Ten Photo Prompts to Help Capture Your Everyday

The key to perfecting your skill is to practice it every day. With these ten prompts for capturing your everyday, you'll be inspired to do just that. Compiled by teacher at Big Picture Classes, these photo prompts will enhance your photography skills and provide new, inspiring content for your creative projects. Capture your kids laughing over breakfast with Stephanie Bryan's "Morning" prompt. Get inspired to start a series of "Where I Stand" with Lisa Borbely. Look at an ordinary scene in a new way with Carly Robertson's "Rule of Thirds" prompt. Discover these prompts and more from our Big Picture Classes teachers. 

Use the rule of thirds to make everyday images look more interesting.

Carly Robertson | Inspired Everyday Photography, "Composition" 

The rule of thirds is the foundation when it comes to creating a well-balanced and interesting photo. When you look through your lens, you want to divide the image you see (the frame) into nine equal parts. With this grid in mind, you will use the rule of thirds to identify and place your subject along one of the intersecting points. Place your subject (the person or thing that is the focal point of your picture) in one third of the frame that you think produces the most drama or creates the original way that you want the subject to be represented.

Learn more about composition with Carly in Inspired Everyday Photography!

What's in your cart?

Jen Chapin | Pocket Prompts | 17, "5 Photo Prompts"

This is a fun one. What groceries do you normally buy? This is a great thing to document, as it likely changes over time, along with the brands. Are you shopping for a special occasion? Take a photo of what's in your cart. What does your trunk look like loaded up? This is a good one to keep in mind while you're doing holiday shopping. Do you use a shopping basket instead? Set it on the floor, and take a shot of it with your feet.

Explore this prompt and more from Jen in Pocket Prompts | 17!

Document your morning. 

Stephanie Bryan | Photo-a-Day | 01, "Prompts 1-7" 

Mornings can easily be overlooked when it comes to documenting your day and recording your moments. My day usually starts about 30 minutes before my kids are up (after that, it becomes crazy hectic), so there really isn’t much wiggle room to play around with my camera. I also really love to have lots of natural light with my indoor photos, and mornings tend to be darker and more difficult to capture with the light available. Mornings definitely aren’t a time I’m usually reaching for my camera, so this was a good challenge for me.

Get more prompts from Stephanie in Photo-a-Day | 01!

Show where you stand.

Lisa Borbely | Pocket Prompts | 22, "5 Photo Prompts"

I take photos of my feet all the time. I've taken so many that I've completed several month-long photography projects with these shots. Simple photos of your feet tell a much larger story than you might might initially recognize. When I look at a photo of my feet, I can also tell: what season I was in (based on the shoes I wore), where I was (and potentially what I was doing, as seen in the background of the shot), and who I was with (as evidenced by other featured feet). Sometimes I try to include my current crochet project or the book I'm reading in the shot to tell even more stories.

Join Lisa for more tips in Pocket Prompts | 22!

Be intentional and make a highlight reel.

Monica McNeill | 5-Minute Stories, "Highlight Reel"

When I have more time or a longer story to tell, I use a series of images to tell my story. I am still purposeful when I pick up my camera and when I choose what to document, because my objective is two-fold. First, I want to be present in the moment, and second, I want to document my family. By keeping in mind the questions below and running through this mental checklist, I know when to put the camera down. Just like checking all the items off your list at the grocery—it lets you know you have what you need. I don’t feel like I have to answer all the questions, but they help guide me in how I approach the story: What is the story? How does it begin? Who is telling the story? What is the action? Where are the details? How do you transition? How does the story end?

Tell your 5-Minutes Stories with Monica!

Capture your kitchen.

Trisha Harrison | Photo-a-Day | 02, "Prompts 8-14"

I would say that a lot happens in my family's kitchen. It's where we gather, have conversations, start our day. When I get helpers in the kitchen, we make things together, bake together, and have so many laughs. I love when those things happen. I think the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I know I have very good memories captured in the kitchen with my family. I can also compare the present to past—a time before my husband and I had started our family, when we were just starting out, and I was learning to cook all on my own. So, if it’s just you or the whole family is present, take a moment to capture the heart of your home.

Capture your everyday with Trisha in Photo-a-Day | 02!

Remember your habits. 

Mel Blackburn, Pocket Prompts | 19, "5 Photo Prompts"

If you are like me, you might be tempted to only document the good stuff, but I feel that the not-so-good stuff also has a role to play in our albums. These moments really do provide an opportunity for our albums to reflect a true picture of the day-to-day we wish to document. This photo prompt is about capturing the not-so-good, from a never-ending pile of laundry that needs to be folded, as un-glamorous as it may be, to an endless mountain of shoes that are constantly left around the house. I know that one day down the road, when those little shoes are no longer on the porch, I will look back at these pictures and feel nostalgic. To accomplish this prompt, just walk around your house to see what catches your eye. As mundane as it may seem, these little things are worth documenting in all of their un-glamorous glory. Let's keep it real!

Get inspired by more prompts from Mel in Pocket Prompts | 19!

Record the weather. 

Stephanie Baxter | Everyday Me, "I see..."

One morning, I opened the curtains to find that it was raining for the fifth day in a row. I hadn't been able to get out and about much, other than my usual errands and meetings, so I was feeling a little like I had cabin fever. I realized that rain is such a big part of living where I do, so I wanted to take a picture as a way of telling that story. I usually use the auto-focus function on my cameras, but in this instance, the camera kept trying to focus on the houses across the road from my window. Because I really wanted the raindrops to be in focus to tell the story of how restrictive the rain had been and how it had kept me prisoner inside the house for days on end, I ended up having to focus manually. To do this, I switched the camera into manual mode and turned the focusing ring on my lens until the raindrops were sharp and in focus before pressing the shutter button all the way down.

Get creative with Stephanie in Everyday Me!

Love thy selfie. 

Diana Sanchez | Pocket Prompts | 20, "5 Photo Prompts"

I hate selfies. Period. I see girls on Instagram who take flawless selfies and think, “What? How? What?” Well, that’s just not me. I look weird in selfies, plus I feel awkward trying to take a picture of myself. So what do I do? I put the phone or camera down, and set a timer. Even these pictures I’m not too crazy about sometimes, but it’s important to include myself in my photos because if I don’t, no one will. My husband and son are not photographers! Believe me, I’ve tried to get them to take pictures of me, and they come out worse than my selfies.

Discover more prompts from Diana in Pocket Prompts | 20!

Capture the door. 

Stephanie Bryan | Photo-a-Day | December, "Photos 21-25"

My husband’s grandmother sends up a Christmas wreath every single year and it’s become something that we all look forward to and are so grateful for every year. I’m sure one year will come where we don’t have this special wreath, so documenting and capturing this is so incredibly important. Remember that the image itself doesn’t have to always be incredible or amazing. If it tells YOUR story, that’s all that matters. Some photo ideas for this prompt are a missed package notice on the door, friends at the door, or an open door.

Get more unique prompts from Stephanie in Photo-a-day | December!

These prompts have endless possibilities to make them your own. We hope you'll be inspired to pick up your camera and start shooting. Take a look at the classes these prompts are featured in for even more inspiration from the teachers. And be sure to check out these classes and others on photography at Big Picture Classes to get more tips for capturing your everyday moments. As a member of Big Picture Classes, you get access to our entire library of classes. Sign up now and start exploring!