5 creative photography ideas that you can do in your backyard

Are you feeling uninspired? Is your daily itinerary filled with nothing but lying on the couch all day? Terrified by the doom of the world looming on the horizon, but also feeling powerless because this is just a sign of the greater problem of climate change and ecosystem collapse? Well, this article is for you.

This is a scary time. A lot of us are in tough spots right now and it’s hard to focus on photography. But regardless, we do hope that this blog will bring a bit of light, reignite that creative spark if you will, and remind you of why you started photography and why it’s so important to all of us.

So without further ado, here are 5 creative project ideas that you can do right in your own backyard.

1. Meet Your Neighbours

In 2009, Clay Bolt and Niall Benvie founded the Meet Your Neighbours (MYN) project, a photographic initiative that reveals the vital but under-appreciated wildlife that live amongst us. Bolt, a longtime supporter of women in nature photography and Advisory Board Member of Girls Who Click, says the main goal of the project “is to help people connect with the wildlife in their own communities.” 

Unlike a lot of wildlife photography, MYN is centred around using an inexpensive field studio, letting the beauty and uniqueness of local species stand out on a pure white background. “One of my personal goals for MYN is to dispel the myth that rarity equates to more important, more amazing, or more beautiful.” says Bolt.

There are conservation photographers all over the world involved with this project, raising awareness for wildlife we often overlook (including GWC’s Karine Aigner). But any passionate photographer is welcomed to join. All you need is a white background, some lights/flashes, and curiosity and empathy for the biodiversity that live around us. Check out this video or the MYN Youtube or this interview from B&H for more information on the project and how to get started with your very own field studio!

2. Create a nature photography sanctuary

Not finding enough diversity in your backyard? You can take matters into your own hands and bring wildlife to you (ethically), and that means creating wildlife habitat.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to set up a bird feeder. Once birds discover a feeder, it can become a site full of diversity and activity, providing perfect photo opportunities.

Before you start, Lynda Richardson advises that it’s important to consider the location of your feeder, both from a photographic and ethics point of view. For example, what’s the light like? Is the background clean? Is there somewhere you can conceal yourself (i.e. being indoors or using a blind) so that you can get amazing behavioral shots without disturbing the subjects? Are there shrubs nearby that birds can shelter in so that they don’t get attacked by sneaky raptors or the neighborhood cat? 

Once everything is set up, experiment! Set up a branch so that the birds land on it before going to the feeder. Capture birds in flight. Push the limits of your creativity.

If you have a little more time and resources, you can also make your backyard into a full-blown nature sanctuary, like Mary Ann and Joe McDonald. 

Named Hoot Hollow, the McDonald backyard is filled with vernal pools, bird feeders, and a variety of pollinator-friendly plants. “It’s our little piece of heaven here. We can walk right out the back door and photograph.” Mary Ann says, “It’s really cool to be able to get out there and say, ‘Wow, we helped bring them here, because we developed this for them.’ It’s fun to be able to give back so much by creating this habitat.”

To help you get started, Mary Ann has been working hard to create a series of backyard photography tutorials for GWC. At this time, the videos are still being produced, but they will be shared soon.

3. Go outside your comfort zone

“This is not your ordinary macro lens. It’s a speciality lens that will photograph from 1:1 life size to 5-times life size.” says Kathy Adams Clark in her latest blog post.

She’s talking about the Canon MP-E 65mm lens she rented. This heavy duty lens even has an extremely shallow depth of field at f/16 and requires a focusing rail. Long story short, it’s not an easy piece of equipment to maneuver.

But with the extra time at home, Kathy was able to test out this lens as well as a few other setups to capture a monarch butterfly egg on a milkweed plant. In doing so, she was able to truly understand the pros and cons between different super-macro photography equipment, and write an awesomely informative blog post about it.

So, if you have a technique you’ve been dying to try out, but have been scared to do so, now is the perfect chance. Whether that’s super macro, studio portrait photography, light painting, etc, go and experiment! If you don’t own the right gear, you can rent some from Borrow Lenses (a company that is a generous sponsor of GWC workshops).

Struggling with ideas? Definitely check out Denise Ippolito’s blog post for fun creative photography techniques you can try at home to create some stunning abstract shots.

4. Give yourself an assignment

If you’re looking to practice your storytelling skills, take this idea from a recent podcast episode of Impact: The Conservation Photographer’s Podcast by Jaymi Heimbuch.

In the episode, Jaymi suggests looking at a familiar place or activity from a new perspective by giving yourself a “photo assignment”. That means looking at your “boring” routine, finding a story, and then shooting it like you would as an assignment for a magazine.

For Jaymi, that “boring” routine was taking her dog to the beach every morning. She figured out what her story was by creating a shot list for her photo essay. And she looked at other photographers for inspiration and ways that she can push her own photography out of her comfort zone.

With a plan in mind, Jaymi went out every morning, same as always, but with a new purpose. Take a look at her results on here, and also give her entire podcast a listen! One of her recent episodes focuses on conservation photography projects you can start today. Another source of inspiration.

5. The little joys

Last but not least, photograph what makes you happy. Often, our homes are one of the most special places in our hearts, and the one that we overlook the most. So why not take some time to document it through photography?

So what makes you happy? What are the little joys that are getting you through the day?

Maybe it’s your dog happily bounding in your backyard.

Maybe it’s your second cup of coffee in the morning.

Maybe it’s the warm afternoon sun slanting into your living room.

The important thing is that you now have the time to look and experience the magic all over again. 

As Brenda Tharp says in her blog post about “The Value of Home”: “Sometimes after coming home I see more deeply the things in my garden, and around my neighborhood. I view it with fresh eyes – eyes that have been ‘washed’ with nature’s beauty elsewhere are now able to see a-new the beauty right around me.”

So stop, look closely and remember. Remember the things that made you feel light. Remember the small wonders that captivated your mind. 

And capture it. Because ultimately, isn’t that what photography is all about?