You can often make a shoot more fun by using props. Items. Even -or perhaps especially – in a studio shoot, like in the portrait shoot I did with a few young ladies the other day.

So, what props, and where do you find them?

Anything goes, basically. Anything fun. What you do is this:

1. You look at dollar stores to buy props -these stores have fun items.
2. You look in your studio (or home) for anything cool that happens to be lying around.

Like the rack, and the gobo with odd-shape cutouts:

Or this primary drill bit, straight from the Libyan desert (I picked it up in the desert in the 1980s):

Or use the chains that happen to be lying around to hang works of art:

Or the fun (WalMart, cheap) skull lamp… and the models “holey” socks:

Or both the latter together in one shot:

Or the stage cowboy hat:

The point about props is that they should be fun, and they should be visually interesting, and that they should raise questions, rather than spoon-feed the audience with answers. And you can find them anywhere!

So here is your assignment, if you want one: do a portrait with props, and spend no more than $10 on these props. The props should help raise a question in the viewer’s mind. Have fun!

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Note to all Ontario readers: I am doing a portrait special in Oakville: on May 31/June 1, I will do your portrait for just $125. Check out www.mvwphoto.com/Special.html and email/call me to set up your time. I’ll even teach you some stuff about portrait photography while I make your portraits!