Photography at home: Click away during the pandemic!

If you haven't, now is the time to do so! Because if you are an aspiring or amateur photographer staying indoors — except of course for work, groceries, et al — there are several ways you can devote to photography at home, from upping your skills to embarking on fun indoor projects.

BE INSPIRED

First of all, if you are lacking the inspiration to push yourself — perhaps to jumpstart a project, to brainstorm for awe-inspiring ideas, or even simply to rekindle your long-lost love of photography — there is a wealth of photos and other things on the Internet you can browse through.

From listening to stories and experiences of your favourite photographers — interviews, speeches, lectures — to reading blogs and articles about myriad photography projects, there is a bottomless bucket of things you can find online.

So much so, even if you limit yourself simply to Flickr and YouTube, you will get 'in the zone', shedding off any last bit of lethargy you may have.

BRUSH UP 

Once inspired, get right into learning. Remember how you have always remained so busy visiting places and shooting things that you procrastinated to properly learn editing? Now is the chance to do that. Or maybe you have overlooked your mobile phone's immense capabilities whilst obsessing over the DSLR. Well, maybe you can now turn to your phone.

From the comfort of your home or office, you can brush up skills surrounding photography. Tutorials and online courses are aplenty.

Alternatively, you can do the direly needed organising!  Again, remember how you have always remained so busy shooting things that you never had the time to make an archive and backup storage? Well, perhaps now is the time to do that!

A lot of people these days are learning new skills and embracing their creative side. In that spirit, why not consider taking photography seriously and perhaps design a professional portfolio?

SHOOT AWAY!

That's the part you probably love the most, but there is no reason to miss it the most during the pandemic, as the 'great indoors' will pleasantly surprise you! From finding beauty in the everyday 'ordinary' objects and activities, to chasing your favourite genre of photography, there is a wide spectrum of shoots and pet projects you can do at home.

Your ode to nature: This season, take a fresh new look at your garden in the balcony, the potted plants in your office cubicle, or the inconspicuous moss or mushrooms that sometimes grows on the unseen corners of your garage. 

Go macro: Macro photography continues to be a popular genre. And your garden (among other spots in the house) can be the perfect place to find tiny beings and objects that you would want to capture to feature their mind-boggling minute details that miss the regular eye.

Up close and personal: Moving on from the craze of macro photography, you can practice portrait photography, which is also a deeply fascinating field. Make a family member your subject -- perhaps capture your grandfather's wisdom, or your mother's grace and warmth. That's quality time spent, and you will also have captured these memories forever!

Rooftop retreats and balcony breaks: Capture interesting scenes from the balcony of the street down below. Or get to the rooftop — for an awe-inspiring shot of the sunrise or cityscape, or even to explore things at the rooftop itself because you never know what you will find there!

Culinary treats. If you also love cooking — or someone in your family does — what better way could there be to bring two passions together than food photography? The staggering number of food photography posts on social media goes to show how popular it is.

Now more than ever, it's a great time to get social, online, with your photography. Perhaps start a photography challenge — show off your skills — and throw it at fellow photographers who will keep the ball rolling.

Photo: LS Archive/ Sazzad Ibne Sayed