Make the Ordinary Look Extraordinary

You don’t need a new lens or exotic location to make a great photo. This challenge invites you to slow down, observe more closely, and see how creativity can bring simple things to life.

Look again, then look differently

Ordinary subjects are everywhere. But when you learn to control how you frame and light them, they become opportunities. This challenge is about learning to see what others overlook, and making it interesting.

What this challenge teaches you

This is a technical and creative challenge in one. It helps you strengthen essential photography habits while giving you room to experiment. Expect to get more confident with:

• Lighting control and direction
• Composition and framing
• Observing details others miss
• Using shallow depth of field
• Creating mood or story with simple setups

How to do the challenge

Here’s a simple way to approach it:

1. Pick one ordinary object in your space. Anything will do.
2. Photograph it from at least three different angles.
3. Change the light each time. Try a lamp, window light, or flashlight.
4. Create three or more variations using different creative techniques.
5. Choose the image that surprised you most.

Creative techniques to try

Try one or two of these methods to change how the object looks. You can mix and match, or repeat the exercise with new combinations:

• Shoot in black and white to simplify the scene
• Use side light or backlight to enhance texture or shape
• Get in close with macro to find new details
• Blur the background with a wide aperture
• Change your angle. Get low, high, or shoot through something
• Add motion blur or experiment with intentional camera movement
• Try light painting in a dark room
• Use reflections or shadows to make the scene more dynamic
• Photograph it at night using only a flashlight or candle
• Use a wide-angle or fisheye lens to exaggerate form

Example photos with teaching notes

Use these for inspiration. Notice how the angle, light, or context changed the image:

• A doorknob shot with side light becomes sculptural
• A sponge under macro reveals unexpected textures
• A coffee cup in morning light looks atmospheric
• An antique object feels timeless with close focus
• A plastic ornament turns abstract with bokeh and a wide aperture
• A church organ becomes moody with flashlight light painting

Want to keep learning?

Finding ordinary things shouldn’t be all that hard – look around the room you’re in now, what do you see: books, papers, shoes, DVDs, tissue, plants, furniture, etc? The challenge here will be how to photograph these things to make them look more appealing and interesting. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

• Try macro photography and get some close-ups of little details. Things sometimes look completely different at that level. Read: The Ultimate Guide – Macro Photography for more tips on that.
• Do some special effects like maybe light painting, or motion blur.
• Use different qualities of light: try hard light, then switch to soft light.
• Shoot from a funky camera angle: down low, up high, through something, put the object on a piece of glass and shoot from underneath it. Angles which we don’t normally see in our daily lives are instantly more interesting than images shot at eye level.
• Use shallow depth of field and add some bokeh in the background.
• Shoot it in black and white or convert it using your favorite processing software.
• Photograph it at night, or in the dark with a spotlight or flashlight.
• Shoot for texture – make sure the light enhances the texture of the object.
• Go ultra wide with a fish-eye lens if you have one (or you can borrow or rent one for a day).
• Make a silhouette by backlighting the object if it has an interesting shape.

Share your results and stay inspired

These kinds of challenges are exactly what we work on inside the DPM Community. Every week, we post a new action or prompt to help keep your camera in hand.

Share your photos, get feedback, and find others working on the same challenge.