In lockdown and looking at perfect pictures on the internet? There’s plenty of ways you can get creative at home; draw inspiration from professionals and get started making pictures others will want to look at.

Here, we ask a freelance photographer for her tips and give you inspiration to reveal your more arty side.

Strood-based Louise Hubbard runs photography workshops to help people get started snapping and hone their photography skills.

She said: “During these difficult days when many of us are having to adjust to spending more time indoors it’s tough trying to think of different ways to keep yourself entertained and stimulated. It’s at times like these that I am thankful to be a photographer. Photography can be so versatile; getting out and about to explore and capture the world and it’s population is great but in times like this when that’s just not possible you can be just as creative within in your own home.”

She suggests still life at home, even the most random of objects can be a good subject to start with.

“The brilliant thing with still life photography is that the subject matter will not move or complain and get bored. It’s an excellent way to just experiment. If you can master the lighting of a tomato then you are well on your way to mastering the lighting techniques for portrait photography as well.”

Louise has also posted photographs on her daily walks on Facebook, which have been popular, especially with locals looking for other places to explore nearby.

Louise’s top five tips for absolute beginners...

1 Get your camera, this can just be the camera on a mobile phone.

2 Find a good source of light. Natural light from a window is good, just watch where your shadows lay. Light from a lamp or torch can also provide some great effects.

3 Subject matter can be anything from a family member or pet to a can of soup in your cupboard, even ornaments, cutlery or books. Anything within your household can make a great subject.

4 Ensure you don’t have any clutter in your background which will detract from the subject matter; a plain painted wall is ideal. If you have it, some plain card or paper can be used.

5 Static objects don’t move, complain or get bored, so are ideal for experimenting and practising your photography for hours.

* Louise E Hubbard Photography runs workshops and tuition sessions, including some which were scheduled to be held at the Historic Dockyard Chatham but have been postponed, and has an online blog. Find more details at louiseehubbardphotography.com

For more ideas of things to do during lockdown click here.

Find out about our lockdown photography competition by clicking here.