11 Simple Instagram Photos You Can Shoot at Home

So you’re stuck at home with nowhere to go and you’re running out of photos to post on Instagram. Creating fresh content can be a struggle when you’re confined to your house or apartment, but even when you can’t hit the road and travel or even explore new places locally, there are ways to stay active on your social channels and keep your audience engaged. Read on for 11 simple photos that can all be taken from the comfort of your own home.

1. Create a flat lay

A nice surface, some flowers, a cup of tea, my glasses, and a few pretty magazines are all it took to make this shot happen. Flat lays are really fun to create with any assortment of items you find laying around the house. Try working a laptop into the photo, a pen and notebook, books, clothes and accessories, or even items from your makeup bag. Experiment with different arrangements and see which looks best from a top-down view.

2. Slap on some makeup and have a photoshoot

First of all, it’ll do you a world of good to get out of your sweats and look like you’ve got somewhere to be. Set up a tripod and work on some portrait photography. Outside, inside, wherever. Wine helps.

Pro tip: The photos above are also known as “advanced selfies”. Meaning, I took them myself. Many cameras, including my Sony a7R III, have built-in WiFi these days. First, I set my camera up on my Manfrotto tripod and then connect the camera to Sony’s Imaging Edge Mobile app on my phone. This allows me to:

1. See the frame my camera sees.

2. Use my phone as a remote.

I then set the timer to 2 or 5 seconds, press the shutter, and hide my phone. If you’re using a mobile phone, you can also use a tripod or prop it up against something. This requires a lot more back and forth than the first option, but it is effective nonetheless!

3. Shoot your culinary creations

Found yourself cooking more at home? Great! Not only are you saving money and eating healthier, you’ve also created the perfect content opportunity. Who doesn’t love to see photos of drool-worthy dishes? Get clever in the kitchen and set up a shot with your food at the center of it. Use a beverage or a vase of flowers to make it extra aesthetically pleasing.

Pro tip: If you’re without a DSLR but have an iPhone, Portrait Mode on all recent models is perfect for food photography. By focusing on the food and blurring the background, this mode manages to give phone images the professional quality of a real camera.

4. Focus on interior details

Get creative with cozy nooks and items from around the house. Got a pretty bookshelf? How about a nice fireplace or mantle? You’d be surprised what photographs well, especially when you focus on a single subject and blur out the background, like the coffee mug above. Sometimes, simple moments make for extraordinary images.

5. Take a bath

Photograph an everyday, relaxing moment. If you don’t have a photographer around to help you out, this is another chance to practice your advanced selfie skills! Some bubbles, candles, a beverage, a book, and even a couple of Bengal cats can help set the scene. Just don’t drop your phone, cat, or wine in the water. (I’ve had a few close calls.)

6. Photograph your pet

Taking pictures of animals is HARD. As it turns out, they don’t always like to stay still. They also seem to have a sixth sense- the second a camera turns on them they stop doing whatever cute thing they were doing just a moment ago. Use your free time to practice, and capture that elusive moment!

Pro tip: If you’re shooting with a DSLR, put your camera on a high speed shooting mode, and make sure you’re in a bright, well-lit place. This will reduce the chance of blur and hopefully result in a crisp, action shot! If you’re shooting with a mobile phone, burst mode should do the trick. Simply get the subject in frame and hold your finger down on the shutter button. It will continuously shoot until you let go. It’s highly likely that there will be at least one good photo in there!

7. Get the lazy bed shot

We’re all spending a lot of time in bed, anyways- may as well get some content out of it. The photo can be as simple as sitting in bed in your favorite pjs with a cup of coffee, organizing a breakfast in bed setup, reading a newspaper, or, you could get a little more cheeky with it…

8. Spruce up a room

If you’re spending a lot of time at home, it’s important to be happy in the space that you’re in. Take the time to clean up, redecorate, and then show it off with an interior shot. Color coding the bookshelves, working in flowers and plants, choosing accent pillows with pops of color, and lighting some candles helped bring this room together. Because of the identical bookcases, framing the shot symmetrically with the the fireplace in the center was the best angle for shooting this space.

9. Get Cozy in a window

I fully recognize that you’re most likely not shacked up in an apartment with views of Florence’s amazing Duomo, but a window is always a great place to cozy up and take a pic. Or, if you have assistance and two windows along the same wall, you can try poking your head out and having your photographer do the same. This will change the perspective from inside to outside.

10. Create A Backdrop

Magazines, newspapers, and books are great for creating an impromptu background. Try taping the pages of a newspaper or magazine to the wall to create an in-home photoshoot backdrop, or even something as simple as some open books on the floor can make for a beautiful image in itself. If you want to be in the book shot, rest your head on top of them and have someone shoot over you for an artsy headshot.

11. Hit the archives

And when you’ve run completely dry and photographed every possible corner of your home, both inside and out, it may be time to revisit old photos. Choose some of your favorites and take your audience for a walk down memory lane. For example, I decided to post photos from Southeast Asia, where my full-time travel adventure first started 5+ years ago. Until I can start traveling again, I will highlight destinations alongside little anecdotes that will eventually loop back to the present.

Let me know if that was helpful! Happy content shooting!