Levitation photography is a way to make amazing images that appear to have the subject floating unsupported in midair. It’s not just jumping up in the air and taking a photo at the top of the rise, right before the subject starts coming down. Levitation photography is a carefully crafted special effects image. There are two basic styles or types of levitation photography. One is a form of portraiture, making an image of a person. The other is a style of product photography. Creating a photograph where the object appears to float unsupported.

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Both types of levitation photography require careful planning and an image manipulation program with the ability to mask, clone, layer, or move. Photoshop is the program of choice for this special effect but other programs or brands of program could be used, provided it has the right features. Stacking multiple exposures or compositing is also useful for people levitation photography.

Making People Float in Photos

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First off, we’ll take a look at some of the steps taken to make a finished photograph with a person appearing to float in midair. Of the two types of imagery, this one is more involved to make happen.   

Plan It Out

When making movies, whether live action or animation, there is a step in planning scenes called storyboarding. When planning the levitation of people photography, a storyboard of sorts is a good first step.  You can draw it on real paper, use a tablet app, or a computer program. The important thing is to put it on paper or screen somehow so you can start taking stock of what equipment and props may be needed and to figure out subject posing and camera angles.

Scout the Ideal Location for Levitation Photos

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With your rough plan or shooting story board in hand, visit the spot you are considering using. Make note of what is in the foreground and background. It’s especially important to see whether there are aspects of the scene that are prone to movement. Motion can destroy the illusion of levitation by making it obvious that multiple exposures are involved. It could be a tree that has branches prone to swaying in the wind, a busy street in the background, or moving water like a small stream or breaking waves at a beach. The more static the surroundings, the easier it will be to stack or composite images. Now that you understand the notion of photography floating, planning out your photo shoot, and choosing a location, here are a complete list of invaluable levitation and floating photography tips for you read and utilize:

17 Levitation & Floating Photography Tips:

1. Green Screen Technique

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This is a good time to mention the advanced photo and video technique of green screen or chroma key compositing. Green screen lets you put a subject into virtually any setting. Simply take the subject photos in a studio in front of a green screen and then use Photoshop or a similar program to place the subject in front of a different scene. The advantage of green screen for levitation photography is that you can be in complete control of lighting and props in your studio or improvised studio.

2. Choose the Right Equipment and Props for Levitating Effects

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One of the most important pieces of equipment is a good sturdy tripod. Since you are taking multiple images of the subject for use in the masking and compositing, you need the camera to stay in the same spot for each exposure. Any small variation in registration of the images due to camera movement will make the computer work harder on you. A camera that can be used in manual mode for both exposure and focus is another plus for levitation photography. Using the camera in manual mode means the settings won’t change between exposures. Lighting is also a vital component of the gear choice. Separation from the background will help out in the final compositing of the multiple images. Color correct lights are better, as are using a diffuser of some type, such as a soft box.

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Choose what is holding the subject carefully. If any part of the subject’s clothes or body is obscured by that prop, it could negatively impact the final image. Basically, low profile hard platforms are a better choice than large or soft platforms. The clothing of the subject is also an important factor. Solid color clothing will be easier to keep straight in the image processing stages of the project. Loose, flowing clothing can also add a layer of believability to the final image. Have a fan blow the clothing back or use fishing line to make it appear that way. If the clothing is solid color, it will be easier to compensate for in Photoshop.

3. Light It Properly

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If you are in a studio, even a makeshift home studio, you have complete control over the lighting. Lower contrast lighting is the preferred option for the lighting techniques. This makes any compositing adjustments an easier task. If you are taking the pictures outside, an overcast day will have the lower contrast lighting you are seeking. Direct sunlight can be very contrasty, causing issues with the composition step. Looking for an overcast day applies if you are green screening, too. An evenly lit subject superimposed on a high contrast background will not look natural.

4. Take All the Levitation Photos At the Same Time

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If you think you can come back to the scene later and recreate exact camera and subject placement as well as lighting conditions, well, for this type of image, close isn’t going to be workable. Therefore, shoot every component of the final image during the same session. At least two images are necessary, three or more would be better. When shooting two images, take a pic of the subject all posed and lit. Then, without moving the camera or adjusting zoom or focus, remove the subject and whatever is holding them from the field of view. Three or more images will work well, too. Shoot the subject on the support, the support without subject, being careful not to move the support, then remove the support and take a scene only shot. If you’re green screening a background, try to match up focal length of the lens, lighting conditions, and color balance.

5. Now the Fun Part: Combining & Layering!

After you have all your images, it’s time to combine them. First, tweak the adjustments of color and exposure equally for all the image files. Many programs will have a batch function that lets you do this all at once, more or less. The next step requires layers. Choose the empty background image as the bottom layer. Then place your subject on the support image file as the top layer. For this layer, select a mask similar to what Photoshop calls reveal all. Using a black paintbrush on the mask layer, remove the platform propping up your subject. Then flatten the layers and save. That’s how simple it can be with only two images. If you are combining multiple image files, add them as layers and use the black paintbrush tool on each mask until you all finished. Then, flatten the layers and save the image. Or however your favorite program works with layers.

6. Making Objects Float with Practice

It might be a good idea to practice your levitation shooting and processing a few times before attempting any complex ideas. Get comfortable with the steps and have some fun doing it.

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This is a much more simplified process. All it really takes is some planning, some minor processing, and fishing line. 

7. Assemble the Floating Props and Supports

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A background stand can work well as a place to suspend objects from with fishing line. Other helpful props or tools could include a shower rod in a doorway, cup hooks, screws, or thumbtacks. Hang the items you’re photographing from the support with the fishing line. FIshing line is a top choice because of it being virtually invisible already, depending on the lighting. Black sewing thread could work well, too.

8. Carefully Control the Lights

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As you look through your viewfinder or viewscreen, you can see if your lighting is making the line or thread more obvious or less. Adjust light positions as needed. Another tip is to expose for either high key or low key. This can help hide the line also.

9. Process With Clone or Heal Tools

As you process the image, zoom in on where you know the line to be and clone out any places you actually still see it. A simple background when shooting will make this step much easier to accomplish. And that’s it! You could make it more complex, but this system gets you started in knowing how to do the steps. Add in layers if you like, combine with other images, add floating objects to your floating people pics, the sky’s the limit. And your processing time, of course.

10. Develop a Workflow

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Whichever type of levitation photography you are attempting, or exactly what methods and tools you use, develop your own personal workflow by expanding on these tips and techniques. Keep a journal, on paper or digitally and see where you can make any part of the project go smoother. Once you get going with this special effect style, you will notice opportunities exist everywhere for you to make these extremely fun images. 

11. Balance Two or More People

Sounds simple. Just take the same techniques you’ve been using and add in more subjects. In practice though, it can get really tricky. The secret is to plan out your storyboard with tons of detail. Think of every possible scenario that will be happening or could happen and put that on your storyboard. There are a lot of moving parts in a levitation photography photoshoot. Your storyboard should show all the pieces plus how they will all move and progress in the workflow. Simplifying your workflow can be accomplished by using an assistant. The more people that are being imaged, the more help you may need to ensure that everyone is where they need to be at the right part of the shoot. If you have enough people to spare, assign specific tasks to them, making sure not to overlap. If you overlap assignments, either one thing gets done twice or something gets skipped, neither of which benefits the workflow or end result. If you’re trying out advanced effects and tricks, you will be investing a lot of time and effort into the project. It may help to think about it as a small movie production with you as the director and likely as lead cameraman, too.

12. Five C’s of Cinematography

A book originally published in 1965 and updated several times since, The Five C’s of Cinematography is one of the most valuable references I have ever had for photographic and motion picture cinematographic instruction and guidance. The levitation photography experience can be challenging. Therefore, learning from the masters of cinematography is a good idea. Even if you never film a video, the disciplines, ideas, techniques, and procedures contained within this book are invaluable for any advanced photography. What are the Five C’s? Once you see what they are, you’ll understand why I’m relating this book to levitation photography. The Five C’s are: camera angles, continuity, cutting, close-ups, and composition. Author, director, filmmaker Joseph V. Mascelli goes into deep detail with diagrams and examples of  each of these basic topics and also branches out to show many other aspects involved and how the Five C’s overlap with each other. You may never need to use all of his instruction, but it is valuable basic knowledge besides being a fun book to read. After you’ve read it, use it as a levitation prop!

13. Document and Preserve Continuity

Another motion picture and video discipline, continuity is important for successful and repeatable levitation photography tricks. A couple of definitions for continuity are “the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time” and “the maintenance of continuous action and self-consistent detail in the various scenes of a movie or broadcast.” “Maintenance of self-consistent detail” is the part we will focus on for levitation photography. Continuity is also part of the Five C’s of Cinematography highlighted above. When continuity breaks down, the results are obvious, sometimes painfully so. One of the best methods to maintain continuity in your levitation photography is to assign that role to an assistant and have them pay close attention to correlating the storyboard with what is being set up or shot in the actual scene. If you don’t have an assistant readily available, use your smartphone or a notebook (or both) to keep track of each step you’re taking to make sure you follow your own direction you created on your storyboard.

14. Perspective Tricks

This adds a layer of complexity to the levitation photography photoshoot, but you can plan to levitate two or more at once and use perspective tricks to make it appear that one is larger than the other. As an example, have you ever seen those vacation pics on Instagram where it looks like someone is either pushing over or holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa? That’s a perspective trick. You have one person or object further away from the camera position than another, but  line them up so that it appears they’re interacting. When performed well, it appears that the foreground subject is gigantic compared to the other subject, but they are placed in the frame in such a way as to appear to be in the plane. The person at the beach putting a clear cup over all their friends is another example I’ve seen. For levitation photography, have the foreground person capturing their flying friends in a net or jar. It may take multiple attempts to get it right, but it will be an interesting double effect.

15. Play With Color

Since you are deeply involved in a somewhat complicated project,  might as well take some time to try out some other fun things. Playing with the color aspects of the photoshoot can fundamentally change the entire mood of the finished image. Color can be changed, added, or subtracted in photography by several methods. Lens filters, colored lighting, or post processing can all be used to change color. You can change an overall color cast or adjust specific objects for different colors.

16. Be a Storyteller

The special effect can be the story, or you can use the effect to tell a story. Be creative with your levitation photography ideas. Think of what you’re trying to tell people with your final image. Is the effect meant to illustrate the idea of two people being head over heels in love? Are you trying to evoke a sense of mystery and fantastical wonder such as you could imagine when reading fantasy or science fiction? Tell that story! Once you put your mind on the matter, the ideas will start coming in so fast you’ll want to write them down or document in some manner. Then, keep coming back to those ideas for your next levitation photography projects.

17. Try Out a New Program

You definitely don’t have to do this step, but if you find yourself either missing out on a feature or having trouble with certain procedures, sometimes a change might be in order. Adobe Photoshop is one of my standard post processing programs, as it seems to have almost everything in it to control what I want to do. But, it still has a steep learning curve. Even after years of using it, I still regularly review tutorials on how to use it, some of them I’ve written myself! Some other options are ACDSee and Luminar. Whatever program you use, be sure to search for the tutorials covering it. The developer’s websites often have great ones and you can also find many more helpful hints on YouTube. This hint applies equally as well to any program you’re already using. Learning from others can enhance your skills and increase your enjoyment level of photography in general.

3 Awesome Levitation Photography Tutorial Videos:

YouTube is absolutely packed with a ton of levitation photography videos, each offering their own twists and tricks to get the perfect levitation photography. We have chosen our 3 favorite levitation tutorials for you to check out:

1. Levitation Photography Tutorial: Tips on how to shoot and edit

Using Photoshop and Lightroom, Gerard Regot shows us a few cool tips on how to get the perfect levitation photography:

2. LEVITATION Photography – EASY and FUN! From Shooting to Editing

Levitation expert Nemanja Sekulic shows how easy levitation photography can be with just a few simple editing tips:

3. Float Yourself

Instagram star Peter McKinnon shows us how to use Lightroom to create an awesome floating picture effect: Featured Levitation Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/7C9BEyp4gkI