My journey into Grunge Photography began with the image below.

001 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

I was writing a serialized fictional story on Instagram. Since Instagram is a visual medium, I needed a photograph for each post that illustrated that chapter of the story.

The story is a surreal fantasy noir, so the images had to be… a bit out of the ordinary. Grunge techniques gave me just the creative options that I needed.

Since then, I’ve made use of grunge photography for stock photo sales as well. The techniques lend themselves to setting a mood or telling a story.

002 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

The word ‘grunge’ as relates to creative culture began in the 1990s within the music industry. It started in the Seattle, Washington area with the advent of punk rock bands.

The genre is often described as dark, old, and or portraying peculiar vibes meant to ‘shake up’ the recipient’s senses.

In photography, this can be achieved through in-camera techniques, post-production steps, or a combination of both.

003 – Photograph by Photography Maghradze PH

You can also begin with a standard photo and ‘grunge it up’ or further grunge your ideas created in-camera!

Grunge photography, also sometimes referred to as ‘Lo-fi’ imaging, will often start with the use of old or toy lenses that have been modified to fit onto modern digital cameras.

There is also a sub-genre of grunge photographers who always begin the process with toy cameras, such as film or digital.

While there is most definitely an emphasis among grunge aficionados to begin the process with a film camera, it’s not a hardened rule. You can easily mimic the effects using editing app technology.

I seldom begin with film, and I have created hundreds, if not thousands, of grunge photos- many of which have become highly successful stock photos.

005 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

I created image 005 for my serialized Instagram story. However, it has become an excellent seller as a stock photo that illustrates driving in winter weather.

006 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

One lovely aspect of grunge photography is that there are no limitations. This example began with a toy camera that had a tiny little electronic flash.

The above example photo exhibits traits often captured with toy lenses and cameras, including vignetting, pin-cushion perspective, and uneven focus.

007 – Photograph by Andrew Amistad

Other techniques for grunge photography include:

• Shooting film under the wrong type of lighting, or you can set the white balance incorrectly on a digital camera.
• Processing film in the wrong chemistry- this is known as cross-processing.
• Physically damaging a print by scratching it, coloring on it, dripping fluid on it, tearing it up, or anything else your destructive and creative mind can dream up.

Where do I find themes to fit this genre?

Image 008 – Photographs by Kent DuFault

The two photographs represented in Image 008 were taken minutes apart and only a few feet from each other.

The left photo has a decidedly happy and fun summer feel. The one on the right feels ominous; it gives me the feeling of an opening scene for a horror movie.

That mood is directly the responsibility of the grunge effects. This trashcan was located in a child amusement park- so not scary in reality.

We can be using Apps to become a Grunge King or Queen!

Image 009 – Photographs by Kent DuFault

The photo on the left was taken in Milan, Italy. At the moment, I wasn’t thinking about grunge photography.

Later, I needed an image to illustrate a character in my serialized Instagram story, “Our Hero.” The picture had to depict one of my characters, a police detective investigating a series of murders.

With some grunge, this shot fit the noir storyline perfectly.

With app software, you can turn a regular photo into a piece of grunge beauty. This process is known among Grunge Photographers as ‘deconstruction.’

The term describes taking a standard image file and applying grunge effects using post-processing software.

My ‘detective’ illustrative photo was created using Snapseed.

Snapseed is one of the most versatile post-processing apps out there, and it’s free.

Consider this option

Image 010 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

On a trip to Italy, I had about five hours to spend in Milan. The weather was overcast, and the lighting quite bland.

But this was my opportunity, so I shot photos like crazy. I concentrated on subject matter and composition, knowing that I would be relying on post-processing to give these shots some professional zing!

Image 011 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Apply grunge techniques made this shot so much more interesting, and it gave it an ‘Old World’ charm that was missing in the original.

Key Point: Grunge photography, or any alternative form of photography outside of the norm, can be a great resource when you have limited access to a photo opportunity. Perhaps the weather is terrible, or you simply have dull lighting, such as my Milan experience. Take those shots anyway and see what you can create in post-processing.

These techniques can put some pizazz back into a shot that is well-composed or has an interesting subject matter but lacks visual punch due to the lighting.

It doesn’t all have to be grunge! It’s one more opportunity for you to CREATE.

Image 012 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Do you recognize this scene?

Image 012 is of Multnomah Falls, which is located just outside of Portland, Oregon. It is an often-photographed place.

Google Multnomah Falls and a considerable percentage of the photos that turn up will be some variation of this one.

When I travel, I am continually photographing for my stock photo archives. In a situation such as Multnomah Falls, I will always capture what everyone expects. However, I will also always capture many options that no one expects. These are, more often than not, my successful photos.

Image 013 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

This photograph of Multnomah Falls is uniquely mine, and I love that!

Image 014 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Even the lowly ‘selfie’ can get some amped-up attitude with a grunge effect or two!

I hope I have inspired you to give grunge a try. It’s a lot of fun to have no rules. The process can be applied to virtually any topic or situation. You’re limited only by your imagination!