Stephen Walton
Finding fun home photography projects to do with kids isn’t as hard as you may expect.
Now is the time to share your photographic passion with the next generation and help us curate the next age of creatives.
I’ve designed 3 quick, cheap and fun photo projects to try out with your kids and grandkids. They are inspired by our online training course Home Projects.
Hopefully they’ll encourage your kids to pick up a camera and follow in your footsteps.
Home photography projects are by definition small and simple. Therefore, it’s a great place to involve the younger generation and when you can try out these projects without leaving the house, it’s even better.
For instance, it’s holiday season for a lot of us and the kids are bouncing off the walls looking for something fun to do. But with the launch of our iPhotography Home Projects course there isn’t a better time to get out the camera and make some amazing photos with the help of your children.
Firstly, it’s important to know these 3 home photography projects need very little planning and no specialist photo equipment. I’ve made them so simple that you can even use your smartphone – ideal if you don’t want to lend your 6-year-old an expensive DSLR!
When you were a kid did you ever lie in bed and make shadows on the walls with your hands and a little torch? No? Just us? OK then! Well, we thought it was fun and it gave us the inspiration for this first mini photo project.
All you need is a hard light. For this purpose, a torch would be ideal, but if it’s sunny outdoors then head into the garden to try this out.
Dad Says – Yeah OK, we know this is meant to be a ‘home project’ but surely the garden is still part of the home?!
Turn off all the lights and use a torch to cast shadows on a plain wall. The trick here is to not get your hands in the pictures though. Set your camera to focus on the wall so the shadows are sharp. If your child isn’t in charge of the camera ask them to create some shapes with their hands. They will love the entertainment of seeing big shadows cast on the wall from their hands!
Furthermore, if you want to be a little more adventurous with this photo project, crack out the toys. Raid your little one’s toy box and ask them to choose their favourite characters. Action figures and animals are a great prop to use because of their defined outlines, it’s instantly recognisable.
You’ll need to keep the toy and wall fairly close to each other to cast a sharp shadow. This can make it tricky to avoid seeing the toy in the shot so set up the best angle beforehand if your child is doing the camera work.
If you’re getting into the swing of things quite quickly you may also want to supersize this mini project. Start making some shadow puppets and put on a real show.
This home photo project works on two levels…
Firstly, it’s a cute little photo project that has no limits. Secondly, it may encourage any fussy eaters to try out new foods!
I have 3 great passions in life – Teaching, Photography and Food. Therefore, this home project really pulls at my heart strings – the chance to combine photography and food!
Firstly, raid your kitchen cupboards for some small packet food. I’d recommend raw pasta, vegetables and fruit as you can always use them again afterwards.
Take a bit of inspiration from this mini home photography project when it comes to teatime. See if you can make some fun arrangements on your little one’s plate in hope that your fussy eater becomes a culinary connoisseur!
If your kids/grandkids are joining in this home photography project, use a blank surface (white ones work best) and make some fun scenes using the foods. Show them our examples, then step back and watch what they create. There is nothing more imaginative than a child’s mind, let them go wild!
The camera needs to be at a high angle looking straight down to get the full effect. Use auto settings if you prefer, it’s more about capturing the creative scene that’s been made.
Try making a few different scenes for this photo project that maybe tell a story. Montage the pictures and show them off to the family.
Getting your children to interact, and have fun with new foods, (without the pressure of eating it) can make them more familiar with it when it actually comes to dinner time. Fingers crossed!
My last mini home photography project for kids could get a little messy. But who doesn’t associate their child/grandchild with mess?! At least this ‘mess’ will be contained, somewhat.
You are going to need one specific prop for this project and a little bit of preparation.
Use an old fish tank ideally (please don’t throw your goldfish into the sink in the meantime!). But any type of glass tank would work just as well. Possibly a wide vase could work too, thinking about it.
Make sure you lay out some protective covers over any precious furniture in case this goes awry, and it could be a good idea to use a zoom lens if you know what I mean.
Either way, clean all the panes inside and out so there’s no smudges. Fill it up with cold, clean water about halfway. Bear in mind – the fuller you make it the bigger the mess – so you make that decision.
Set your camera up facing the tank, crop in so it’s just the tank onscreen lined up with the water level. Try placing some black card behind the tank to mask out the background. It would be great if the camera is on a tripod but otherwise a steady surface will do.
On this photo project use your burst mode, high speed shooting or sports mode – whatever it’s called on your camera. You’re going to take a lot of pictures quickly! Set your shutter speed is about 1/2000th to get those crisp edges.
Grab a couple of props to make the big splash. Food works well (see we can’t stop thinking about food!) Apples, lemons, limes, oranges and tomatoes are great props. Keep them whole or cut them in half for different effects.
With your little assistant on hand, organise a countdown so you both work in unison. Here’s a tip to the photographer – start shooting before the fruit hits the water. You’ll take forever to get the right shot if you wait for the initial splash.
Check back over your shots to see if you’ve got the perfect moment where the fruit crashes into the water. It should make for some spectacular shots. If not, keep trying, it can take a while, but kids love throwing things in water, don’t they?!
Once you’ve cleaned up it’s a great chance to share those shots with friends and family (and the iPhotography feedback gallery don’t forget). Print off some of the shots and make a little scrapbook with your kids so they can always find a bit of inspiration for their next home photography project.
If you’ve really enjoyed these 3 home photography projects, then you are going to fall in love with our iPhotography Home Projects online course.
There are over 50 home photo projects just like these. All with setup guides, camera settings and composition tips. You can either work alone or get the kids involved to make some special memories, as well as incredible photographs.
I’ll guide you through from start to finish without any tests or assignments to save you time and get straight to the good stuff. Do something amazing and teach the next generation of creative photographers today by joining our imaginative home photography projects video-based course.
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