Photography Promts
Photography Promts
Midjourney I've compiled a list of some of the best professional cameras and lenses for various
scenarios such as camera angle, lighting, ambiance, styling, and genre. Of course, there may be
other similar lists out there, but in case you didn’t come across one, maybe it can be a bit useful for
those looking to experiment with different camera settings for your scenes. Although some of these
selections may not make a substantial impact, they can bring an extra level of re nement to your
project.
Eye-Level Shot: Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens
Low-Angle Shot: Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens
High-Angle Shot: Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens
Extreme low-angle shot: Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera
with a low-angle tripod
Extreme high-angle shot: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark
IV camera with a high-angle tripod
Side-Angle (Side-View): Panasonic Lumix GH5S camera with a Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8
II lens
Shot from Behind: Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens
Close-up shot: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera
Medium shot: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera
Full shot: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera
Extreme Close-Up Shot: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens IS USM lens
Ground-Level Shot: Canon EOS-1DX Mark III camera with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
lens
GoPro-Style: GoPro HERO9 Black camera with GoPro Super Suit Dive Housing
Underwater Shot: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera with a Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM
lens in an underwater housing
fi
Underwater Close-Up Shot: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L
Macro
→Lighting
Sunny: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens
Partly Cloudy: Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens
Rainy: Sony Alpha a7 III camera with a Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens and waterproof housing
Snowy: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens and
waterproof housing
Overcast: Panasonic Lumix GH5S camera with a Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens
Foggy: Sony Alpha a7R IV camera with a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
Hazy: Canon EOS R6 camera with a Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
Sunrise: Sony A7R IV camera with a Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens
Afternoon: Sony A7 III camera with a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
Golden Hour: Canon EOS R5 camera with a Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens
Twilight: Panasonic Lumix S1H camera with a Panasonic Lumix S Pro 50mm f/1.4 lens
Night: Sony A7S III camera with a Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens
Dark and moody: Sony a7S III with Sony FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens
Bright and vibrant: Canon EOS R6 with Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens
Historical: Fuji lm GFX 100S with Fujinon GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR lens or Nikon Z7 II with
Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S lens
Horror: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro with Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens
Rustic: Panasonic Lumix GH5S with Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens
The two aspects can sometimes be confusing, so here is a short helpful description:
→Camera angles refer to the position of the camera relative to the subject and the angle at which
the camera is pointed.
→Shot types describe how a subject appears in a picture or scene, mainly in uenced by how close
or far the camera is from them.
Knowing and understanding how to use these elements plays a crucial role and positively impacts
the realism, harmony, and coherence of your creations.
I have done several tests with Midjourney and I want to share them with you.
Here is a detailed list of the most commonly used camera angles and shot types in cinema and
photography, with some of my personal comments.
→ Camera Angles
Eye-level: A neutral camera angle that is approximately at the subject's eye level, creating a natural
perspective.
NOTE: I tested 3 different ways of integrating angles and shot types into a simple prompt to see
which produced the most consistent results:
According to my experiments, the rst way is signi cantly the most consistent of the three. This
applies to all other types of camera angles and shot types.
fi
fi
fl
But, feel free to experiment, there is more than one way to write a prompt!
For a reason I am unaware of, using the term "shot" as in "Eye-level shot of a woman" rather than
"angle" yields far better results.
Low-angle: A camera angle that looks up at the subject from a lower position, often making the
subject appear more dominant or powerful.
High-angle: A camera angle that looks down at the subject from a higher position, often making the
subject appear smaller or less signi cant.
Dutch angle (or canted angle or tilted angle): A camera angle in which the camera is intentionally
tilted to one side, creating a sense of disorientation or unease.
NOTE: I tried several ways to achieve a conclusive result for a "dutch angle," but I didn't succeed (I
tried the three different terms, placed them in different section of the prompt, etc.).
Overhead: A camera angle that looks directly down on the subject from above, providing a unique
perspective and context. The camera is usually positioned at a relatively close distance to the
subject, providing a clear view of the action or objects below.
Bird's-eye view: This term generally implies a higher vantage point than an overhead shot, as if the
viewer were looking down from the sky or a very high altitude. It provides a wider perspective and
can capture an entire scene or landscape, offering a sense of scale and context.
NOTE: While Overhead and Bird's-eye view are often used interchangeably, the main difference
lies in the height or distance from which the shot is taken, with a bird's-eye view typically being
higher or more distant than an overhead shot.
Drone view: A drone view shot is an aerial camera angle using a drone.
NOTE: In several of my results, the drone view gives higher perspectives than traditional bird's-eye
views and overhead views.
Worm's-eye view: A camera angle that looks up at the subject from ground level, creating a
dramatic and unusual perspective.
NOTE: I tried several ways to obtain a worm's-eye view, but without success. If you have already
achieved it consistently in your results, you can share it with us.
Ground-level view: In a ground-level view, the camera is also placed at or near the ground, but the
lens is typically pointed straight ahead or parallel to the ground, capturing the subject from a more
neutral perspective.
NOTE: The ground-level view is not consistent and often produces slightly odd results, such as
people half-buried in the ground or unusual body positions!
The best way to use it, according to my experiments, is to place the term in the best possible
context, such as:
Ground-level view of a woman lying down on the oor. But, it still often gives incorrect results.
Side view: Side-view typically involves capturing a subject from the side, which can be achieved by
using various camera angles like eye-level, low-angle, or high-angle shots.
fi
fl
Off-center view: Off-center refers to a framing technique where the subject is not positioned in the
center of the frame, creating a more dynamic and visually interesting composition.
NOTE: While side-view and off-center may not be speci cally categorized as camera angles in
cinema, they do refer to certain camera positioning techniques.
Both terms can be used in the same way as angles and shot types, with very good results.
→Shot Types
Close-up (closeup): A shot that focuses on a subject's face or a speci c detail, emphasizing emotion
or importance.
NOTE: Each shot type has its abbreviation, like CU for Closeup. Putting the abbreviation instead of
the name didn't really work.
Extreme close-up: A shot that tightly frames a small detail or feature, such as an eye or a piece of
jewelry, highlighting its signi cance.
Wide shot: A shot that shows the entire subject within its environment, providing context and a
sense of scale.
Extreme wide shot: A shot that captures a large area, often used to establish a location or set the
scene.
NOTE: For the wide shot and extreme wide shot, the effect is ampli ed if you use a larger image
format, like 16:9, for example.
If you want a different image format, use the --ar followed by the desired image format at the end of
your prompt, as in the following example: A woman standing in front of her house --ar 16:9
Medium shot: A shot that captures the subject from the waist up, often used for dialogue scenes or
to convey emotion.
Medium-full shot (American shot): A medium full shot frames the subject from approximately the
knees or mid-thighs up.
NOTE: Medium-full shot and medium shot don't always give consistent results. Sometimes the
medium-full shot looks more like a medium shot and vice versa.
Over-the-shoulder shot: A shot that looks over the shoulder of one subject towards another,
commonly used in dialogue scenes to create a sense of depth and connection.
NOTE: The Over-the-shoulder shot works great if placed in the right context. Otherwise, the results
will be very inconclusive.
Here is a good example you can test with a simple prompt: Over-the-shoulder shot of a woman
speaking with her friend
3- Lighting
fi
fi
fi
fi
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of your prompt, as it directly affects the quality and
mood of the image.
Proper lighting can enhance the details, colors, and textures of the generation, while poor lighting
can result in a dull or unappealing output image.
→ Natural Lighting
"Firelight" or "Candlelight" - Warm and cozy light source that helps create rustic and romantic
effects for indoors.
"Cloudy Skies" or "Overcast" - Soft and diffused natural light for portrait photography.
"Re ections" - Can provide artistic shimmering and dreamy effect when paired with other lighting.
→ Ambient Lighting
"Overhead" - Light xtures like ceiling lights or chandeliers for lighting indoor scenes.
"Wall Sconces" - Adds a decorative element to a room while providing soft, indirect lighting effect.
"Table Lamps" - May provide warm and cozy effect OR bright and harsh lighting.
"Floor Lamps" - Helps provide warm and cozy effect, but also lights the corners of the scene.
"Natural Light" - "Windows" or "Skylights" can provide consistent lighting throughout the scene.
"Studio Lights" - Powerful/controlled light source best for portrait, product, and fashion.
"Strobe Lights" - Flash photography with bright light to illuminate the subject.
"Ring Lights" - Circular light source for portrait generations to provide a attering and even
lighting effect.
"Butter y Lighting" - Light placed directly above and slightly in front of subject to create shadow
under the nose.
"Rembrandt Lighting" - A triangular-shaped patch of light under one eye creating a dramatic
shadowy effect.
"Split Lighting" - Light source is at a 90-degree angle to the subject face creating a half-and-half
shadow effect.
fl
fl
fi
fi
fl
"Rim Lighting" - Light source is placed behind the subject, illuminating the edges of the subject's
silhouettes for a dramatic/moody effect.
"Low-Key Lighting" - Minimal lighting with only one or two sources for dramatic/moody effect.
"Top Light" - Creates shadows and highlights emphasizing texture and shape.
"Side Light" - A light source that creates strong shadows and highlights emphasizing texture and
shape.
"Backlighting" - Light source is placed behind the subject to create a bright/glowing halo effect.
"Halogen Bulbs" - A strong, harsh, and intense light for commercial and industrial settings.
"Laser Lighting" - Use of lasers to create a strong light source for stage production and concert
effects.
"Fresnel Lighting" - A special lens that focuses the light source for theater and lm effects.
"Hard Fill Lighting" - A second light source that lls in shadows created by primary light source for
commercial and fashion prompts.
"Window Light" - Soft lighting used most commonly for indoor portraits.
"Softbox Lighting" - Softens the light and creates better distribution across the subject.
"Umbrella Lighting" - Re ects and diffuses light creating a soft and even effect.
"Beauty Dish Lighting" - A soft and attering light effect used for portrait photography.
4- Filmmakers
If you are looking to add some style and atmosphere to your images, you can add a lmmaker's
name to your prompt.
"A woman in front of her house in a scene from a movie", you will get very varied and random
results, without much artistic consistency.
On the other hand, if you want to add, for example, the name of Peter Jackson to the same prompt:
"A woman in front of her house in a scene from a movie directed by Peter Jackson",
fl
fl
fi
fi
fi
fi
the results will be completely different and your images will be tinged with the style of this
lmmaker, through more coarse elements such as the scenery, the architecture, the clothes worn or
sometimes more subtle ones such as the camera shots, the lighting, the colors and the general
atmosphere.
You can be even more precise and add the title of one of the director's movies. In this example it
could be "The Lord of the Rings".
I did some tests and I noticed that adding the name of the movie alone seems to give less re ned
results than adding the name of the director alone, which seems to give something more coherent
and harmonious.
I invite you to test this and share your results to see if you notice the same or something different.
Finally, and this is even more subtle, but it seems that adding both the name of the director and the
name of one of his movies in the same prompt adds a little more to the results.
You can take it a step further by adding the genre of the movie (for example Science Fiction), the
date the movie was released and even the camera and lens used for a particular scene you want to
reproduce.
That said, adding a lmmaker's name to your prompt won't magically transform your images into an
amazing scene but it will de nitely add a special touch to them and it's really fun to try.
I have compiled a list of some of the greatest lmmakers, sorted by lm genre. This list is obviously
not complete, but it is a good starting point!
→Action:
→Comedy:
→Drama:
→Fantasy:
→Superhero:
→Horror:
→Musical:
→Sci-Fi:
→Thriller:
→Western:
→Animation:
*You can also add Pixar to your prompt. The results are often really great!
→Crime:
→Historical:
5- Photographers
If you're looking to add a unique touch to your photographs and give them a speci c style and
atmosphere, try adding a photographer's name to your prompt.
Since photographers have direct and immediate control over the visual elements of a photo, such as
lighting, composition, and color grading, and their work is often immediately recognizable by these
elements in a single image, adding their name in a prompt will often have a signi cant effect on the
images generated by Midjourney.
"A woman sitting on a park bench". The images generated were completely random, with no artistic
direction.
Using the seed of the rst generation of images, I used the same prompt and added the name of a
famous photographer:
Annie Leibovitz
→The lighting would likely be dramatic, with strong contrasts between light and shadow.
→The woman may be wearing a stylish and unique out t, possibly a tailored coat or trench coat.
→The colors in the image may be desaturated, with a focus on earth tones.
→The background would be carefully selected and may feature natural elements, such as trees or
foliage.
→Overall, the image would exude a sense of depth, emotion, and artistry, characteristic of Annie
Leibovitz's style.
Almost all of those elements were present in the photography, at diverse levels!
You can also use some of ChatGPT's descriptions and integrate them into your prompts.
Since Annie Leibovitz is especially recognized for her magni cent portraits, adding here name in a
prompt to generate a portrait should have a more signi cant impact on the result. To test it, I started
again from a simple prompt:
From this prompt, I got similar random results, without any artistic vision. By adding "in the style
of Annie Leibovitz", the generated images were automatically imbued with her style. You could
almost swear that she took the picture herself!
Well, I'm exaggerating a bit but the result was surprising and even more consistent with her style
because it was a portrait.
You can be even more precise by adding to your prompt the name of a camera, lens, and details
about settings similar to those that Annie Leibovitz would have used for a portrait.
If you're not a photography expert, you can ask ChatGPT for more details on this. That is something
I do all the time and it helps a lot!
I did a similar experiment withEdward Weston, a photographer among others recognized for his
magni cent photos of mushrooms.
In the third prompt, I added the date the picture was taken. This is a very effective little trick to get
an image even more tinged with the photographer's style.
Here is a short description of Weston's photo (Toadstool, 1931) as given by chat-GPT: "The image
is characterized by its strong contrast between the dark background and the lighter tones of the
toadstool, which makes the mushroom stand out and draws the viewer's attention. The lighting and
tonal range in the photograph emphasize the texture and form of the toadstool, giving it an almost
sculptural quality"
Try it yourself, the results are very consistent with this description! It is really surprising!
The result of these two experiments really amazed me! In the future, I will use the names of famous
photographers more often in my prompts to get special artistic touches.
However, adding a photographer's name to a prompt is not the only guarantee of a magni cent
result (several other aspects need to be considered such as how to structure your prompt, the words
used, camera angles, etc.) but it is clear that it has a signi cant positive in uence on the images
generated with Midjourney.
I think it's a great way to learn more about photography and to experiment with new ideas and
styles.
I've made a list of some of the greatest photographers of all time so you can have something you
can refer to quickly. Obviously, this list is not complete, but it is a good starting point.
Portrait Photography:
Richard Avedon
Annie Leibovitz
Yousuf Karsh
Platon Antoniou
Street Photography:
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Garry Winogrand
Vivian Maier
Bruce Gilden
Landscape Photography:
Ansel Adams
Galen Rowell
Sebastião Salgado
fi
fl
fi
Peter Lik
Wildlife Photography:
Frans Lanting
Art Wolfe
Nick Brandt
Joel Sartore
Fashion Photography:
Irving Penn
Richard Avedon
Helmut Newton
Mario Testino
Documentary Photography:
Dorothea Lange
Walker Evans
Robert Capa
Architecture Photography:
Julius Shulman
Ezra Stoller
Iwan Baan
Edward Weston
Paul Strand
Karl Blossfeldt
Laura Letinsky
Ansel Adams
Dorothea Lange
Sebastião Salgado
Sally Mann
Cindy Sherman
Jeff Wall
Andreas Gursky
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Sports Photography:
Neil Leifer
Annie Leibovitz
Elsa Garrison
Travel Photography:
Steve McCurry
Michael Kenna
Jimmy Nelson
Macro Photography:
Harold Davis
Thomas Shahan
Levon Biss
Robert Thompson
Underwater Photography:
David Doubilet
Ernst Haeckel
Brian Skerry
Concert Photography:
Jim Marshall
Lynn Goldsmith
Danny Clinch
Anton Corbijn
Nude Photography:
Edward Weston
Helmut Newton
Robert Mapplethorpe
Spencer Tunick
Abstract Photography:
Man Ray
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
Aaron Siskind
Wassily Kandinsky
Photojournalism:
Robert Capa
W. Eugene Smith
James Nachtwey
Don McCullin
Mobile Photography:
Dan Rubin
Murad Osmann
Misho Baranovic
Astrophotography:
Adam Block
Jason Weingart
Brad Goldpaint
Food Photography:
Donna Crous
Bea Lubas
David Loftus
Drone Photography:
Dirk Dallas
Gabriel Scanu
Maksim Tarasov
Pet Photography:
Carli Davidson
Elke Vogelsang
Seth Casteel
6- Color
The rst guide tackled concepts rather than prompt writing, so I wanted to revisit to share better
color-based terminology and keywords.
→ Color Manipulation
→ Number Of Colors
→ Extended Colors
→ Color Palettes
7- Theme
The default theme for v5 is "realistic photography", so you can use the following prompt keywords
to get something different/fresh.
The phrases and/or words inside the square brackets [ ] denote what prompts the theme might work
well with.
P.S. This thread will act as the 'de nitive guide' to themes in Midjourney, and will span across
multiple extra-long tweets.
Let's begin...
"Magic Realism" - A realistic idea with natural & surreal elements [dream or fantasy].
"Fantastic Realism" - Modern style paired with mind-bending elements [dream or horror].
"Contemporary Realism" or "New Realism" - High-skill painting style [people or dramatic scenes].
"Fiction" or "Science Fiction" - Imaginative and futuristic concepts [technology, space, anything].
"Imagined" or "Imaginative" or "Imagination" - New ideas, images, or concepts that may not be real
[animals, otherworldly, or strange].
"Dreampunk" - Steampunk aesthetic mixed with "Dreamlike" with hints of futurism [technology or
vintage].
fi
"Dreamcore" or "Weirdcore" - A surrealist aesthetic paired with low-quality assets [memes, creepy,
or trippy].
"Abstract" or "Abstraction" - Images that communicate through lines, shapes, colors, and form
rather than solid ideas [backgrounds, modern design, logos].
"Fantasy" or "Ethereal Fantasy" or "Dark Fantasy" - A broad and loosely de ned art that pulls from
magic, mythological, and supernatural ideas [beings, gods, or landscapes].
"Immaterial" or "Intangible" - Similar to "Abstract" art but less modernized [smoke, lines, or
objects].
7- Material
Testing out a diverse range of textures & material properties can enrich your artistic expression and
unveil captivating visual experiences.
→ Physical Properties