to wield in different directions for all sorts of shapes and surprises.
- Windows and Blinds
If there’s one tip I give my friends, it’s that they’ll be glad to experiment with how gorgeous natural window light can be. Find some comfy spots next to the windows in your home and experiment with the difference between morning light and afternoon light. What happens when you take a photo on a bright sunny day versus a cloudy rainy one? Do different windows in your house give a different effect at the same time of day?
Around dusk and dawn especially, play (gently) with your blinds and curtains. Can you create something interesting by peeking through them with the camera or using them to cast shadows? 
- Lamps and Lanterns
With a little creativity, your household lamps and lanterns can be used to really dramatic effect.
Try backlighting by setting up a lantern behind your subject and creating fun shapes and silhouettes. You can also try to find the lamp with the best spotlight effect or fashion your own spotlight modifier for your lamp with paper and tape.
Set up a very small activity or play area for little ones to interact with to keep them still while photographing in low light.
- Aluminum Foil and CDs
Now these are a good time! Any shiny surface and light source can be combined to bounce light for wildly fun effects.
For a 5 minute craft, wrap a large board with some aluminum foil and you’ve created a shiny backdrop. Here I’ve used a cork board and about 3 sheets of aluminum foil. Crinkle the foil a teensy bit before wrapping your board to create a textured surface that catches light like crazy and doubles as a reflector.
For a rainbow effect, bounce light using your phone or a flashlight against a CD or DVD to reflect a prism-like rainbow. Be sure to turn the lights down or find a dark corner to get your reflections to pop. What else can you bounce light off of for fun?
- Toy light
How many light up toys do you have around right now? I bet it’s a ton and modern toys are riddled with flashing lights and exciting color. If you need to get babies and toddlers engaged with a light source, hand them a light up toy to play with and see if you can get a shot of their bright happy faces.
Get yourself in place first so you can work fast. Attention spans are short lived at these young ages but this is a great chance to practice getting the shot in under 60 seconds, an invaluable skill for the momtog at home.
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Guest Blogger: Eliza Benitez
Bee Family Photo WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
Eliza is a family and commercial photographer in New Haven, CT. She is inspired by her own family, her hometown, and the beautiful faces she encounters of friends, family, and strangers alike. With photography, she has learned what it means to truly learn and grow everyday and to appreciate every moment big or small. She hopes to begin introducing photography to kids and adults as a way to nurture creativity and build relationships! Always happy to help others learning the ropes, you can reach out to her for advice and guidance as you learn on your own photography journey!
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