Updated October 2026
Every photographer hits a rut. The same park, the same lens, the same framing, and none of it feels fresh. The fix is rarely a new camera. It is a weird idea and an hour to try it. These 7 funky photography tips are built to get you out of that rut with gear you already own or can grab for a few dollars.
The video below, from photographers Anastasia Ehlakova and Julia Gebhardt, shows a handful of creative tricks in action: colored gels, hula-hoop light painting, freelensing and levitation. Watch it for the spark, then use the tips here as a practical plan for trying them yourself.
Tip 1: Try colored gels
Colored gels are thin sheets of tinted plastic that you place over a flash or a continuous light. They turn plain white light into deep red, teal, magenta or gold, and they are the cheapest way to add mood to a portrait or a product shot.
Here is a simple setup. Put your subject in front of a dark wall, a few feet away. Place one flash with a gel on one side and a second flash with a different color on the other. Use contrasting colors, like blue and orange, and the face will glow in two tones. Lower the ambient light in the room so the colored light does the work. Start with your camera at 1/160 second, f/4 and ISO 100, then adjust until the skin looks right.
Tape the gel to the flash head so it does not slip, and keep the flash a few inches from the subject for stronger color. If the color looks too weak, turn the room lights off. If it looks muddy, check that your white balance is not fighting the gel.
Tip 2: Paint with light using a hula hoop
Light painting is slow-shutter fun. In a dark space, you set the camera on a tripod, open the shutter for several seconds and move a light through the frame. The camera records the whole path, so you end up with glowing lines and shapes.
A hula hoop wrapped in LED string lights makes a great tool because it draws clean circles and spirals with almost no skill. Spin it slowly in front of a person or around a tree. Set your camera to 5 to 15 seconds, f/8, ISO 100, and use a remote or the self-timer so you do not shake the camera.
Dress your subject in dark clothes and have them stay still for the whole exposure. If you want them to show up, use a small flash at the end of the exposure, which is called rear-curtain sync. The light trails then flow behind them instead of covering them.
Tip 3: Freelensing
Freelensing means detaching the lens from the camera body while you shoot, holding it a small distance from the mount. This tilts the plane of focus and lets in a little stray light, so you get dreamy blur on one side and a razor-sharp strip on the other. It looks like a tilt-shift lens at a fraction of the cost.
A word of caution. When you pull the lens off, the sensor is exposed to dust. Do it in a clean place, move quickly and never do it in wind or sand. Use an older, cheap lens, like a 50mm f/1.8, rather than a favorite lens. Hold the lens with your left hand, brace your right hand on the camera, and use live view so you can see the focus plane while you tilt.
Start in bright light, stop down a bit, and move the lens a few millimeters at a time. Small movements change the result a lot. You will get light leaks, color shifts and glowing edges. Take dozens of frames. Maybe one in ten will be magic, and that one is worth it.
Tip 4: Levitation shots
Levitation photos look hard, but they are built from simple tricks. The classic method is to shoot two frames from a locked-off tripod: one with your subject jumping or sitting on a hidden support, and one clean plate of the empty background. Blend them in editing and the support disappears.
A few details sell the effect. Keep the camera perfectly still between frames. Use the same exposure and white balance on both. Have your subject point their toes and relax their clothing so it looks like they are floating. In editing, mask the support out and paint in the background from the clean plate. Add a faint shadow below the subject so the picture feels grounded.
Not sure where to start? Sit a friend on a stool, shoot, then remove the stool. It is the easiest version, and it teaches you the whole workflow.
Tip 5: Shoot through objects
Put something in front of your lens and the picture changes instantly. A piece of colored glass, a crystal, a prism, a fern leaf or a wet window gives you reflections, flares and soft color. The trick is to place the object close to the lens so it blurs and does not block the whole frame.
Hold a prism at the edge of your lens at an angle and watch the rainbow flares move as you tilt. Use a wide aperture, such as f/2.8, so the foreground object blurs into a soft wash. Try it with a portrait during golden hour, when the light is low and warm, and the glow will look like it came from a film camera.
Tip 6: Slow shutter movement
Motion blur is the opposite of the sharp, frozen shot, and that is why it looks different. Drop the shutter to 1/10 second or slower in daylight (add an ND filter if you need to), and move the camera while you shoot. Pan with a runner, sweep upward along a tree trunk, or twist the camera during the exposure.
Most frames will be messy. A few will have a streak of color and a clear subject. Those are keepers. Try it at a street corner with cars passing, or at dusk with city lights. You can also hold the camera still and let people walk through the frame, so they blur into ghosts against a sharp background.
Tip 7: Double exposure and layering
Many cameras offer a multiple exposure mode, and if yours does not, you can blend two photos in editing. The classic version places a portrait silhouette over a texture, such as trees, a city skyline or a field of flowers. The face holds the shape and the texture fills it in.
For a simple recipe, shoot a profile portrait against a bright sky so the figure is a dark silhouette. Then shoot a pattern, like leaves, to fill the silhouette. In editing, put the pattern on top, set the blend mode to Lighten or Screen and mask the extras. Change the opacity until the two ideas fit together. This is one of the best exercises for learning to see in layers.
How to make creative experiments stick
Creative techniques are a bit like cooking. You try a new recipe, burn the first batch and get better by the third. A few habits keep the experiments from turning into a pile of failed files.
- Pick one idea per session. Do not try all seven in a single outing. Spend an hour on freelensing and nothing else.
- Keep notes. Write down the settings that worked. A phone note is enough.
- Limit your gear. One lens, one light. Limits push you to be creative.
- Share and compare. Post your best three and ask what people like. You will learn what works.
- Return to the idea later. A technique that fails in January may click in June.
Why weird ideas make you a better photographer
Experiments teach skills that normal shooting hides. Light painting teaches exposure and patience. Gels teach you to see color and contrast. Freelensing teaches focus. Levitation teaches planning and editing. Slow shutter work teaches you to read motion, and double exposure teaches composition in layers. Each trick makes your regular pictures stronger, because you start noticing light, shape and timing in a deeper way. The goal is not to turn every shot into a gimmick. It is to widen your toolbox, so that when a great scene appears, you know exactly which tool to pull out.
Plan a one-day creative shoot
If you want to try several of these ideas at once, plan a short shoot day. It turns a pile of ideas into a real project and gives you a small portfolio at the end.
Morning: Do the daylight work. Freelensing and shooting through objects both look best in soft, bright light. Find a spot with a simple background and a friend who is willing to sit for portraits. Shoot for an hour, then check your best frames on the screen.
Afternoon: Try slow shutter motion and double exposure source frames. Walk a busy street, take a few silhouettes against the sky, and collect textures like leaves, brick and water. These will become layers later.
Evening: Switch to the night tricks. Set up colored gels and light painting once the sky is dark. Bring a tripod, a remote, extra batteries and a small flashlight so you can find your gear. Dark sessions always take longer than you expect, so give yourself at least an hour.
The day after: Edit. Pick the best five frames from the day and finish them. Do not post forty average photos. Post five strong ones, and say how you made them. People love to see the idea behind a picture, and explaining it will help you remember what worked.
Safety and good manners
A few cautions apply. Never freelens in wind or dust, and keep the sensor covered whenever the lens is off. When light painting in public, tell people what you are doing, and do not use bright lights near roads or other photographers. For levitation shots, keep jumps low and have a spotter if your subject stands on a stool. Ask before photographing strangers, and respect private property.
Where to go next
If you want to go deeper on shooting in the dark, take the Night photography course in the Shut Your Aperture Academy, taught by Edin Chavez with lifetime access. It is the natural next step for light painting and colored-light work. Browse every course in the Academy, and bring these experiments with you. For a simple way to get more from the camera in your pocket, read our 8 DIY smartphone photography tips. If you want to upgrade gear, see the camera buyer guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are creative photography techniques for beginners?
Colored gels, light painting, shooting through objects, slow shutter motion blur and double exposure are all easy to start with and need little gear.
Is freelensing bad for my camera?
It can be, if dust gets onto the sensor. Do it in a clean, calm place, work quickly and use an inexpensive lens. Have a blower or sensor cleaning kit ready.
What settings should I use for light painting?
Start with a tripod, a dark room, f/8, ISO 100 and a 5 to 15 second exposure, then adjust for how bright your light is.
How do I make a levitation photo?
Lock the camera on a tripod, shoot your subject on a hidden support, shoot an empty background frame, then blend the two in editing.
Do I need a flash for colored gels?
A flash gives the strongest effect, but you can also use a gel over an LED panel, a lamp or a phone flashlight for a softer look.
How do I get out of a photography rut?
Change one thing: the place, the lens, the time of day or the technique. Short, playful projects build momentum quickly.
Gear box: creative photography starting points
These are research starting points, not rankings. Check current specs, reviews and prices before buying.
- Colored gel sets: Browse gel sets at B&H or on Amazon.
- LED light wands and string lights: See light painting tools on Amazon.
- A budget 50mm f/1.8 lens for freelensing: See 50mm lenses at B&H.
- A solid tripod and remote: Browse tripods at B&H.
Affiliate disclosure: some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Shut Your Aperture may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
