I like to think I’m not the only who’s been spending excessive amounts of time on social media lately. Okay, not just social media, but TikTok. If you’re not familiar with the app, it’s a video sharing platform that’s great for finding hacks or DIYs for any topic, from fashion to cooking.
What caught my eye however, was the photography tips and tricks that seemed to constantly be infiltrating my For You page. Video after video promised flawless pictures and easy ways to up your photography game. This got me thinking, ‘Do these ideas work? Do you need to have great photography skills to begin with?’ I decided to give a few of them a go, and see whether any of these trends were as simple as they seemed.
The Mirror Outside Trend
The first at home photoshoot tip I tried was taking my mirror outside. This trend got big and after about a month of seeing it everyday I thought it was time to try. I started out with a small desktop mirror in my backyard but quickly realized that wasn’t gonna work. For this technique the bigger the better rings true so I grabbed a full length mirror and went back to square one.
I’ll tell you right now, this trend was not easy. Like, at all. I started taking the photos myself but wasn’t loving the results so I enlisted my mum for help. Ultimately it was an angle game. I would look in the mirror at the camera which would be positioned to photograph my reflection. After an hour or so of shooting, cropping the photos and adding a black and white filter we managed to get a few good shots.
If you decide to try this out yourself I would say play around with angles, try lots of different mirror placements, and experiment with poses. Add flowers or other props to the surface of the mirror and just play around with it; you never know what will work.
The Pantyhose Hack
I had high hopes for this one and it delivered! The idea is that in order to achieve the perfect retro effect on all your photos you should use a pair of nude coloured sheer pantyhose over the lens. It will make the photo soft, warm and a little blurry.
The end result were photos that looked straight out of a vintage, lazy summer daydream. By adjusting how tight the fabric was stretched over the lens and what section of the hose I used (thick upper vs. thin leg), I was able to control how much I wanted to change the photos.
It worked really well with lots of bright sunlight as well as things that were shiny. The juicy grapefruit showed up really nicely, as well as the subtler pearl bracelet and beaded collar. For the original video tutorial, click here.
The Verdict
You definitely don’t need to be a pro photographer to make these tricks work. Going in with virtually no camera or posing skills, I found that by experimenting with the techniques and trying loads of different angles and shots I was able to get some pretty cool photos I would have never thought to take before. Try these tips out and let us know how they work!