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Photographer creates insane isolation-style travel photos using household objects

Most of us have had to come up with some creative ways to relieve our boredom during isolation, and one travel photographer has certainly taken this to the next level.

The photographer has been creating travel pics by using nothing more than basic household objects and mini figurines and the results are pretty damn impressive.

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A travel photographer is using her platform to share her isolation travel photography using just some basic household items and a whole lot of imagination.

Erin Sullivan has discovered a way to best make use of her time in quarantine whilst continuing to create.

Sullivan says that her aim is to “communicate the wonder of this Earth and to inspire connection so that ultimately, we might take our role as stewards a bit more thoughtfully.”

Sullivan shared her isolation experience with Bored Panda:

“As a travel photographer, I spend a lot of my time outdoors and photographing interesting places around the world. When our stay at home order went into effect last month, I wanted to challenge myself to stay creative in my craft without leaving my house.”

 

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The beauty of the ✨Glowing Gore-Tex Cave✨ ✧ Yesterday this idea was nagging at me all afternoon. I believe that ideas come from somewhere beyond us. When they ask you to pay attention to them, I’ve found that it is best to listen! I heard “create a glow worm cave tonight”… and so… here we are. Is it creativity or just quarantine? Gotta say I believe it’s the creativity. ✧ The set-up for this is tin-foil on a cutting board, 2 books with rain jackets draped over them, paper with holes poked in it, a smart lightbulb set to teal behind that, train figures, and the rock they are standing on is a hunk of rose quartz. Inspired by how it feels to be in a glow worm cave in New Zealand. ✧ Got an idea relentlessly poking at you? That idea wants to be out in the world. Put it into action 🐛 #ErinsGreatIndoors #OurGreatIndoors

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She made use of items such as bedsheets, paper bags, and food to create her isolation travel photography. Sullivan also mentioned that the process benefited her mental health and challenged her creativity.

“I had the idea to create outdoor adventure scenes out of objects in my house, I shot a few scenes as experiments before I ever shared the project publicly and found that creating this series of images helped me keep my imagination active and my creative practice alive.”

 

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Gotta love an afternoon visit to Jello Lake 🌲 And before you guys ask, YES I WAS allowed to fly my drone here!! 🙄😉 ✧ Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the nature of creativity and how ideas come to us. These days it is easy to feel like you are in competition, but I have never once experienced this to be the posture that supports long-term success or a feeling of peace. We cannot hold onto our ideas so tightly that we suffocate them. I believe ideas are given to us from God (or whoever/whatever your higher power is) and we’re just the stewards. Like love, celebration, and laughter, creativity can really shine when it is shared. (@elizabeth_gilbert_writer has a wonderful book about this concept called Big Magic. It’s also a big topic in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I recommend both.) ✧ This set was made with jel dessert (vegan jello), asparagus, and train figures in a pie dish. So many of you have been curious to see behind-the-scenes footage or a hyperlapse of me creating one of these scenes… so if you are interested, check out @rei’s latest IGTV video! 🥳 ✧ #ErinsGreatIndoors #OurGreatIndoors

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Ahhh, a stroll through the @gomacro mountains, where we found some quite chocolatey features. Normally I would tell my friends to avoid licking the scenery, but in this case it all appeared to be edible and you don’t even need a permit. 😂 Flavors included banana + almond butter, double chocolate + peanut butter chips, oatmeal chocolate chip, and maple sea salt to name a few. 😛 ✧ Under different circumstances, I’d be snacking on these while outdoors on a hike or shoot. But staying home has introduced a whole new style of adventure–– involving less movement and more imagination. 💭 ✧ Thank you to @gomacro for loving the #OurGreatIndoors series and wanting to explore with me! If you are interested in experiencing some of the plant-based bars pictured here, you can use code “NEWFLAVOR30” for 30% off your order from gomacro.com. ✧ See if you can find the tiny bars in the 2nd & 3rd images. Also – all these bars were saved and snacked on 😊♥️ #gomacro #biggerthanabar #sponsored

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A peaceful morning fishing together on Tinfoil Lake 🌅😉 ✧ The images in this series might be fun and whimsical (I hope they appear that way to you!), but I create them from my memories or from feelings of places I have been, which feel rooted and meaningful to me. ✧ I grew up next to the Long Island Sound, and my grandpa used to take us out on his little boat when I was a kid. My cousin and I would be stuffed into orange lifejackets, two messy blonde heads on the front of the boat feeling like we were flying. On summer days we’d go stand on the pier and try to catch something. And though I never really had the patience for fishing growing up, it was always about the time spent together anyway. ✧ This image was created with tin foil, a toothbrush, a lamp under a sheet, and tiny people from a train set. Lots of questions on where to get them–– simply search for model train figures online and you’ll find lots of options. 😊 More BTS in my stories and highlight on my page. ✧ #ErinsGreatIndoors #OurGreatIndoors

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For the perfect weekend adventure, may I recommend a trip to the Great Pancake Canyon? This weekend, Syrup River was flowing. Maybe it’s due to the rain we’ve had?? Not sure…. any of you specialize in pancake science and can speak to this? Anyway, this was a truly unique experience with fantastic views from both below and above. Also great breakfast available. 🥞 ✧ Camera info: Sony a7Riii & 90mm f2.8 Macro lens. Materials: Literally just pancakes, syrup, and model train figures. ✧ Want to create your own outdoor-inspired adventure while staying home? Post & tag #OurGreatIndoors or follow along with the hashtag to see what this community is creating. Or if you’ve got another project you’re working on, I would love to hear about it! Or if you are doing nothing, that’s OK too! Take care of yourself! ✧ Thanks to my pancake expert @thejoehenderson for helping with this adventure. Who knows where we will go next… 😂 #ErinsGreatIndoors • #OurGreatIndoors

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Nightstand Astrophotography 🌌 A bit of stargazing from the comfort of my bed. My friend here still won’t stop pointing at stuff… ✧ This one is inspired by a photo I took of my friend @rachelroams last year in New Zealand. Created with a couple of model train figures, paper with holes poked in it, and a smart lightbulb (I changed the color to blue, but you could also do this in post). ✧ I’m so happy to hear these photos are bringing you joy and sparking creativity. It’s been so fun to see what you’ve created so far in the #OurGreatIndoors hashtag! Hope everyone is taking care and being super kind to yourselves right now whatever the season looks like for you. ♥️ ✧ #ErinsGreatIndoors • #OurGreatIndoors

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Some pretty sweet dunes… literally. 🤓 Here we have the Sugar Sand Dunes, located on a sheet in my bedroom. Luckily we got a permit. Lots to look at. My friend just couldn’t seem to stop pointing at stuff! ✧ This project has been a great challenge for me in many ways. The parameters I set for myself when embarking on this very tiny journey were: 1. Create outdoor scenes out of household objects (obviously) 2. Shoot things I’d normally shoot, as if the scenes were real 3. Only use Photoshop to enhance an image, do not make it essential 4. Make the scenes as believable as possible For me, having a set of guidelines for a series is what helps me decide what belongs and what doesn’t. It gives me handrails throughout the process. ✧ I’ve created a couple of scenes so far that didn’t make it into the series, and I’m sure I’ll make more that don’t feel like a fit. That’s ok. That’s part of if–– study is vital. Practice, too. In this particular instance, mine just happens to look like a tiny train person standing on a mound of sugar. ✧ #ErinsGreatIndoors • #OurGreatIndoors

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Today I went on my first EVER trip to Paper Bag Canyon. 😉 I wasn’t really sure what we were going to find here, but I am learning that imagination is an adventure in and of itself. 💭 ✧ The response from this series has been great so far! Thank you to everyone who has sent me images of the adventures you are creating while inside. ✧ I HEREBY CHALLENGE YOU to create your own indoor adventure, and to share it so we can all come along! Whether it’s a tiny one like this series here, or setting up your tent in your living room, post and tag #OurGreatIndoors and let’s create some inspiration for us all as a community. And if you can’t participate at this time, I invite you to follow along. I’ll share your work on my stories as the hashtag fills up. ✧ This canyon was made from paper bags taped to a cutting board, and the little hiker dude is a figure from a model train set. Lighting is just the natural light coming from my window. If you feel disqualified because you don’t have a big fancy camera, try using your phone! As always, use what you’ve got. Creativity can thrive even (especially?) within a set of restrictions. 🧑‍🎨 ✧ #ErinsGreatIndoors • #OurGreatIndoors

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Check out her entire collection on Instagram by clicking here!