5 CREATIVE INDOOR PORTRAIT SETUPS

Portrait and wedding photographer Tom Calton shares his favourite indoor portrait techniques, with practical projects you can try easily at home

Portrait photography hasn’t been easy for most of this year. Lockdowns, and restrictions on meeting others outside of your bubble, can make it tricky to find suitable subjects to shoot. Add to that the impending colder weather, and it can be difficult to find the motivation even to head outside and get creative with your camera.

However, in this feature I’ve put together a selection of portrait ideas that you can easily try out for yourself in the comfort and warmth of your own home. All you need to follow along is your camera and a simple off-camera flash setup. “But who will I photograph?” I hear you ask. Well, this is where you can take advantage of being surrounded by your nearest and dearest within your bubble. These techniques are so simple that you really don’t need to employ the help of a professional model in order to capture great-looking results. Your roommates, parents, children, wife, husband, partner – anyone who’s currently living with you is the perfect subject for you to shoot using these creative techniques.

And in the worst case, if you really can’t convince anyone to get in front of the camera, then there’s always yourself! Simply set up your camera on a tripod and use the self-timer setting (or a shutter-release cable) to snap stunning self-portraits. Let’s dive in!

01 SIMPLE ONE-LIGHT PORTRAITS

Keep it nice and simple with these beginner-friendly one-light setups