Do they Work? 7 Photography Hacks | Portrait Photography | Seattle, WA

I have been starting to do YouTube videos and LOVING them, however finding content to create is hard. Especially when you have another job on top of trying to be creative, so I decided I would try for a video once a month. So! Here is my December video.

The Inspo:

The inspiration for this “Photo Hacks” video comes from Instagram. Yup, and you know I am talking about all the Reels and TikToks that get posted all over Instagram. But it was fun being able to turn my mindless scrolling into something productive. So during my late-night, boyfriends playing video game scrolling I came across a bunch of “photography hacks” some of which will have a whole other video, but these were my favorites and so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get creative with some fun people.

Location: Downtown Edmonds, WA

Model: Andreá (@plussizepioneer)

Bag: Lana Rae Handmade

The Hacks:

The hacks I include in this video are; a mirror, a colander, nylons, a CD, a nylon cord, bubble wrap, and sparkly gauze. These six items went as follows….

1. The Mirror

   From: The Photo Blog Hacks

   The mirror was fabulous, I could have gone with a bigger mirror for more when using it in the photos but it created a really cool reflection effect when used near my else. Additionally, I discovered you can really do the same thing with your phone, just with less of an intense reflection. So I like the mirror, and if you can get creative in other ways I think it can be a really cool option.

2. The Colander

From: The Photo Blog Hacks

The worst of the bunch..However, I will give it the benefit of the doubt and say it could be very cool with a metal colander indoors with minimal light. I believe the outdoors was not the right option for this item. However, we did like one of the images that came from its use. AND now it’s being useful in my kitchen for cleaning beans.

3. Nylons

From: The Photo Blog Hacks

Now, the nylons were my ABSOLUTE favorite. It was incredible because it created this really soft vintage look on the camera muted lots of the harsh tones I usually try to eliminate in Adobe Lightroom typically. It was a blast to use and I have now been keeping a pair of nylons in my camera bag for further use. The Nylon was super awkward so I really liked that Andreá suggested getting a small foot sock nylon. GENIUS…going to go shopping here soon for that.

4. The CD

Phone Version from: @Kylenutt "iPhone reflection"

As we were filming this we had the thought “Does anyone even still own these"?” well clearly I do because I had one. But the CD was stressful when it kept flying out of my hands in the wind, again maybe a good indoor item. I had difficulty creating the rainbow effect you usually see on Instagram or youtube. Overall I did finally end up getting some cool rainbows by directing the light into my lens rather than on my model.I think I will stick to prisms for this one.

5. The Nylon Cord

From: @denysblack "Anamorphic Lens Flare"

The nylon cord was a pain to find… I finally was able to find some at a hardware store (Which I probably should have gone too first), but additionally, it was difficult to put onto the lens itself. Regular tape doesn’t stick well to camera lenses and I may need a rubber band or duct tape in the future. It didn’t create the same effect the videos I watched did, but I also wonder if that has to do with the direct sunlight we were using that day and possibly does better in the evening. Definitely worth another shot. (Stay tuned…)

6. Bubble Wrap

From:@denisthephotoholic "Plastic World"

Okay, Bubble wrap really showed up to play! Another favorite from this day. Some photographers I have watched have done vaseline on their lens filters. However I think bubble wrap gave the exact same effect without having to put anything on the lens. It’s def a great safe option for creating beautiful soft vignettes on the images. For sure keeping that GIANT roll of bubble wrap in my car for future shoots.

7. Sparkly Gauze

From: The Photo Blog Hacks

Honestly, not much to say. It is pretty but I thought the sparkle would show more. Unfortunately, it didn’t give me much oomph. So it ended up being really similar to the bubble wrap that was used as well. Only with one green speck that kept entering the view. I think I may try with different colored gauze at some point and a different pattern of wrapping the gauze. But, we shall see.

Lastly,

This shoot was beyond fun. If you have any comments, or ideas of hacks I should try comment below, or on the video :)

If you haven’t already checked out the video to match, go take a look here: Youtube Me!