25 Photography Prompts to Activate Your Creativity

My 13 year old is just discovering an interest in photography. He took a 4H workshop today, and has decided to enter a photo into the fair this summer. I’m a little excited he is pursuing this because he’s got a fantastic eye, and a head full of cool photo ideas.

What I also love is that iPhones take freaking glorious photos, and so he doesn’t have to struggle with a giant DSLR, which would be about the size of his head, and he would drop photography in a minute. Give kids a good camera phone, and a whole bunch of photography prompts, and they’ll be off and running!

To be clear, this list would be fun for anyone who likes to take photos and wants a few cool ideas to play around with.

Photography Prompts

Some of these prompts are straightforward, while others are deliciously ambiguous. I love seeing how people interpret my more open-ended prompts. Incidentally, if you like to draw, I have a whole year’s worth of daily drawing prompts available.

Ooh – I just had a good idea. I will include a printable version of these photography ideas so you can use them kinda sorta like a scavenger hunt. This could b cool for a photography-themed birthday, or a weird night out at the bar. 🙂 Onto the photography prompts!

1. Teeny tiny
2. Upside down
3. Backlit
4. Sparkly or reflective
5. Your hand
6. Open
7. Something you love
8. Darkness
9. Shoes
10. Landscape
11. Totally abstract
12. Black and white
13. A serious portrait
14. Food arranged as…
15. Action shot
16. Something that looks like a face, but isn’t
17. Looking down
18. Looking up
19. What’s under the bed? (Or another piece of furniture.)
20. Nature texture
21. A kitchen item
22. Creepy
23. Very colorful
24. Self-portrait with an expression you don’t usually make
25. Curves

And here’s the printable! Click on it to have a real live piece of paper with all of these cool ideas on.