Photography Ideas And Assignments With Tips And Camera Settings

Welcome to my first photography blog!

If you like photography and are looking to develop your skills, then these assignments might be just the thing for you.

A common struggle when starting with photography is finding your inherent style and figuring out what type of photography is most enjoyable or profitable if you are looking to start a business.

So, here is a bit of everything, and I hope it will serve as inspiration and give you some new ideas to try out.

The assignments are intended for a digital camera user; instructions are for setting the ISO, shutter speed, and focal length.

sunset blue hour, f13, ISO100, 3,2sec, 28mm

1. Golden hour landscapes

The period shortly before and after sunrise (and sunset) is known as the golden hour, offering warm, soft light ideal for photography. Take advantage of this magical light for stunning results.

Find a nice view and put some thought into your composition. Try landscape and portrait orientations for your scene and see what works best.

sunset golden hour, f11, 1/20sec, ISO100, 28mm

sunrise golden hour, f9, 1/20sec, ISO100, 80mm

2. Vistas

If there is a popular spot where everyone goes to take pictures, then why not go with the flow. It's always a good idea to have a classic in your portfolio.

f4.5, 1/100sec, ISO400, 70mm

f6,3, 1/320sec, ISO100, 11mm

f5,6, 1/320sec, ISO100, 62mm

3. Panoramas

Speaking of vistas, sometimes nothing will serve you better than a panorama. Making panoramas can be very rewarding, but it does take a little bit more effort.

There are plenty of free and paid software that will stitch your images into a panorama.

Make sure that the photos overlap each other by at least a third. I prefer to take images in portrait orientation rather than landscape when shooting for a panorama. Longer focal lengths will make it easier to blend the images together.

Set your camera to Manual and make sure your settings are the same for each image.

handheld, 6 image merge, f9, 1/250, ISO100, 60mm

handheld, 8 image merge, f3.3, 1/125sec, ISO500, 24mm

tripod, three image merge, f8, 2sec, ISO100, 70mm

4. Animals; pets

Having a pet, for a photographer, is like having a model who is willing to work for some play time and a treat.

Take advantage of your local park or zoo animals.

Faster shutter speeds (generally 1/250 sec or higher) and a longer lens will give you better results. If you are unsure of your settings and don’t want to risk blurry images, set your camera to Sport.

f8, 1/500sec, ISO800, 40mm

f7.1, 1/320sec, ISO500, 44mm

5. Portraits

Portrait photography is a very demanding category, and the topic requires its own book, to say the least. Doing portraits can also be very rewarding and fun.

Find a friendly face and start with a classical Rembrandt light.

The rule of thumb is to have the light source placed so it reflects in your subjects’ eyes. Also, the eyes are the only part of the face that should always be in focus.

If you don't have studio lighting, use large windows for diffused light. The best focal lengths are generally around 50mm or higher.

Rembrandt light, f8, 1/160sec, ISO200, 40mm

Beauty light, f2.5, 1/200sec, ISO100, 60mm

Short light, f8, 1/200, ISO6400, 55mm

6. B&W

Black-and-white photography holds a timeless allure, stripping away color to focus on form, texture, and contrast.

Through the absence of color, black-and-white photography appreciates the play of light and shadow, highlighting the simplicity and elegance of visual storytelling.

Objects, silluetes, portraits, nature, arhitecture, pick any subject you like.

Bright and sunny days may not be best for landscapes, but they are perfect for black-and-white photography. Contrast is what you're looking for.

f8, 1/50sec, ISO1250, 28mm

f6.3, 1/160sec, ISO100, 17mm

f8, 1/200sec, ISO6400, 55mm

7. Street

How do you see your city? What are your favorite places?

Pick a less crowded time and start with your favorite streets.

f9, 1/125sec, ISO100, 28mm

f4.5, 1/125sec, ISO100, 70mm

f5, 1/40sec, ISO200, 28mm

8. Working people

If you feel awkward photographing random people on the street, try photographing workers, easily found in marketplaces, coffee shops, food stands, construction, etc. Street performers are also a great choice.

f9, 1/160sec, ISO100, 28mm

9. Food

Food photography can be a lot of fun, with an endless variety of colors and textures. It can also be easily applied in business. Most restaurants have a website and use some sort of advertising. Also, many of them use images of the restaurant itself and like to post photos of their staff.

A macro or portrait lens would be best for this type of image. For light and airy images, use big windows with lots of indirect light and bright textures for the background. Alternatively, use a single light to create dark and moody images.

f4.5, 1/40sec, ISO100, 70mm

f5.6, 1/80sec, ISO100, 60mm

f8, 1/40sec, ISO5000, 70mm

10. Objects

Photographing objects can range from artistic to product photography, and being so versatile is a very useful skill to have.

f11, 13sec, ISO100, 60mm

f8, 1/60sec, ISO100, 36mm

f2, 4sec, ISO100, 60mm

11. HDR

High-dynamic-range images are very versatile and often used when there are very bright and very dark areas in a single image. Creating an HDR image needs at least three images of the same scene, taken in different exposures (normal, underexposed, and overexposed), and blending them in post-processing.

This technique is a bit more demanding and requires more editing time.

Set your camera to Aperture mode. Set the ISO to the lowest number. Bracket your exposure at a minimum of +-1 stop. Use a remote triger or a 2-second timer.

It is commonly used in real estate photography. A tripod is essential.

three image merge, +-2stops, f11, ISO100, 10mm

12. Long exposure

Long exposures usually involve some kind of body of water in the image and are commonly used to smooth out any movement. It is particularly popular with moving water.

This is a great way to bring out your subject, as it will smooth out any movement around it, be it in the sky or in the water.

The best time for long exposure is during the blue hour.

If you are doing long exposures during the day, a neutral density (ND) filter will be of great help. Also, set your camera to a higher f number and the lowest possible ISO.

f20, 2sec, ISO100, 36mm

f11, 6sec, ISO100, 28mm

13. Stories

The best photographs are those that tell a story or convey a feeling. Sometimes this is best done in a series of images. Try creating a story with simple photography sets.

f11, 1/250sec, ISO100, 120mm

f11, 1/250sec, ISO100, 240mm

f8, 1/125sec, ISO100, 165mm