This is a fantastic piece of equipment for any photographer to have. It works as an external lens and is very versatile.

In this article, you will learn how to take great crystal ball photography.

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Crystal Ball Photography: Equipment You Will Need

Starting out with crystal ball photography is easy. The glass ball works in much the same way as the optics in your camera lens do. The light bends until it inverts within the ball. This is refraction. Refraction is one of the key characteristics of refraction in lensball photography.

For great crystal ball photography, you only need to opt for the following items.

The Basics

• Crystal ball (or lensball) – Essential for this form of lensball photography. There are various sizes you can choose. The size most photographers use is either 60 or 80mm.
• Camera body – Any camera (even smartphones) can work.
• Wide-Angle lens – This is the best combination for crystal ball photography. It allows you to include the surroundings in your frame. You can also buy a macro lens if you want to fill the frame with the ball.
• A tripod – This is useful if there is no other place to position the ball. You can use the top of your tripod combined with a crystal ball holder. Make sure the tripod head is flat!

Accessories

• A crystal ball holder – This can be useful to keep the ball still when the surface has no natural resting place. If you can find a natural resting place, this will create a more impressive photo.
• A bottle top– An alternative to a crystal ball holder. Upturned, this has a circular edge that the ball will sit on without rolling away. The surface the bottle top is on must be flat.
• An old sock – To prevent the ball from getting scratched, place it inside a sock when in transit. Some crystal balls even come with their own pouch!
• Twigs or pebbles – Sometimes, the ball will need a little help staying still. Placing a few nearby twigs or pebbles behind the ball prevents it from rolling away.

How to Shoot Crystal Ball Photography

Now that you know what equipment to buy, it is time to show you how to use it.

Choose An Enhancing Subject

When choosing a subject for crystal ball photography, check whether it fills the frame with a wide-angle lens. If it does, then you have a good subject because the optics of a glass ball are like fisheye lenses.

Let’s look at a few photography types and see how well they work with crystal ball photography.

• Landscape – The most common type of crystal ball photography is landscape. You need to find a good location with a wide-angle lens. The trick now is to find a suitable location to place the ball.
• Portrait– Portrait photography with a lensball is possible. The aim is to avoid a busy background with the model appearing upside down. You can achieve this by blurring the model out using bokeh. Or, you can use the glass ball as a prop.
• Architecture– Architecture is one of the best options. Especially when you can use repeating patterns and leading lines in the background. Using a wider angle lens is often better. You can use those leading lines to lead into the ball.

Find the Right Placement for Your Crystal Ball

As with all types of photography, finding a great location is essential. It can more challenging with a crystal ball. You need a good location for your subject and to position the ball. Here are some suggestions.

• Natural divots– These are places where the ball will sit without rolling away. These could be rocks, a tree branch, or sand.
• Reflection pools – This solves the problem of the upside-down image. A clear reflected image will appear to be ‘right side up’ within the ball. If the water is shallow enough, you might be able to place the ball in the pool. Or you can find a position that shows the reflection from the pool inside the ball.
• A wall or fence – Placing here will mean the ball is elevated off the ground. This ensures that there is more of the scene included within the ball, as the ground does not block out the view. Certain fences might have a natural place you can sit the ball, such as a wrought iron fence’s curves.
• Your own props – You can bring bottlecaps with you that balance your crystal ball out. If you are looking for something more creative, get an ice cream cone and place the ball on it. Or use a blanket that will stop the ball from rolling away. The more the prop’s colors match the scene, the better.

Choose a Great Background To Make Your Composition More Flattering

The main subject is the crystal ball, but neglect the background, and your photo will fall flat. Avoid ugly shapes in the background that draw the eye away from the crystal ball itself.

The background is going to be controlled by the type of lens you use, either long focal length or width.

• Long focal length – This means lenses over 50mm. The likeliest such lens is a macro lens. When using this type of lens, you will be compressing the scene. Only concentrate on a small area of the background, while the larger scene is displayed inside the ball. Using a large aperture to blur out the background is a great solution to remove it from your frame. A slight angle adjustment can also change the background.
• Wider angle lenses – Using a wide-angle lens means you intend to show much of the background in your photo. To do this, you need to know how background lines and shapes interact with the ball. The best situation is leading lines directing the eye to the ball. Placing the ball at the center of an infinity point can look great.

Common Mistakes of Crystal Ball Photography

There are various issues you will need to overcome in your crystal ball photography—these range from safety to the practicality of photographing an upside-down image.

Fire Hazard

This is no joke. You need to be careful where you put your ball for storage and when outside. The glass ball works in the same way a magnifying glass does. Given enough time, it can start a fire.

You also need to be careful when handling the ball as it can burn you. To avoid this, do not store the ball in sunlight and keep it inside a sock so sunlight can not get to it.

Rolling Risk

When the crystal ball is placed on a wall or balcony of a tall building, it can be a serious issue.

Make sure the ball is secure before moving away from it, especially on a windy day. The damage a falling glass ball can do to property or another person can be substantial.

Elevation

The position of the ball relative to your subject is important. If the ball is on the ground, half the scene will include it, with the other half containing a distorted image of your main subject. The solution is to raise the ball off the ground.

If there are no places you can put the ball down at an elevated angle, then holding the ball is another option. One of the more appealing visual effects the ball creates is when it bisects the horizon line.

Light

Poor use of light will result in a bad photograph, and this is particularly true of crystal ball photography. The best scenario usually has the sun behind you, lighting up the subject.

Place the ball somewhere in the shade to avoid the reflection from the sun. The aim is to have brighter light in front of you than behind. This means photographing the sunset or blue hour sky will also work well.

Aperture

Aperture is an important function for controlling the background. As mentioned, it will blur the background out with a large aperture.

The catch is that it will create a shallow depth of field within the ball, making it harder to make the image within sharp.

This is where a balance must be reached. Too large an aperture, and the image in the ball is not sharp. Too small, and the details in the background become too prominent.

If you are using a macro lens, then an aperture of around f/6.3 will usually blur the background enough while keeping the image in the ball sharp.

Conclusion

Crystal ball photography is a great thing to try out, and it will lead to added creativity in your work. Whether you are a landscape, macro, or portrait photographer, you can utilise this prop to enhance your images.

We hope that our article has equipped you with a great grounding to go out and get the best photos with your crystal ball.

For more creative inspiration, check out our Wow Factor Photography course.

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What Is a 365 Photo Challenge Calendar?

A 365 photo challenge is a project where you capture an image every day for a year. But instead of coming up with topics, our calendar and daily prompts tell you what to look for and shoot.
There are many benefits to this project idea. They help to develop your skills by forcing you to look at scenes and objects you might otherwise ignore. This advances your “eye” for exposure, composition, and perspective.
As you are given ideas each day, it forces you to rely on your creativity. It gets you to shoot every day and drags you out of your comfort zone.

You’ll also have to learn about post-processing and how to share images on online media platforms. And by participating in this challenge, you’ll become part of a larger photography community.
A lot of people around the world join in on this. They share their images and look at others’ photos. So this initiates a lot of conversation between photographers.
You can use the #365photochallenge hashtag to make your images accessible to other photographers.

How to Use Our 365 Photo Challenge Calendar

It is very simple to get started. Look at our monthly calendars below, or download them from our list.
You will see a word or a prompt—this is your only clue for what to capture. You may only see a word like “fork,” which leaves how you shoot your image open for interpretation.
It could be a side shot to show the fork abstractly. It could be a simple above shot showing the fork’s lines and curves. Or it could be an image showing only the fork’s shadow.
These prompts are open for interpretation, as everyone will come up with something different. And don’t just take one image. Take a few shots and see what they look like after. Then keep the best one for sharing or printing at a later stage.

This is a fantastic way to work on your photography style. You’ll find many different types of photography on our list. And you can use anything from your smartphone to a digital camera. You can even try film photography.
Using a film camera can be a great way of bringing a twist to this project. You can try shooting only one frame per day. This makes it more exciting. And you can save time because you won’t take hundreds of photos of one topic.
Due to this challenge, you’ll have a lot of images of different subjects. This means that you can extend your artistic portfolio.
The best thing about these projects is that they will create a body of work. See it through to the end, and you’ll have a range of images you can print as a book. Or you can create a following on your social media!
A photo book can even be one of the best photography gifts for friends and family at the end of the year. So start today!

January Photo Challenge

February Photo Challenge

March Photo Challenge

April Photo Challenge

May Photo Challenge

June Photo Challenge

July Photo Challenge

August Photo Challenge

September Photo Challenge

October Photo Challenge

November Photo Challenge

December Photo Challenge

Conclusion

You can learn a lot through this challenge. You can learn new technical details and get familiar with different genres of photography.
Besides this, you can learn a lot about yourself. Which genre do you prefer? What is the hardest task for you? How persistent are you, etc.? Believe us… at the end of the year, you will be really proud of yourself!

A 30-day photography project is a great way to try experimental techniques and jumpstart your inspiration. So we’ve chosen 30 photography ideas with a wow factor. Viewers will scratch their heads in amazement. And they’ll wonder how you managed to capture the image.

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30 Creative Photography Ideas

Here are our top ideas. Bookmark this link and refer to it for the next 30 days. You can also involve your family and friends and create great wall art or gifts!

We recommend using Adobe Photoshop as editing software. But there is free editing software too.

Day 1. Spiral Light Photography

For our first creative project, grab a torch. We’re making spirals of light!

Spiral light photography is a type of light painting. Leave the shutter open and paint swirls, twirls, and circles.

You can create the image by spinning a light in front of your camera. Or painting light in the air leaves a long streak in your image. And add a pop of color using glow sticks or colored gels on the torches.

All you need is a budget tripod, a nighttime scene, and a light source. Grab some friends. There is no limit to the number of lights you can use!

See our spiral light guide for a few creative photo ideas.

Day 2. High-Speed Photography

Get ready. This creative photography idea is about catching a quick shot.

High-speed photography is about freezing motion. Look for moving vehicles, birds in flight, or children at play. Photograph something that happens in the blink of an eye.

The trick to high-speed photography is a fast shutter speed.

See our high-speed photo guide for our best tips on freezing motion.

Day 3. Light Trail Photography

Light trail photography makes it easy to capture an image with that wow factor. Light trails make a city come alive at night. This photo idea works anywhere you can find a moving light source.

With your camera on a tripod, set a long shutter speed. The slow shutter speed is your secret ingredient in capturing these shots. Moving lights will streak through the scene.

See our light trail guide for creative ways to capture the magical lights around us.

Day 4. Long Exposure (Daytime)

Long exposure can dramatize a scene. It can turn clouds into streaks and make moving water look like glass. It adds atmosphere while keeping the focus on the important parts.

This style of photography is also used to blur movement or make people magically disappear from a scene.

Getting the effect during the day is a bit tricky. Read our daytime long exposure guide to help you achieve the perfect long exposure.

Day 5. Light Graffiti

Want to send a message with your photography? Have some fun with light graffiti!

We’ve all seen those interesting nighttime images. Someone is painting a word or an image in front of the camera. It’s an easy trick!

All you need is a slow shutter speed, a tripod, a light source, and patience. Stand in front of the camera and paint away. You’ll have to complete your image or word before the exposure finishes!

You can read our article on light graffiti for all the help you need.

Day 6. Abstract Macro Photography

Today is the day to explore the tiny worlds around us. Macro photography is photographing close-up images. Really close. We rarely see objects up close, so the photographs are unique and interesting.

True macro photography needs extra equipment like a macro lens or extension tubes. These allow you to photograph objects larger than a 1:1 ratio. In other words, larger than life.

This creative idea is all about inspiring you to see your world differently. Look around the house. You can photograph anything!

Our abstract macro photo guide is full of creative photo ideas you can do in your kitchen.

Day 7. Crystal Ball

Crystal balls add a magical dimension and a new perspective to your photos.

By photographing through a crystal ball, we change the viewer’s perspective. The scene is both upside down and the right way up at the same time. These glass balls come in various sizes and even different colors.

Don’t have a crystal ball? No problem! If you shoot through a wine glass, you’ll get a similar effect.

Read our crystal ball photography article for all the information you need and some inspiration to get you started.

Day 8. Colorful Water Drops

Capturing colorful waterdrops is today’s creative photography idea. This is an excellent way to bring out shape and form, color, and texture in a photo.

Using water droplets, we create a multitude of tiny lenses. Each replicates a colorful background over and over again.

Any background will do, but choose something colorful! Place a piece of glass on top and add drops of water. Focus on the water and let the background blur.

See our water drop photography guide for more ideas.

Day 9. Custom Bokeh

Make a creative photo using a custom-shaped bokeh. Bokeh describes the shape of out-of-focus light. We can shape this light using a homemade bokeh filter.

Bokeh can be the subject or add interest to the background. Create a still life and use Christmas lights to create bokeh in the background.

A wide aperture and creative blur are key to achieving this technique.

Get to know the simple trick of creating custom bokeh. You’ll come up with all sorts of creative photography ideas.

See our custom bokeh guide for instructions on how to create specific shapes.

Day 10. Oil and Water

Some things aren’t meant to go together, like oil and water. But this is the inspiration for our next photography idea.

Mix oil and water, then get close for a cool abstract image. All you need is oil, water, and some colored material as a backdrop.

The two liquids will stay separated, giving the oil shape, form, and texture. The photos make spectacular pieces of art and great conversation starters. This technique is abstract photography at its best.

Read our article on abstract oil and water photography for how to capture and perfect this idea.

Day 11. Photomontage

Today’s creative photography idea is making a photomontage.

To make one, take many photos of the same subject. Then layer them together in a post-processing program to create a single image.

The exciting and creative part is the layering of the images. You have so many choices on how you can do it!

The technique adds depth and a different perspective. You can take many images to show a wider perspective. You can even show multiple angles in one image.

Give it a try. But first, read our photomontage article for inspiration and to ensure you have everything you need.

Day 12. Photoelasticity

This creative idea will have you seeing rainbows everywhere.

Photoelasticity is photographing an abstract rainbow of colors in otherwise dull plastic objects. You may think that’s impossible, but it’s not!

You need a few things to achieve this look. But none are difficult to obtain. You need a clear plastic object, a polarizing light source, and a polarizing filter.

Not all light is polarizing. But the lights from your computer and your smartphone are.

Still-life photography comes to life with this technique. The camera angles and compositions are down to you. Focus on shape and form or something very abstract.

See our photoelasticity guide for getting started. You may be surprised at how many rainbows you can photograph around the house.

Day 13. Steel Wool Photography

We’re playing with fire for this next photography idea.

Burning steel wool combined with a long shutter speed lets you create stunning images. As you spin the burning steel wool, your camera captures sparks and long streaks of light.

This technique is best used in a dark, open space. Read our article on steel wool tips for all the information you need and how to do this safely.

Day 14. Transferring Photos Onto Wood

Today, let’s do a bit of imaginative printing.

A creative way to show off your photos is to use wood. Most images we see are framed behind glass. Transferring a photo directly onto the wood adds a unique flavor to the print.

Most pieces of wood will work as long as they’re flat and properly treated.

These are great photo gifts. And they’re perfect for showcasing your photography in an interesting way. They look fantastic, and the process is simple.

A couple of techniques are used to get a paper print onto a piece of wood. Read our step-by-step guide on how to create wood prints.

Day 15. Bubble Photography

Bubbles aren’t only for children. They’re also great photography subjects.

Bubbles have colors and are reflective. They are visually engaging and make for fantastic abstract images.

It’s easy to create these compelling images. And they have the potential to create otherworldly effects.

All you need to get started is soap, water, a straw, and a secret ingredient. Read our article about bubble photography for details and photography ideas.

Day 16. Harris Shutter Effect

Today’s photography idea focuses on creating the Harris shutter effect in post-processing.

The Harris shutter effect has its roots in the days of film photography. The idea was to take three photos of a moving subject using three different colored filters. Then combine the images into one unique photo. Some of the colors combine—others pop—all in one photo.

For this technique, you need a moving subject and a post-processing program.

See our step-by-step Photoshop guide to create the Harris shutter effect.

Day 17. Slow Sync Flash

It’s time for a bit of fun with flash. Slow sync flash lets you freeze motion at long shutter speeds. This cool effect combines the blurred motion of long exposure with a sharp-looking subject.

The idea is to add a touch of photo flash to a long exposure. This technique freezes the subject while allowing you to handhold your camera.

Our slow sync flash guide tells you everything you need to know.

Day 18. Smoke Photography

Add drama to your still-life photography by adding smoke. The idea is simple, but grabbing that particular look, shape, or form is tricky.

Think dark and mysterious, or focus on the abstract shapes of the smoke.

Many items around the house create smoke without fire. Incense, snuffed-out matches, and blown-out candles all work. The secret to shooting smoke is the use of backlight.

Everything you need to know is in our smoke photo guide. And it’s full of inspirational photography ideas.

Day 19. Water Drop Photography

Some photography ideas don’t need a lot of equipment—just a bit of creativity. Water droplet photography captures something simple yet powerful.

The idea is to photograph water drops falling from a height into a bowl filled with water. You want to freeze the drop in motion or capture the shape created by the splash. The further the water falls, the bigger the splash.

Water droplets add motion and interest to product or food photography. They even work as abstract art on their own.

You can be as creative as you want! Our water drop guide is full of incredible photo ideas.

Day 20. Water Splash Photography

Water splash photography is a creative way to make your food and drink photography stand out.

But moving water adds dynamic motion to any still life. Falling water gives a feeling of a cold drink on a hot summer’s day. Or it adds a sense of surprise like a bucket of cold water.

Set your still-life scene and add a splash. It is a simple enough idea. But capturing the exact moment the water splashes can be tricky.

Our water splash guide gives you all the information you need to take these dynamic photos.

Day 21. Fence Cut-Out Photography

It’s time for a photoshoot. We use a practical chain link fence to create a layered portrait.

Place your model behind the fence. Focus on the model. Then focus on the fence. In post-processing, we’ll cut out parts of the image to hide and show elements.

This project may inspire many creative photography ideas. It mixes portrait photography with photo manipulation.

Our guide to cut-out Photoshop projects shows you how to combine the images in post-processing.

Day 22. Day-to-Night Photography

Today’s creative photography idea combines the best of two worlds—day and night photography.

Pick an interesting scene. Then capture two images—one during the day and another at night.

Read our full day-to-night photography article on how to combine the two.

Day 23. Double Exposure

Have you ever tried to create a double exposure? If not, today’s the day.

Double exposures creatively combine two images into one. They can add texture to a scene or tell a story by layering one image on top of another.

Capture two separate photos of anything you want. The photos can be related or in sharp contrast. Then stitch the photos together into one image.

You can use a post-processing program. But check to see if your camera makes double exposures. Some do!

See our double exposure article for tips and inspirational photography ideas.

Day 24. Hidden Camera Trick

Let’s have a bit of fun today with a household mirror. In this creative photography idea, you take a self-portrait in a mirror. The twist is that we make the camera disappear!

Viewers will scratch their heads in amazement, wondering how you captured the photo. This is camera trickery at its best.

Follow our simple step-by-step mirror selfie guide. You can create interesting self-portraits without a camera hiding your face.

Day 25. Miniature Planet Panoramas

Let’s get creative with post-processing and make little planets. Making little planets is a cool effect that looks as though it needs lots of Photoshop know-how. But it’s easy and takes only a few steps to create a tiny planet.

Create the little planets in Photoshop or GIMP using the polar coordinates filter. Or download a smartphone app to transform your world.

Once you know the secret, you’ll create mini globes with every photo in your catalog. Our little planet photography guide walks you through the steps.

Day 26. Multiplicity Photography

Get ready to clone yourself, friends, or family members. Today’s creative photography idea is to make a multiplicity photo.

Multiplicity photography is a perfect way to show a series of the same subject in a single image. Photograph a person or a pet doing something—playing, dancing, cooking. The changing movement is important.

This photo idea is so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it before.

Our step-by-step multiplicity Photoshop guide shows you how to stitch the images together into one photo.

Day 27. Picasso Cross Section

Of all our creative photo ideas, this might be the craziest! The Picasso cross-section is a mind-bending technique. After you think you’ve wrapped your head around it, confusion takes over.

Picasso made this style famous in his painting genre of cubist art.

You take two portraits —one facing the camera and one in a side profile. The idea is to create a double-exposure portrait using layers in Photoshop.

Use creative self-portraits like this on your social media! They will make everyone who sees it do a double-take.

Follow our step-to-step cross-section Photoshop guide for all the details.

Day 28. The Droste Effect

You may not have heard of the Droste effect. But you’ll reach for your camera when you see the possibilities.

The idea is to place a copy of an image within itself. This is often done in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence.

It is a creative and weird idea, yet simple once you get the hang of it. We help you show off this photo talent with an easy step-by-step Droste effect guide.

Day 29. Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-shift photography has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Initially, it was a way to correct perspective distortion in architectural photography. But it has a look that we can simulate in post-processing.

The tilt-shift effect gives the impression of miniaturization. You can create model villages of the buildings around you!

Our step-by-step tilt-shift Photoshop guide shows you how to create this technique.

Day 30. Time-Lapse Photography

Time-lapse photography is a great way to show movement or how something changes over time.

It gives you a very different look from long exposure. A long exposure image blurs and even removes the movement from a scene. In time-lapse, we capture the movement and layer it into one scene.

This is a great photography idea for lively cityscape photography, building projects, and blooming flowers.

Put your camera on a tripod and take a series of images over a period of time. You can use an intervalometer. It is a device that automatically takes pictures, so you don’t have to time the photos yourself.

Our time-lapse photography article helps you through the process.

Conclusion: Creative Photography Ideas

Congratulations on completing our 30-day project! See our Instagram for inspiration and more creative photography ideas.

Below are some of the photos taken by students of our creative photography course. If you’d like to learn more, check out our Wow Factor Photography course.

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Smoke is a powerful photography tool. It can add drama, atmosphere, and tension to an image. But getting the smoke just right can be tricky. Follow the steps below for the composition, or jump to step two for details on how to make smoke for photography.

How to Make Smoke for Photography

Sure, you can always add a smoky effect later in post-processing. But it’s so much fun creating it on set! This is especially true if you combine smoke photography with silhouettes and use it to tell a story.

It can be a dark and spooky story, with vampires, bats, and graveyard tombs. Or, it can be a charming story with unicorns, dragons, and fairies.

Either way, smoke in photography brings magic or mystery to any scene! Let’s see how to add real smoky effects for pictures. In your next still-life photography experiment, you can tell a dark fairy tale or an exciting Halloween story.

7 Steps for Still-Life Smoke Photography

We go through everything you need to create a still-life composition with smoke.

Step 1: Gather Props and Photo Gear

The list of props and gear for this project is pretty simple. You need these items:

• A glass jar or bottle without a wide neck
• Incense sticks to make smoke (or other means we discuss)
• Paper silhouettes (we’ll talk about them in more detail)
• Dark or black background
• Items for your still-life setup
• A light source (like a flash) and equipment (see step five)
• A camera and a tripod

Find something suitable for your visual narrative. I’m happy to use tiny pumpkins or persimmons and maple leaves for Halloween scenes. You can use autumn leaves, crooked tree branches, wooden boxes, scrolls, and dark magic props as complementary still-life items.

I created a picture of carnivorous plants and a gardener’s nightmares. I made mushrooms from polymer clay and gathered potion bottles, moss, and dried leaves.

Also, make sure you have objects of different scale. For instance, you could take a couple of large objects, like bottles with smoke and silhouettes. You could then add some relatively small objects like scattered dried berries.

Those differences in scale help create a diverse look. It makes the image look more lively and natural.

Step 2: Add Some Smoke for Mysterious Results

First, we need to add some smoke or steam. There are plenty of ways to achieve smoke for photography. My favorite way is using a simple incense stick.

Smoke machines are expensive and produce too much smoke for a small scene. Liquid nitrogen is practically impossible to find if you live in a small town, like I do. Besides, liquid nitrogen must be stored in special containers. If you pour it into a thermos—it can burst!

Dry ice is a pretty good solution. If you manage to get some, that’s great! There are also a variety of aerosols like the “Smoke Detector Tester Can” that might work. I know a couple of photographers who use a hand steamer (usually used for clothes) for this purpose.

But to begin with, a bundle of common incense sticks is the best choice. They are cheaper than a fog machine, more accessible than dry ice, and more stable than an open flame. You only have to be careful with the ashes.

Last but not least, incense sticks are relatively safe to use indoors. Still, ensure you work in a well-ventilated room and don’t wear any easily flammable clothes.

Step 3: Use Silhouettes to Tell a Story

Another important feature is silhouetting. It’s best to decide what story you’re telling.

Is it about All Hallows’ Eve? If so, you need silhouettes of witches, bats, haunted castles, or spiders. Is it a classic “Sealed Evil in a Can” trope? Well, you need a monster, of course!

More lighthearted stuff works, too. Windmills and country landscapes in a jar surrounded by daisies and strawberries may look charming.

I usually cut the silhouettes for my stories myself. Dark, thick silhouette paper, a precision knife, and patience are needed. If you’re not used to cutting tiny figures out of paper, buy some pre-cut paper silhouettes in a local scrapbook store.

If you want to try something different, use thick tracing paper or vellum to create silhouettes. This method produces a shape brighter than the smoke and glows in your images.

Of course, glowing zombies or a haunted mansion would look out of place. But a shining white dragon or unicorn is perfect. These shapes will look like you have captured glowing creatures in your jar!

Step 4: Experiment to Get the Right Composition

Start with the largest objects and move on to little details when arranging your still life. Keep the scene simple but add details to create a mystical atmosphere. A minimalist approach is good. But a lonely jar looks quite boring, even with a zombie inside.

Add some scattered leaves here and there. Draw runes on craft paper and use it like a scroll. Pour some colored liquid into a small bottle and call it a potion. There are endless ideas. Make the viewer stay with your image a bit longer.

I started with two lab bottles and then moved on to creating a background. I put a wooden case with “potions” in the background and added moss and mushrooms to the scene.

I bought the moss at the same local craft store and made mushrooms myself from polymer clay, thanks to one of many tutorials on YouTube. (Try it sometime. It’s very easy.)

I wished my carnivorous plants were a couple of tones darker and stood out more. But they got darker in the backlight, so they were fine. Consider your jars and bottles a central element of the composition. Put paper figures in jars. If they don’t stand alone, fix them with double-sided tape.

If you have a flying figure inside a jar (like a dragon or a fairy), fix it steadily with transparent Scotch tape. The tape will be visible, but it won’t be hard to fix in post-processing.

Step 5: Set Up the Perfect Lighting

The secret to photographing smoke is the backlight. From behind, the light makes the smoke effects visible to the camera practically glow. (You can use DIY lighting techniques instead of buying lighting gear.)

There is no glow without a backlight, and the smoke trail looks dull and barely noticeable. The backlight also outlines dark paper silhouettes, making them more prominent.

This light shouldn’t be too soft. Use a narrow strip softbox or photo snoot on your main light source to center the light on the jars. Aside from that, you can use any lighting scheme you like.

In my case, the scene was lit with two speedlights. I set the first flash, my key light (main light), in a small strip box behind the scene and adjusted it slightly to the right.

I placed another flash behind a large diffuser on the left side. This one functioned as a fill light. You can use a reflector instead of this second flash.

Use a black flag to cut some light from the background and make it darker if needed. I put a piece of black cardboard between my strip box and the scene to cast a shadow on the boxes and books in my background. Making these items darker concentrates our attention on the bottles.

If you’re using a flash, set it on low power. This lets you use an open aperture and keeps the background a bit blurry. Set your synchronization shutter speed (about 1/125 s). Adjust the ISO to get a well-exposed image.

If you’re using natural light and no flash, a longer shutter speed (about 1/60 s) blurs the smoke. But it still looks beautiful. A faster shutter speed (about 1/400 s) makes swirls more prominent. The flash helps you freeze the motion of the smoky curls.

Choose the camera settings you like best. Then, take a few test shots to see if you want to change the setup.

Step 6: Add Some Smoke Action

It’s time to set something on fire! Don’t worry—it’s only for the smoke! Light the incense sticks and put them in a jar. Let the smoke condense at the bottom. If you want the fire to burn stronger, blow on the tip of the incense stick.

If your bottle’s neck is narrow, plug it with a cork. The neck of my first lab jar was too wide. I had to cover it with my hand to let it condense. Fill the jars individually and take a sequence of shots with the smoky swirls and curls.

You can also move one incense stick along the lower parts of the scene. This way, your foreground areas get smoky, too. After all, this is smoke photography! Let the smoky swirls spread around the frame.

Since your camera is fixed on a tripod, you can try different approaches and see what works best for your dark, magical, still life.

Remember that glowing jars can be much brighter than the rest of the scene. So, it’s easy to overexpose them. That’s why you may want to underexpose the image a bit. Details in the dark parts are easier to recover in post-processing.

Step: 7. Enhance Your Images in Post-Processing

Pick the shot that looks the most spooky and magical to your taste, and give it a little polish. I adjusted the contrast a bit and made my predatory plants even darker. I added a green tinge to my too-yellow moss. Plus, I made the smoke a bit bluer.

Add some contrast to make jars glow even more. Delete all annoying dust and ash particles. And enjoy your spooky image!

As you can see, there’s not much post-processing involved. That’s why I love creating this effect on the set. The editing is quick, and setting up the scene is fun.

Conclusion: How to Make Smoke for Photography

I hope you enjoyed the process of how to make smoke for photography and are ready to try it with your own story. Experiment with materials, creating glowing shapes, not only dark ones.

Gather a collection of ships and lighthouses for a seascape. Or dream up a distant fantasy land. Tell your own stories and have fun with it!

Examples of Smoke Photography

Smoke photography is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography. Below are some of the photos taken by our students.

What You Need to Take a Mirror Selfie Without the Phone Showing

This photography technique requires minimal equipment to pull off. Let’s see what you need.

Camera

You don’t need a DSLR or a mirrorless camera to try this photography trick. Even a point and shoot or smartphone would work.
A tripod isn’t necessary for mirror photography. You’ll see why as we go through the entire process below.

Mirror

A large mirror that fits at least half of your body would be perfect for this type of photography. It will also help if your location has good lighting to achieve the best exposure.

How to Find the Best Camera Settings

First, you’ll need to put your camera into manual mode. Or you can lock the exposure so that all the photos come out the same.
If you’re not sure what settings to use in manual mode, then start with aperture priority mode.
Set your aperture between f/8 and f/16 to ensure a sharp image for mirror photography. Then take note of the shutter speed your camera automatically selects.
Now go to manual mode and choose the value you selected in aperture priority. Then, use the same shutter speed your camera chose earlier.
I also recommend using autofocus so you don’t have to fumble around with the lens.
And that’s it! You’re ready to shoot try some mirror photography awesomeness!

How to Shoot Hidden Camera Mirror Tricks

How do you take a picture in a mirror without seeing the camera? You can’t because it’s impossible. But it’s all about knowing the right tricks, which we’ll show you below.

1. Stand in front of the mirror.
2. Lift the camera with your right arm and take a photo of your left arm.
3. Now do the opposite with your right arm. This step can feel a bit awkward. Make sure you hold the camera properly and have access to the shutter button.
4. Finally, place your camera on your chest and take a picture of your face in front of the mirror. Make sure the camera does not show up in your face portrait.

How to Enhance the Results in Post-Processing

First of all, load all three images and layer them on top of each other in Photoshop.
Use a layer mask to remove half of the top photo (the right arm photo) so that the left arm comes through before. To do this, select the photo at the top layer and select the layer mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Now click on the brush in the tool section and select black as the paint color.
With the layer mask still selected, start painting the area you want to remove. The photo below will then begin to show up.

You then add another photo that doesn’t have your face blocked by the camera. If possible, avoid the top of your chest. I’ve put this layer in the middle of my photo to show you how I’ve used a layer mask.

When you have your face and chest masked correctly, you move this layer over the top of your body into the right place.
Now you have a self-portrait without the camera showing!

Retouching Your Photo for the Perfect Result

If you’ve been careful doing the steps, this mirror photography technique should be relatively easy to complete.
If not, then it’s time to get some Photoshop trickery out. With the help of the Clone tool and Content-aware Fill, I’m able to make mine come out perfect. A slight crop removes the overlapping, and I’m done.
Now let’s get into the details of this process:

1. First, you’ll need to duplicate your layers and merge them.
2. Now use the Zoom tool to inspect the image. Pay close attention to the area around the neck and the face.
3. Various imperfections in your image may need a specific tool for retouching.

Healing Brush

Once you select this tool, all you have to do is go through the messy areas and click on them. Photoshop then automatically fixes and cleans them up for you.

Patch Tool

If you want to clean up large imperfections, consider using the Patch tool. Select a section, then drag it to the part that you want to copy.

Clone Tool

This tool is for filling the gaps you may see in the picture. Once you select it, press Alt or Option and click to choose an area you want to copy. In most cases, it would be the shirt in the photo.

Content-Aware Fill

For large gaps where the Clone tool won’t work, consider using Content-aware Fill. First, select the opening, then right-click and select “Fill.” Click on “Content-aware” and hit OK.
After using Content-aware Fill, you may need to use the Healing Brush tool again to clean up the mess.
Thankfully, this photography technique doesn’t require a lot of editing. For the most part, all you need to do is patch up a few areas, and you’re good to go!

Conclusion

Holding the camera in front of the mirror can be a bit challenging. But it’s easier than you might think to take a mirror selfie without the phone showing. So feel free to do some test shots until you get used to handling your device and taking photos.
But for the most part, you don’t even have to be that meticulous about it. Just make sure the images are sharp, and you can take care of the rest in Photoshop. It’s a great way to not only create a unique photo but also to help you master photo editing. So go ahead and give it a try!
Hidden camera mirror photography is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography. Below is a photo taken by one of our students. If you’d like to learn more, check out the course here.

Multiplicity photography is one of the simplest photo editing projects. I’ll show you the steps of how to merge photos in Photoshop to create this effect.

Portable And Stable

Rollei Compact Traveler No.1 Travel Tripod

Looking to perfect your multiplicity photography technique? A lightweight, space-saving travel tripod with a 360° panoramic ball head and stable spikes is a must-have for your gear.

What Is Multiplicity Photography?

Multiplicity photography images are ‘clones’ of a person or object in one photo. You can create multiplicity images in Photoshop.

Tools and Gear

This photography technique requires a tripod and a camera. You’ll also need a timer or remote if you’re doing self-portraits.

What if you don’t have a tripod? Then use a sturdy flat surface such as a table or chair.

For multiplicity photography, I use a 50mm prime lens and a 17-40mm wide-angle lens.

The last tool you need is Photoshop. But it’s a good idea to brush up on your ACR or Lightroom techniques too.

How to Make a Multiplicity Photograph

Before you start with your cloning photography, have a clear idea of the story you want to tell. It doesn’t need to be elaborate or fancy. The best concepts are often the simplest.

Step 1. The Photoshoot

For this multiplicity photography example, let’s combine three photos of Elises dancing in Photoshop CC.

So how do you put multiple pictures in one? Getting the photos right at the start of the process makes the process seamless.

Avoid intense contrasting light and shadow. Shoot in RAW, and consider your composition.

First, I set the camera up on the tripod and made sure it didn’t budge. Then I asked Elise to move around and pose in different parts of the frame. I used a narrow aperture so that there would be a decent depth of field.

The light and shadow conditions need to be consistent for each photograph. Thankfully, the light was constant throughout the photoshoot. If the sun emerged from behind the clouds, I would have stopped taking pictures.

I took about twenty photographs of Elise in different positions. I then chose the three best ones to use for editing.

Step 2. Preparing the Photographs

How do you superimpose yourself into a picture?

I often load my favourites into the same Photoshop file. Then, I turn each layer on and off. Feel free to click on the ‘eye’ icon next to each layer to see how the images work together.

Sometimes I do a rough layer mask for each of them. I then discard files I don’t need.

• Open the first RAW image in Photoshop. Open the folder with your other photos for the project. Then drag them onto the main picture in Photoshop.

• Rasterize the photos by right-clicking on each of the layers.
• Double-click on the titles of the photo layers to give them specific names.
• Cut out the first Elise-shape for the photo. After selecting the layer, I clicked the ‘eye’ icon on the layer above to hide it.
• Use the Polygonal Lasso tool to ‘click around’ the main shape. Doing so creates a blinking series of dots we call ‘marching ants.’

Step 3. How to Create Layer Masks in Photoshop

• Once you join up the marching ants using the Polygonal Lasso tool, click Layer – Layer Mask – Reveal Selection. Hold CTRL+D for PC or CMD+D for Mac to remove the ants. You now have a rough cut-out of the first shape. This process creates a mask attached to the layer on the lower right.

• Repeat the process on the other shapes. But before you cut, single-click on the layer you want to edit.
• Leave one photograph intact with its background.

Now it’s time for some fine-tuning.

• Click on the layer mask you want to edit. Select the box that you created with the Polygonal Lasso tool.
• Click on the Brush tool. You can experiment with the size and hardness of the brush. I used a softer brush around the hair. But I switched to a harder, smaller brush for the rest of her body.
• Use the brush to ‘paint’ around the shape. At the lower left of your screen, switch between the black and white colors to hide or reveal sections. You’re not permanently deleting anything because you’re working with layers.

• When you’re happy with your photo, save the Photoshop file with its layers.

How to Duplicate in Photoshop

You can also go a bit Andy Warhol with your multiplicity photos. I used one of Elise’s dancing photos to demonstrate how to clone in Photoshop.

• Open the photo in Photoshop. Duplicate and rename the layers. I called the new one ‘Left Elise’ and the original photo ‘Middle Elise.’
• Create a layer mask on the new duplicate layer. Click on the layer you want to move, and use the Transform Tool (CTRL+T for PC or CMD+T for Mac) to shift it to the correct spot.
• Refine the edges of this layer mask.

• When you finish refining the new layer, duplicate this copied layer and layer mask (right-click, ‘duplicate’).
• Rename the new layer and layer mask. I titled mine ‘Right Elise.’ Use the Transform Tool to move this new layer to the correct spot.
• Save the layered Photoshop file. Tweak the individual layers, or merge and adjust the whole photo.

Troubleshooting

My Paint Brush Is Only Painting Black and White

This issue means you selected the layer, but not the actual layer mask.

Make sure you’ve clicked on the little box attached to the main layer you’re editing.

I Can’t See the Photograph I’m Working On!

There’s probably another layer in the way. Click on the one you’re working on. Then drag it to the top of the layer stack on the lower right.

You can also turn off the layers above it by clicking on the eye icons next to them. Doing this reveals the photo you need to see.

I Have Fuzzy Edges

Are the edges not sharp enough when you’re cutting a shape? That means you need to adjust the ‘hardness’ slider in the brush tool.

But sometimes making the brush smaller can help too.

I’m Getting Confused About What Photo I’m Editing

This problem is understandable when you’re working with lots of multiplicity photography files. Check if all your photos are clearly labelled.

If you’re still having trouble, turn off all the layers except the one you’re editing.

How to Duplicate Using a Smartphone

Now you’re probably wondering: Is there an app to clone yourself from a picture? The answer is undoubted, yes!

There are tons of “cloning” apps you can try regardless of whether you have an iPhone or an Android.

If you want to keep things simple, you should try the Split Camera. Just take two photos and blend them into the app. That’s it!

For detailed clone photography, you’ll need to get the Clone Camera Pro. It lets you do multiple images using masks and other advanced tools.

Conclusion

Spend time practising creating layer masks, and you’ll find multiplicity photography a cinch.

Don’t worry about making mistakes and starting over – it’s the best way to learn. The way you see your world is original, so gather inspiration from your day-to-day life and the people around you.

Examples of Multiplicity Photography

Multiplicity photography is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography. Below are some of the photos taken by our students. If you’d like to learn more, check out the course here.

Portable And Stable

Rollei Compact Traveler No.1 Travel Tripod

Looking to perfect your multiplicity photography technique? A lightweight, space-saving travel tripod with a 360° panoramic ball head and stable spikes is a must-have for your gear.

Tiny Planet Photography: How to Make a Small Planet in Photoshop

Choosing an Image

Little planet photos work well with panorama and 360-degree images. But photos of any image size will work.
I look for these characteristics in an image:

1. Strong vertical elements like trees or buildings
2. Matching left and right sides of the frame
3. Simple sky and ground

The best images have strong vertical elements. The taller, the better. If everything is near the horizon, nothing will pop out of your small planet. The Taj Mahal worked great.

Step 1: Open Your Photo

I’m going to work with a cityscape of Chicago at night.

Step 2: Straighten the Horizon Line

If your horizon line isn’t straight, open the Crop tool. Select the Straighten tool in the upper toolbar and drag it across the horizon. Photoshop will straighten your image.

Step 3: Prepare the Edges

Matching the left and right edges of your frame is an optional step, but it may save you a lot of clean-up work later. I’m going to match the horizon line by removing a couple of buildings (sorry, Chicago!) I’m also going to match the color gradation in the sky.

1. Select the left-hand section of your image. How much depends on your image, but I try for at least ¼.
2. Copy onto a new layer (Ctrl or ⌘J)
3. Flip the layer horizontally Edit >Transform>Flip Horizontal
4. Move the layer to the right edge of the frame
5. Add layer mask
6. Select Gradient tool and set on basic black and white.
7. Fade in effect from the center to the right edge of the frame. The blend doesn’t have to be perfect.
8. Merge layers Layers>Merge Layers (Ctrl or ⌘E)

Step 4: Create a Square Aspect Ratio

It might seem odd, but to create a globe, you must first compress the image into a square.

1. Open Image>Image Size… (Ctrl or ⌘I)
2. Click constrain proportions icon to unlink height and width image size dimensions
3. Enter an equal number in height and width. I usually enter the smaller measurement into both boxes, but it doesn’t make much difference.

If you forget to make your image a square, you’ll get an oblong shape. This isn’t a globe. But you may like the shape.

Step 5: Flip the Image Vertically

Turn your image upside-down by going to Image>Image Rotation>Flip Canvas Vertical.
Image rotation will create a planet image. If you don’t do this step, you’ll create a hole. Your vertical elements will be inside. Try it! You might like it.

Step 6: Apply the Polar Coordinates Filter

The final step is to apply the Polar Coordinates filter. Go to Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates…. This will open the Polar Coordinate dialogue box.
Select Rectangular to Polar.
Click OK.
That’s it! You’ve created a little planet image.

Finishing Touches

You may need to clean-up the seam where the edges meet. I use the Healing brush, Content-aware fill, and the Blur tools to help blend the edges.
Many photographers like to do something with their backgrounds. I like to blur the tell-tale lines created in the corners. In this image, I added stars to the night sky.

Create Tiny Planets With Your Smartphone

You don’t need Photoshop to create a tiny planet. Many smartphone apps create small planet images in a snap.
I use Tiny Planets. This is an app for your iPhone but you can also find alternatives for Android. Point your camera at a scene and the app will create a tiny planet. Or a rabbit hole if you prefer. It’s that easy. Point. Click.
It will even work on images in your camera roll.

Conclusion

Little planet photography looks out-of-this-world, but it’s easy.
Prepare your image in Photoshop by flipping it vertically and creating a square. Go to Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates to apply the filter. There you have it!

Examples of Little Planet Photography

Little Planet Photography is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography. Below are some of the photos taken by our students. If you’d like to learn more, check out the course here.

What is a Picasso Style Portrait and How Does It Work?

The idea of this photo is to create a cross-section of yourself by intersecting two photos. The new image will give you the illusion of a face facing straight and to the side at the same time. This confuses the eye. The final illusion is similar to Picasso’s iconic style.
The side-facing photo makes up the left profile of your body. It is incorporating different body parts such as mouth, nose, and hair.
Your front-facing image accounts for your right profile while using your hair, eye, ear, and nose as key facial features.
The bit where it gets tricky is where the two images merge.
The main merge points of my photo are the eyes, nose, and hair. They combine together to confuse the eyes and create such a weird illusion.

1. Take Three Pictures

I say three pictures; it will probably end up being more like 50 as you struggle to find a smile that you like. Take one photo facing the camera, a second looking to the side at 90 degrees, and the third of your background.

Suggestions for Finding the Best Pose

Let me walk you through my suggestions and what I learned from the experiment:

• Avoid big grins – You can smile, just don’t overdo it. Remember you have to line up the side of your face with the front of your face. If your lips are going up at the side, then that’s not going to work. Showing your teeth will make it impossible to merge the two photos.
• Set up a monitor – I like my smile in a mirror, but hate it in a photo. Don’t ask me why this is. I just know that the process is a lot faster if I can see myself on a monitor, and I’m not running back to the camera after every photo.
• Look straight ahead – Again, this goes back to lining up your two pictures. Keeping a level face is essential. Otherwise, you’re going to have a nightmare in Photoshop. A good, neutral pose will make you editing part easier.
• Don’t stick your neck out – If your neck is sticking out too much, you will have a hard time overlapping the images. When you try to overlay your images, your neck will get too far away from your head.
• Wear a collar – It sounds silly, but it works. I didn’t do this because I couldn’t find a shirt I wanted to wear (or that didn’t need ironing), but it would have helped. Again, this is just a way to add a bit of extra overlay.
• Think about your hair – Facial features aren’t very that hard to line up, because they’re generally quite uniform, but hair is a little bit more predictable. Because of the way my hair changes across my face, it worked best for me to turn to the right. Think about what works best for you. Avoid extreme hairdos.
• Use natural light – You want to avoid having shadows on the wall in the background. Natural light is soft enough to create good lighting conditions. If you use studio lights, take a big step away from the wall.
• Use a plain background – Using a plain, simple background is a good idea. It just makes editing your pictures easier. Having buildings, trees or cars in your background will give you a headache during the next step.

2. Put Your Images Together

First thing you’ll want to do is open up your plain background photo in Photoshop, and use that as your background.
Then open up your other two pictures. It was my preference to place the side-facing image on the top, using layers. Take this top layer and change the opacity to 50%, so that you can see both images.
Then it’s simply a case of moving the top image so that it lines up nicely. Make sure that the neck isn’t too thin, and that all the key features line up.
Pro tip: If you’re trying to find a front-facing and side-facing image that match up in your computer, place your thumb on your screen (on a facial feature) and flick between the two. This makes it really easy to spot any differences.

The next step is to add Layer Masks to the top two layers. This is really simple, just go to Layer > Layer Mask > From Transparency. When you select a layer mask and paint on the image with black, you are deleting that area of the image. If you want it back again, you paint white back on. Simple.
Note: Make sure you’re selecting the layer mask (it is on the right). Otherwise, you’ll just be painting the image black.

Next, take a black brush tool and paint on each layer mask, wherever the two images don’t overlap.

If you’re having trouble getting it right, try using the Magic Wand tool (W) to select the right areas. This takes a little adjustment, but I’ve just taken a quick screenshot to show you what I mean.

When you’re done and removed the top layer for comparison, it will look something like this.

Now comes the tricky part – merging the images so that you can’t tell what’s been done.
You can do this your way, but here’s what I did.
From the left-facing face I used:

• The top part of the hair
• Forehead and brow
• Half of the nose
• Lips
• Bottom of the cheek.

From the forward-facing face I used:

• The right part of the hair
• The eye
• Part of the nose
• Ear
• Right cheek.

To merge them, you can start by using the Layer Mask tool and picking out the parts that you want. But for these finer details, I suggest switching to a new tool, a softer brush. This makes for a smoother merge.

It becomes fairly intuitive from this point in, but if you find yourself really stuck, then I would suggest using a shade of grey over some areas of the skin tone. This effectively changes the opacity for that area of the image and works well for merging images.
The area that you really want to pay close attention to is the nose. The trick is to have it both facing forward, and to the side, which you can see in the image below. It really messes with the eyes, but it’s still subtle.
I found a discrepancy in the color between my images, so I adjusted the color balance slightly, and this made a dramatic difference. If you’re still having problems, try using the Burn and Dodge tools.

Conclusion

From there, you should have a complete, Picasso style image.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect when you’re zoomed in. It will look much better when you save the image and see it as a whole. If you don’t like the results, you can always create a new portrait and give it another try. If I were to retake this photo, I would set the eye closer to the bridge of my nose, so that it would look more like it was looking to the left.
Now share it with your friends and freak them out. I’m thinking about putting it on my business card; you wouldn’t forget it, would you?
The Picasso style cross-section Photoshop tutorial is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography. If you’d like to learn more, check out the course here.

Check out this awesome example from one of our students:

Droste Effect Method One: Photoshop

Let’s go through all the steps to spiral an image in Photoshop below.

Step 1.

Open your image in Photoshop. Press Ctrl+O or Command+O.

Step 2.

Duplicate and paste the image. Press Ctrl+J or Command+J.

Step 3.

Use Free Transform to scale the image down to size. Hold Ctrl+T or Command+T.

Step 4.

Place the copy over the area you are going to edit.

Step 5.

Drag the smaller picture to the bottom of the layer stack.

Step 6.

Select the Quick Selection Tool. Press the “W” key.

Step 7.

Select the area the picture will go in.

Step 8.

Select the Eraser tool. Press “E.”

Step 9.

Erase the areas to show the layer underneath.

Step 10.

Repeat steps two to ten as many times as you need.

And here you have the final result.

Droste Effect Method Two: Photo Spiralysis

The other method is to open your file in Photo Spiralysis. Below is the image we’ll be using as an example.

Step 1.

Open the webpage of Photo Spiralysis. Click the folder icon in the top left-hand corner to import your file.

Step 2.

Familiarize yourself with the settings. Magnification makes the picture larger or smaller. Spirals make more or less spirals in the image. And Stretch allows you to stretch the picture further.

Step 3.

The red dot in the middle is the center point. You need to click and drag this area to adjust the pictures.

Step 4.

First, we change the spirals to 2. This is when we start to see a change in our file.

Step 5.

We must ensure the picture inside our frame is not visible in our final image.

Step 6.

Change the magnification to 2 to get more images repeated, hiding the areas we do not want.

Step 7.

Changing the Stretch from 1 to 1.1 gives us a very drastic change. Now, we start to see our picture take shape.

Step 8.

Play around with the placement of the image by moving the red dot (center point).

Step 9.

Change the magnification and stretch the image to find the perfect combination. We found that a 2.8 magnification showed us we were on the right track.

Step 10.

These were our final numbers:

• Magnification: 2.836
• Spirals: 2
• Stretch: 1.103

Step 11.

Click on the Create the Final Image icon, then render and save.

And there we have it—an image with a spiral that repeats indefinitely.
It can be a little finicky to get right. But with patience and time, you can get exciting results.

Check out our posts on turning photos into paintings for more great Photoshop projects.

Examples of Droste Effect Photography

Droste effect photography is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography.
Below are some of the photos taken by our students. If you’d like to learn more, check out the video course.

Why You Should use the Harris Shutter Effect

The technique is a lot of fun to play around with when you’ve got some spare time. It is an easy way to impress friends with your images.
This effect can be used in any situation where you can keep the camera steady. It is a great way to show movement in a photo.
With the advent of Photoshop and digital cameras, the whole thing can be done a lot easier and without the use of filters.
This post will show you how to produce photos like the one below. We are going to adjust the red, blue and green colors in post-processing.

How to use the Harris Shutter Effect

All the photographer has to do is to take three color photos of a scene involving a small amount of movement and an object that remains constant.
In my example above, I used the rising smoke out of a glass jar. The jar is the constant, and the smoke is the movement. For this effect to work best, the photos should be taken in quick succession like the ones below.
Scenes involving bikers or pedestrians walking on the street are also suitable. If you are in nature, waves, waterfalls or rivers are great subjects for this method too.

Step by Step Guide

After completing the shot, choose three suitable photos. Then you want to open the first image in Photoshop or the free program I like to use: GIMP. It’s not as good as Photoshop but, in many ways, does much the same thing and is ideal for what we’re going to do here.
We are going to change the red, blue and green colors in.
First, go to ‘Colors’ and select ‘Color Balance’. Boost the red level while completely removing the green and blue level from that image. This is layer number 1.

Next, go to ‘File’ and select ‘Open as Layers…’. Select the second photo. Repeat the step above but, this time, remove the red and blue levels while boosting the green.

Finally, repeat the steps above for the blue channel.

At this point you will only be able to see the blue photo so, to merge all three photos into one, you’ll need to open the layers dialogue. To do this, it’s usually ‘Ctrl-L’ or ‘Cmd-L’.
Once open, select the first of the two top layers and go to the dropdown box next to ‘Mode:’. Select ‘Addition’ as demonstrated below. Repeat for both.
This will allow you to see all three photos at the same time as one image, completing the method.

Now all you have to do is to save it in the desired image format, and you’re finished.

Examples of Harris Shutter Effect

Harris Shutter effect is one of the topics we cover in our creative photography course, Wow Factor Photography.
Below are some of the photos taken by our students. If you’d like to learn more, check out the course here.

Conclusion

The technique invented by Robert Harris is a great way to add an exciting twist to your images.
It’s easy to recreate it with a digital camera and a good way to improve your photography and editing skills.