20+ Midjourney Photography Prompts

In this guide, we look at 20+ Midjourney prompts for various photographic styles.

10 months ago   •   7 min read

By MLQ

Midjourney V6 is here with improved prompt coherence, in-image text, and enhanced realism. In this guide, we'll look at 20+ Midjourney prompts for photography.

One key change that was made is the ability to prompt using much more natural language and less random "junk" words. As the founder of Midjourney, David Holz, wrote on Discord:

Prompting with V6 is significantly different than V5. You will need to ‘relearn’ how to prompt.
V6 is MUCH more sensitive to your prompt. Avoid ‘junk’ like “award winning, photorealistic, 4k, 8k”

Before get to the photography prompts, another important prompting tip with Midjourney V6 is the --style and --stylyize parameters. Here's how Holz describes these parameters:

  • "If you want something more photographic / less opinionated / more literal you should probably default to using --style raw
  • Lower values of --stylize (default 100) may have better prompt understanding while higher values (up to 1000) may have better aesthetics"

Below we'll look at Midjourney prompts for various categories such as landscapes, portraits, nature, architecture, fashion, and abstract photography. We'll also incorporate a various photographic styles, including:

  • Macro photography
  • High dynamic range (HDR) photography
  • Long exposure photography
  • Panoramic photography
  • Bokeh photography
  • Aerial photography
  • Selective focus
  • Infrared photography
  • And more

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Landscape Photography

First, let's look at several example of landscape photography incorporating HDR, macro detail, panoramic shots, and long exposure.

💡
HDR Coastal Landscape
High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography of a coastal landscape, capturing vivid details in both the bright sky and shadowed cliffs --v 6.0 --style raw --ar 16:9

Forest Macro Detail
Macro photography in a forest setting, focusing on the intricate patterns of leaves and the textures of tree bark, with a lush background --v 6.0 --stylize 50 --style raw --ar 16:9

Panoramic Mountain Range
Panoramic photography of a sweeping mountain range, capturing the grandeur and scale of the landscape in a wide field of view --v 6.0 --stylize 400 --style raw --ar 16:9

Long Exposure Starry Night
Long exposure photography capturing the starry night sky over rolling hills, showcasing the movement of stars as light trails --v 6.0 --stylize 70 --style raw --ar 16:9

Portrait Photography

Next, let's look at a few prompts for portrait photography, including black & white portraits, natural lighting, and bokeh backgrounds.

💡
Black and White Artistic Portrait
Artistic black and white portrait, emphasizing contrasts, textures, and the play of light and shadow on the subject's features --v 6.0 --stylize 120 --style raw --ar 16:9

Classic Portrait with Natural Lighting
Classic portrait of a person with natural lighting, capturing subtle facial expressions and fine details in the skin texture --v 6.0 --stylize 80 --style raw --ar 16:9

Candid Portrait with Bokeh Background
Candid portrait of a person in a spontaneous moment, with a soft bokeh background to emphasize focus on the subject --v 6.0 --stylize 90 --style raw --ar 16:9

Dynamic Portrait
Dynamic portrait of a male subject against an urban cityscape, showcasing a modern and confident look with the city's energy as a backdrop --v 6.0 --stylize 90 --style raw --ar 16:9

Wildlife & Nature Photography

Next, let's look at a few wildlife & nature photography prompts, incorporating styles like aerial photography, selective focus, and macro details.

💡
Aerial Photography of a Forest
Aerial photography capturing the dense patterns and vibrant colors of a forest from a bird's eye view, showcasing the natural layout and diversity --v 6.0 --stylize 120 --style raw --ar 16:9

Selective Focus of Wildflowers
Aerial photography capturing the dense patterns and vibrant colors of a forest from a bird's eye view, showcasing the natural layout and diversity --v 6.0 --stylize 120 --style raw --ar 16:9

Underwater Marine Life
Underwater photograph capturing the diverse and colorful marine life in a coral reef, showcasing the interplay of light and water --v 6.0 --style raw --ar 16:9

Macro Butterfly
Macro photography of a butterfly on a flower, showcasing extreme close-up details like the texture of the butterfly's wings and the intricate patterns of the flower --v 6.0 --stylize 70 --style raw --ar 16:9

Architectural Photography

Next, let's look at architecture photography prompts, incorporating photographic styles like 35mm, HDR, infrared photography, and more.

💡
35mm HDR Photography
35mm style HDR photography capturing the architectural details of historic buildings in an urban setting, with enhanced contrasts and rich textures --v 6.0 --stylize 80 --style raw --ar 16:9

Infrared Photography
Infrared photography capturing the surreal aspects of modern architecture, with foliage and sky transformed into otherworldly colors --v 6.0 --stylize 110 --style raw --ar 16:9

Black & White Street Photography
Black and white street photography in an old town, capturing the timeless charm of historical buildings and the daily life of its inhabitants --v 6.0 --stylize 90 --style raw --ar 16:9

Night Photography
Night photography showcasing iconic urban landmarks illuminated against the night sky, capturing the vibrant nightlife and architectural beauty --v 6.0 --stylize 60 --style raw --ar 16:9

Fashion & Editorial Photography

Here we'll look at various photography prompts for fashion & editorial purposes, including high-speed photography, cinematic photography, soft focus, and more.

💡
High Speed Photography
High-speed photography capturing a dynamic fashion moment, such as a dress in motion or a dramatic pose, emphasizing the energy and flow of the garment --v 6.0 --stylize 120 --style raw --ar 16:9

Vintage Color Palette
Create a vintage-inspired fashion editorial, capturing the essence of a past era with retro clothing styles, accessories, and a nostalgic color palette --v 6.0 --stylize 50 --style raw --ar 16:9

Cinematic Fashion Photography
Fashion photography in a cinematic style, creating a narrative scene that looks like a still from a movie, with dramatic lighting and a compelling backdrop --v 6.0 --stylize 150 --style raw --ar 16:9

Soft Focus Photography
Use soft focus photography to capture ethereal, dreamlike fashion editorials, highlighting delicate fabrics and subtle color palettes --v 6.0 --stylize 110 --style raw --ar 16:9

Abstract & Artistic Photography

Finally, let's look at abstract & artistic photography prompts that incorporate selective color, time-lapses, light painting, and shadow play.

💡
Abstract Selective Color
Abstract photography employing selective color techniques to highlight specific elements in a monochrome urban landscape, creating a stark contrast --v 6.0 --stylize 180 --style raw --ar 16:9

Time-Lapse Photography
Time-lapse photography capturing the hustle of city life, transforming moving elements like cars and people into abstract streams of color and light --v 6.0 --stylize 200 --style raw --ar 16:9

Light Painting
Use light painting techniques to create abstract photography, capturing dynamic light trails in a controlled environment for artistic shapes and patterns --v 6.0 --stylize 160 --style raw --ar 16:9

Abstract Shadow Play
Create an abstract composition using the interplay of shadows and light in an urban environment, capturing geometric patterns and stark contrasts --v 6.0 --stylize 200 --style raw --ar 16:9

That's it for this list of Midjourney photography prompt. If you want to stay up-to-date with AI, you can sign up to our newsletter below.

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