We’ve all been there: you have great clients but a less-than-superb background. How do you deliver the high-quality, creative imagery that your clients have come to expect? Creative accessories are perfect when you need a spark of creativity or need to block distracting elements in your scene. These simple tools can transform an ordinary shot into something memorable, often with minimal investment and maximum impact. Straight from the Photographing the Bride Workshop, from our Wedding Photography Training System, here are five of our favorite creative accessories to have on hand:
Creative Photography Accessories: At a Glance
This guide covers five affordable accessories that can add artistic flair to your photography and help you work around challenging backgrounds.
- The Veil – Create soft, dreamy foreground effects
- LED Light String – Add colorful bokeh to frame your subjects
- Prism – Pull in reflections and light distortions
- Crystal Stem – Refract sunlight into creative streaks
- Rhinestone Sheet – Generate unique flare patterns and frames
- FAQ – Common questions about creative photography accessories
Creative Accessory #1 | The Veil
The bridal veil as a foreground element can create soft and dreamy imagery. Use the veil to not only highlight the bride and wedding day accessories but also cover distracting background elements. The translucent fabric catches light beautifully and adds a romantic, ethereal quality that’s difficult to replicate in post-processing. Learn to create natural flares, leading lines, and more with a veil in Photographing the Bride.
How to Use It:
- Have an assistant hold the veil just off-frame.
- Use the pull to create a line leading directly into your couple.
- Test height of the pull and composition to nail this shot.
- Always frame the couple so that they are visible and not hidden behind the fabric.
The key to success with veil photography is experimentation. Try different distances from your lens to control how much blur appears in the fabric. When the veil is closer to the lens, you’ll get a softer, more diffused effect. Pulling it back slightly creates more defined texture while still maintaining that dreamy quality. Wind can be your friend here too, adding natural movement and flow to your shots.
Note: Learn 4 Creative Ways to Use a Wedding Veil in this article.
Creative Accessory #2 | LED Light String
Use an LED light string to create foreground bokeh and conceal dull and distracting backgrounds. In the photos below, the foreground bokeh was used to frame the couple and even change the overall mood of the image. This technique works especially well during evening sessions or in darker environments where the small lights can really pop against the scene.
How to Use It:
- Start by dangling the light string in front of the lens.
- Control the amount, size, and location of light flares by shifting the LED position of the lights.
- Either frame your subject or have the bokeh extend over the frame.
- Play with the size of your aperture to change the size of foreground bokeh.
- In the images above we created larger and softer foreground bokeh with a shallow depth of field.
Battery-powered LED strings are ideal for this technique since you won’t be tethered to an outlet. Look for strings with warm white or multicolored LEDs depending on the mood you want to create. Warm tones complement skin tones nicely and add a cozy, intimate feel, while cooler whites can create a more modern aesthetic. Keep a spare set of batteries in your kit so you’re never caught without power during a shoot.
Creative Accessory #3 | Prism
Prisms are glass elements that allow you to add interest to an image by pulling in a reflection and even subtly concealing distracting backgrounds. The magic of prism photography lies in how these simple optical tools bend and split light, creating rainbow effects and mysterious reflections that add depth to your compositions. We used a triangular prism in the image below during the groom prep portion of the wedding day.
Example 1:
Example 2:
How to Use It:
- Angle the triangular prism against your lens toward a light source.
- Control the light distortions and reflections by shifting the angle of the prism.
- Always frame your subject so that they are visible and not hidden behind the reflections.
Prisms work best when you have a strong directional light source. Natural window light, the setting sun, or even a video light can all produce stunning results. The angle at which you hold the prism relative to your lens dramatically changes the effect, so take time to experiment. Small adjustments can mean the difference between a subtle enhancement and an overwhelming distortion. A 6-inch triangular prism is a good starting size and typically costs under $15.
Creative Accessory #4 | Crystal Stem
Utilize your local craft store to find unique prismatic accessories. In the photo below we used a crystal stem to refract light into the frame to create leading lines. Using the available sun, we created interest in a common, basic background. Crystal stems and similar decorative items often have multiple faceted surfaces that catch and scatter light in unpredictable ways, giving you effects that are nearly impossible to replicate digitally.
How to Use It:
- Recreate this effect by placing the crystal stem on the top right corner of the frame.
- Control the amount, placement, and size of the sun streaks by shifting the crystal stem back and forth from the lens.
When shopping for crystal stems, look in the floral and wedding decoration sections of craft stores. You’ll find a variety of shapes and sizes, each producing different light patterns. Chandelier crystals, decorative glass beads, and even vintage glass doorknobs can all serve as creative photography accessories. The best part? Most of these items cost just a few dollars, making them a low-risk addition to your creative toolkit.
WATCH: See this quick live demo from one of our Facebook Live videos here:
Creative Accessory #5 | Rhinestone Sheet
Creative shooting accessories can be found just about anywhere. In the image below, we shot during high noon in an open field. Shooting through a rhinestone sheet not only created a unique flare pattern but created a frame around the couple to add interest to an otherwise traditional portrait. This technique is particularly useful for salvaging challenging midday lighting conditions when harsh shadows would normally be problematic.
How to Use It:
- Recreate this effect by holding a folded rhinestone sheet in front of your camera.
- Angle it against your lens toward a light source. In our case, we utilized the sun as an ambient light source.
- Shoot through the rhinestone sheet to capture the refractions in light, create interest, and hide boring or distracting backgrounds.
Rhinestone sheets are available at most craft stores in the jewelry-making or fabric sections. They come in various rhinestone sizes and colors, so consider picking up a few different options. Larger rhinestones produce bigger, more defined light spots, while smaller ones create a finer, more delicate sparkle. Folding the sheet creates depth variation, which adds dimension to the effect. You can also try crumpling or bunching the material for more organic, less uniform results.
Frequently Asked Questions About Creative Photography Accessories
What camera settings work best for shooting through creative accessories?
A wide aperture (f/1.4 to f/2.8) works best for most foreground accessory techniques because it creates a shallow depth of field that blurs the accessory while keeping your subject sharp. Manual focus is often helpful since your camera’s autofocus may struggle to lock onto your subject when there’s an obstruction near the lens.
Can I use these creative techniques with any type of camera?
Yes, these techniques work with DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and even smartphones. The key is having control over your focus point and ideally your aperture. Cameras with larger sensors and faster lenses will produce more pronounced bokeh effects, but you can achieve interesting results with almost any camera.
How do I avoid getting the accessory too much in focus?
Keep the accessory as close to your lens as possible while still achieving the effect you want. The closer an object is to your lens when focused on a distant subject, the more it will blur. Using a longer focal length also increases background and foreground blur, making the accessory less visible as a distinct object.
Are there other household items that work as creative photography accessories?
Many common items can create interesting effects. Try shooting through a glass of water, translucent fabric, plastic wrap with petroleum jelly smeared on it, or even a plastic bag with a hole cut for your lens. Old camera filters, CDs, and cellophane in various colors can also produce unique results.
Conclusion
Having a creative toolkit is incomplete without a couple of tricks up your sleeve. In order to differentiate yourself from the pack, you need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to creating art. We hope this article helped you visualize how you can incorporate some of our creative effects using everyday items and affordable tools that can be purchased online. These items are great for concealing portions of your shot that you may not want in the frame, and they give you options when you’re stuck with an uninspiring location or harsh lighting conditions.
The best way to master these techniques is through practice. Spend time experimenting with each accessory in different lighting conditions and at various distances from your lens. You’ll quickly develop an intuition for what works and discover your own signature style along the way.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, we recommend checking out our Shoot to Post Workshop, in which we teach you how to shoot with the final product in mind. You can also upgrade to SLR Premium to gain unlimited streaming to photography education, your path to portrait photography success.
