Throughout the four years of taking photography in high school, I was exposed to a variety of photography art techniques. Over the course of the class, I prepared for a final art show my senior year and compiled a bunch of art pieces. I recently found some pieces from the show and wanted to share some of the different projects and ideas. Hopefully, my portfolio of work can inspire you to try something new with your photography!
Darkroom & Film Photography
If you can get your hands on film and development equipment, GO FOR IT! The limited number of shots you can get will help you be meticulous with setting up and taking the photo. Photography is not just art, but also a science.
Computer-based/Photoshop
This next section is focused on pieces that were created using Photoshop and other computer-based technologies.
Double Exposure Photography
This technique allows for an image to have a layered-image feel to it. Try playing around with the opacity of the image(s). I’ve also used this technique for my “Beautiful Struggles” portfolio work, which you can find here.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography
For this next piece, I took photos of the same subject/landscape with different exposures. Then later in Photoshop, I “sandwiched” those photos together to create one beautiful image.
Selective Coloring
In the next series of photos, I simply kept a part of the photo in color and the rest in black and white.
Mixed Media
Another fun way to play with photography is to mix different types of media. (I think this is my favorite photography art idea!).
Transfers
These pieces include watercolor paper, an image printed from an inkjet printer, and acetone. For the first two images, I used watercolor to paint on the paper before transferring the images. I also had some acetone, a paintbrush, tape, and a spoon for the process. *Make sure to work in a well-ventilated area and DON’T store acetone in a plastic cup (this didn’t happen to me, but I was in close proximity to someone else who did that 👀).
Encaustic
This one can get kinda messy, but it is super fun. We had some wax, a printed image, a block of wood, and a permanent marker. You can add some other elements to the piece, but I kept it very simple.
Altered Book
This one was super fun to do! I took an old book that I had around the house and decided to hollow it out (sorry book lovers!). After some feedback, I decided to do a little pop-up type of book. When you open the book, the right side of the book “pops out” and you can open up the fanned out photos to see more images. The left side of the book contains an envelope and a letter I wrote to myself about my senior year of high school.
Etchings
For the next series of pieces, I printed the images onto glossy photo paper and then used an etching needle to write on the paper.
Misc.
The first image involved printing on glossy paper and using a permanent marker to write directly on the paper. The second piece was printed on glossy paper and was cut up into puzzle pieces. Lastly, the third piece pictured below is not the original, but I printed 4 images together, mounted them on foam core, and used a ribbon to tie around the foam core.
Portrait Photography
Taking photos of people is always fun! Here are some fun ways to incorporate more portraits into your photography game.
Candid Portraits
Candid is super fun! You can capture some fun moments of people living life and living in the moment.
Senior Portraits
Senior portraits are a fun way to celebrate the graduating senior!
Self-Portraits/Silhouette
Grab your tripod, some lights (or a window in my case), and start photographing!
Pet Photography
Neighborhood pets are great! They’re like your pets for a few minutes and then all the responsibility is on the owner haha but for real, it’s super fun seeing all the tricks the pets can do!
Music Photography
This is pretty straightforward. Music and photography! This in particular is also a self-portrait because I’m in the photograph.
Nature Photography
Another straightforward photography style. This photo was taken around my neighborhood during the fall time!
Long Exposure Photography
Grab your tripod and go outside! This was taken during the nighttime out on my deck. Make sure to set your camera to get a long exposure and a slow shutter speed.
Still-Life Photography
The last photography art idea for this post is still-life. Taking inanimate objects and making them interesting is a great way to spark creativity.
Here are links to some tools that can help you create cool pieces:
Canon 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM Lens
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II SLR Lens
I hope this post sparked some creativity in you! Let me know what you’re excited to create!
*Hey! Just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I will earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!*
[…] Thanks for going down memory lane and going over my AVT project from 2020. For some more creative photography ideas, take a look at this blog post. […]
[…] Which piece stood out to you from the “Beautiful Struggles” Portfolio? Comment down below! If you want some more portfolio and photography art ideas, check out this blog post. […]
[…] As a way to close my high school career, we ended with a senior art show. This consisted of 50+ art pieces from over the four years in school. It ranges from the “Beautiful Struggles” portfolio, altered books, etched prints, and other mediums. For more insight into the art show, take a look here. […]
[…] This month, I went through some old high school art projects. It was a nice little blast to the past. To check out some of my older art work, take a look here. […]