Top tips / Get the levitation look

Work with gravity

Floaty clothes and coats can help to emphasize the sense of weightlessness and movement, especially if you arrange them properly before shooting. Translucent material, like the dress in Tip 3, can also look great if you backlight it with light from behind.

Look for reflections

Look for scenes that include reflections, as these can ground the subject in the scene, helping get around the ‘cut and paste’ look of some levitation photos. Alternatively, have them touch the floor or rest a foot on the wall – a point of contact like this has a similar effect.

Levitate other objects

Why stop at a levitating person, why not make other objects in the scene appear to float as well, like the lamp here? Simply hold them in the air then clone out your hands later on. Or if you’re good at catching, toss them up and take a quick snap while they’re airborne.