Ideas for the Long Winter Evenings

Monday 17 January 2022, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 6,108 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

During the long winter evenings, it can sometimes be difficult to find inspiration. It gets dark early and the weather conditions are not always very inviting either. If you still want to take photographs, I have some ideas for you. They might even teach you something.

I previously wrote this article for the Fstoppers website, but I thought a Dutch version would certainly be welcome. After all, during the dark days of December it can be difficult to work on your photography. The grey days are not inviting, and it gets dark early.

You can of course head out in the dark, but with the restrictions imposed on us at the end of 2021, there is relatively little life in a town or village. A portrait shoot is of course possible, outdoors or indoors with flashguns. But there are other things you can do that do not require a model straight away.

Of course, you can spend the time tidying up your Lightroom catalogue, or adding keywords to the photos in that catalogue. Perhaps you could catch up on editing photos that have been waiting for your attention for a while. However, I do not find this very inspiring work. Although it is certainly important, in a way.

With the ideas in this article, you can get to work during the grey days and dark evenings. Perhaps this is not your kind of photography, but it can also be an educational way to spend your time. You learn how to use your camera, settings and lighting setups, to name just a few things.

Drop photography

Photographing falling drops can be fun. You can buy all kinds of equipment for it, but then the challenge is smaller. Try it first with a dripping tap in a sink, for example. Put the camera on a tripod, use a flashgun, and take the photo manually to capture the falling drop.

It can be a challenge to take the photo at the right moment. But it can be done, as the photo in this chapter shows. You can come up with all kinds of things, such as coloured light, coloured water, a different liquid, or making drops collide.

It is not always easy, but it is a fun way to spend one or more evenings. Put some music on, have a glass of wine and a snack. Cosy, right?

Photographing fruit, or other food

I mention fruit, but of course you can photograph all kinds of food before you eat it. The snacks from the previous chapter, for example. Create a nice mise-en-place and get started with macro photography.

Be creative with your lighting setup. Use only candlelight, or the light from a television. Flashguns work too, of course.

I mentioned fruit because it is fun to photograph segments. I will not reveal exactly how it works. But it involves a needle and thread.

Be creative, and you might find a subject that you want to photograph more often. It is also educational when it comes to lighting setups, working with shadows and composition.

Photographing household items with macro

Of course, you can also photograph household items, or other things around the house. I enjoyed capturing drops on a feather with a macro lens. But forks, knives and spoons can also make great subjects, especially if you work creatively with the light and make use of shadows.

It could be a fun idea to use Christmas lights as well. Coloured ones, or simply white lights. Use a shallow depth of field and you will get the beautiful bokeh rings. It is just one idea among many. It is also something I am going to work on myself, because I have not photographed cutlery much yet.

Playing with fire indoors

It sounds more exciting than it is, because all you need is matches. Try photographing a burning match with your macro lens. It is a challenge, and the shapes the flames take are different and unique every time.

You can vary the theme by including elements in the background. The Christmas lights are already a good example, but try to use them creatively and come up with other ideas.

Playing with fire outdoors

Playing with fire outdoors is more exciting. I mean burning steel wool. Although you do of course have to go outside for this, it is certainly worth trying. Take very fine steel wool and a metal whisk on a cord. Set the steel wool on fire and start swinging it.

You can hardly do this alone, so someone has to be willing to go out into the cold as well. But playing with fire is always fun, and your children, if you have any, will certainly be keen. But be careful so that you do not set the surroundings on fire. Take a fire extinguisher with you if necessary.

Oh yes, also bear in mind that clothing can be very flammable. Take this into account too. It is better to be safe than sorry. You do this at your own risk.

Trying out a new photo edit

Sometimes you can recognise a photographer from a photo. Would you also like someone who sees your photo to recognise it immediately as yours? That is possible if you have a unique way of editing. Try a few things out.

Play around with edits, distinctive looks and colour tones. Make something special, and feel free to take things quite far. Do not be afraid to overdo it. Leave the edits for a day or two and then look at them again.

Your edits probably will not be good enough, will be ridiculous or simply ugly. That does not matter. Remember that you learned a lot of editing techniques in the process, and perhaps came up with some ideas. But who knows, you may like one of them so much that you can turn it into a preset and use it as a unique edit for your photos.

Making a photo book

How many photos have you taken over the past year? Probably quite a lot. Would it not be nice to make a photo book from them? For example, the 25 best photos of 2021, or a photo book about a particular subject that you have photographed a lot.

The nice thing about this is that you get to look at your 'old' photos again, and give those photos a new lease of life with an album. Take the album with you when you visit friends or family, or put it on the coffee table when you have guests.

If you do not like a physical album, you can also make a digital album. A slideshow, for example, with music. Put it on YouTube, or share it on social media. This gives your photos some attention again, and a second life.

Do you have other ideas

These are just a few things you can do during the dark winter months. They can be fun, educational and even rewarding. You are spending time on your hobby, and who knows what it might lead to.

It does not matter that it is not your usual kind of photography. Everything you learn will eventually benefit your favourite area of photography too.

Do you have any other things you could do during the dark winter months? Share them in a comment below this post. That way, we can create a great list of valuable ideas and tips.

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