Trending conceptual photo ideas that will change your perspective on photography

Have you ever felt uninspired by your photography and not known what to shoot next? You are not alone, many photographers go through a state of creative drought from time to time. To get out of a rut it can help to find some new and fresh ideas that will motivate you to create again.

If you’ve found yourself in this predicament, or simply want some extra inspiration, then you’ll love these top trending conceptual photography ideas contributed from our inspiring community members.

Creating conceptual photos are a fun way to work with every day objects and items from around your home to present them in unexpected ways. By challenging conventional constraints, such as of perspective and gravity, you can create images that are surreal and whimsical.

Are you ready to get a whole new perspective on photography and see how these incredible concepts come to life?

1. Defy gravity with levitation

Creating surreal floating images is one of the most popular conceptual trends today. It’s a great way to elevate your photography and add a playful or surreal element to your photos.

In the example below created by Dina Belenko @dinabelenko, acrylic sticks were used to create a supported still life composition. Dina took multiple images of the scene, then worked her magic in post-production removing any visible wires and sticks and combining the final composition.

2. Create a delicate balancing act

This composition technique is a fun way to challenge your balancing skills and perform a gravity-defying trick with each item stacked on top of each other.

Community member Alisa Chirva @alisa_foodart cleverly created this image using items such as sticks, blu tack and a clear acrylic sheet to prop up her subjects. Once she arranged the perfect stack of items she used post-production to make her structural supports disappear.

3. Break the rules with a split composition

Got two complementary ideas? Why not combine them and create a mind-bending split composition.

Harsha Sipani @harshasipani put together this clever composite image by styling two similar shots and then using Photoshop to combine them into one final image.

4.  Produce an off-the-wall perspective

This creative composite merges two different perspectives to create a surreal final image. Linking elements between the two images make it extra clever and playful.

You could create it by actually sticking items to the wall but most creators like Harsha Sipani @harshasipani achieve this effect by combining a flat lay and still lifestyle image.

5. Pour in an alternate angle

This is another creative iteration of the previous off-the-wall perspective concept, but rather than merging with a ‘flat’ style image on the back wall it uses another still life image to interact with the base. It works really well in these examples from Alisa and Olga where the jugs are pouring liquid between the two perspectives.

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6. Create surreal paint plumes

There’s no denying that shooting products underwater shows incredible results, but what if we show you a cool way to inject even more creativity into it? The next time you plan to have some underwater fun for your product or beverage photography, make sure you’ve got acrylic paint or ink on hand.

Barry Makariou @barrymakariou gave us a look at how he created this effect using a water tank and a syringe to partially control the cloud’s direction when squirted into the water.

7. Levitate with a burst of liquid

You can take your splash photography one step further by merging it with a levitation technique. The addition of floating props and ingredients creates a truly dynamic composition that is bursting with creativity.

Barry Makariou @barrymakariou created this incredible image by playing around with liquid and different props. While the cleanup on set can be daunting, once the image is composed in Photoshop, the result is worth the mess!

8. Turn up the texture with powder

If you’re looking for a unique textured backdrop then you’ll love this simple effect that creates a detailed otherworldly landscape.

Ksenia Bolshakova from @kse.bolshakova created this effect using flour from her kitchen. After smoothing it out she used a ladle to create the ‘crater’ effect.

9. Craft a colour block illusion

This optical effect will give your viewers the impression you’ve used a bold block platform for your subject, when in reality it’s simply some coloured paper tricking the eyes.

Thomas Heitlinger @thomas_foodstories and Jitz Lim @_lejit made use of coloured and textured papers with contrasting hues to achieve this platform illusion. Learn a step-by-step tutorial in this Instagram post.

As you can see the possibilities for conceptual photography are endless. The most important thing is to let your own imagination run wild - don't be afraid to experiment with your creativity by indulging fantastical ideas and just see where it takes you.

When you challenge yourself to be creative with conceptual ideas in your product and food photography, you will discover how much you can stretch the boundaries of your creativity and imagination.

Want to discover more visual content ideas and learn from different photographers and content creators? Follow us on Instagram @creativelysquared for daily creative inspiration.