If you took photography class in college, you’ll know that within weeks of beginning the course, everybody’s portfolio was filled with black and white images of chairs leaning against walls.
There was also a fair amount of pictures showing flowers in vases, again in black and white, and a few brave people even opted for pictures of family or friends looking pensive and preoccupied (in black and white, naturally).
By the end of the course, hardly a chair or unsuspecting potted plant or passing relative who couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough was left un-photographed. But everything was black and white, everything was close up, and everything was … boring.
Whether you’re more digital or print photography, whether you’re more ‘a mount’ or ‘e mount lenses’, it doesn’t matter. Photography kit bag ideas that can help you to take interesting photos are always a welcome addition.
Prisms are a widely available and cheap kit bag idea that can help you to add flair and individuality to a photography session.
While we wouldn’t suggest flooding your photography with picture after picture of prism inspired shots, placing a prism in front of your lens for a few choice shots can really bring your set to life.
Crystal balls or highly polished mirror balls are a great way to add a whole new angle to your photography.
How and why? Simple. By placing the ball in a close up shot to the camera, slightly off center, and by focusing the camera on the ball, you will get a dreamlike representation of everything the ball reflects (which will be slightly out of focus in the background).
Have fun with this crystal ball trick, placing buildings or trees in the reflection of the globe to create whole ‘snow-globe’ style worlds.
You could even try elevating the globe to reflect a lake or river scene in the underside of the convex mirror. Really daring photographers might even try using more than one globe to create a sort of Dali-esque multiple bauble effect that captures real life in an eccentric and eye-drawing way (setting all of this up will be worth the pay off).
