While everyone is excited to finally have a shining sun of summer and planning exciting events, as a photographer it’s a great time to prepare to document those moments while you enjoy along.
I have gathered 15 photography ideas you can try and get creative with summertime photos.
Charge your batteries, prepare your gear and let’s have fun.
1. Go to an urban area and take photos at the market, coffee shops, parks, and other areas that you love.
When it comes to photography, the ability to capture the moment is crucial. Whether you are a professional, a novice, or just someone trying to take better selfies, there are always opportunities for amazing photos. You just have to find the right location that speaks to you and your style.
For those who love bright lights and big city living, urban areas can offer endless photo opportunities. Coffee shops, markets, parks, and other spaces that draw in locals who want a break from the crowded city streets are perfect for taking some great pictures this summer.
For instance, capturing your favorite foods and beverages can be easier than ever when you choose your local coffee shop as the backdrop for your photos.
2. Have a picnic and take every moment.
Pack a picnic and head to your favorite park for an afternoon of fun in the sun. You can have a healthy picnic with the family or just pick some snacks and drinks. There are multiple ways you can photograph this activity. Get some shots of the food being served, or get some shots of your family members as they enjoy their meal. Either way, be sure to grab some close-up food pictures so you can remember what kind of tasty treats you enjoyed that day.
3. Go for a hike in nature and photograph the plants, animals, or landscapes you find.
Hiking is a great way to get some gentle exercise and fresh air while enjoying the beauty of nature. There are typically plenty of things to photograph outdoors such as plants, flowers, animals, or even just beautiful landscapes. Keep your eye open, there are magical scenery, trees, and wildflowers you can get while hiking.
Do a little research about the area beforehand so you know what kinds of plants and animals live there. This can also help you make sure you don’t wear shoes that aren’t appropriate for the hike.
Don’t forget to bring water and snacks with you!
4. Ride through the city and take photos of significant landmarks and museums.
Look for statues of important historical figures, or any other well-known landmarks to capture as you make your way through town. What’s special about your city? Be sure to take a few photos of places that are unique to where you live!
5. Visit a Lavender field
Lavender fields are a beautiful place to take Summer photos. Research the ones that don’t have restrictions on photography and plan your photoshoot accordingly.
6. Take photos in a cornfield
Corn is a summer crop, ready for harvest at the end of summer. You could take photos in a cornfield in mid-summer when it’s all tall and green.
7. Take photos of your kids with farm animals like goats and chickens or at a local petting zoo
Animals can be a great way to get the kids excited about being photographed. The chance to pet an animal or feed it a snack is enough to entice most kids into looking at the camera. A fairground or petting zoo at your local park might have some animals that you can interact with, and of course, if you’re lucky enough to own animals of your own, even better!
If one or more of your children are not comfortable with animals, make sure you have a backup plan in case they don’t want to go near them. Also make sure they understand that they don’t have to handle any animals if they don’t want to, but that if they do, it would be great if they could smile for a picture!
Don’t forget plenty of snacks for both yourself and the kids, you may need something sweet on hand for bribery purposes when the photo session just isn’t going as planned. And it never hurts to bring along treats for the animals too! (If it’s allowed to feed them of course)
8. Photograph your family playing together in your backyard or at a park
Playing ball together is a fun way to get your family active and create lasting memories. Whether you are in the backyard, at the park, play some volleyball, soccer, or touch football! They are all great activities for your whole family.
This summer, make sure you document the fun with photographs of your family playing ball together. Your whole family will look back on these photos fondly as they remember that time they spent active and spending time with each other.
9. Go to the beach and take pictures there.
You don’t necessarily have to go far to get the beach vibes. If you live near a body of water, the beach can be a great place to take photos. Even inactive beaches have interesting subjects, such as rocks and shells.
Find your spot, Take photos of people playing in the sand, going into the water, etc, and get wide shots of the beach and close-ups of objects on it.
10. Visit a farm or garden with your camera.
Summer is a great time for portraits and family photos. Bright sunny days are perfect for outdoor sessions, and many families get together at this time of year, which makes it the ideal time to capture those family shots you’ve been planning.
Dress up in the season’s best clothes and go to one of these locations with your camera to capture the sights, sounds, and smells of being there.
11. Take your camera to summer music festivals
For most cities, summer has a lot of planned music festivals. Take advantage of that and take your camera to the festivals and practice your skills. Festivals are good places you can practice portraiture and master your settings. Music scenes are ever-changing, with lights and movements of singers. It’s a perfect setting to learn a lot about photography.
12. Urban Artfests and murals
Summer is where all sort of festivals tend to be planned and among them are artists’ festivals. Not only you get to enjoy the arts but you also get exposure to the diversity of arts and artifacts. In urban areas, you can also find murals and graffiti which can be interesting to capture and document.
13. Hunt sunsets
Summer has beautiful sunsets to take advantage of. Time to practice your sunset photography and be creative with whatever props you have. Another advantage is, summer days are long, so if you are working full time you still have time to catch the sun setting later in the day.
14. Practice silhouette photography
Who says summer, says the sun. And summertime sun will give you the opportunity to practice silhouette photography.
15. Be creative with Cityscape shadows
Summer sun can have beautiful shadows over buildings, you can play with them and get gorgeous shots.
Conclusion
As we enter into summer, I hope to have given you some photography ideas to experiment with and improve your photography skills and enjoy at the same time.