Ethereal Photography: How to Create Dreamy Images with Mood and Meaning

Recently, I’ve been fascinated by a style of photography known as ethereal photography.

Even the word ethereal in itself is beautiful; according to the Cambridge dictionary definition, it means:

“very light and delicate, especially in a way that does not seem to come from the real, physical world”.

For me, looking at ethereal photos evokes a very particular feeling:

They seem to have a magical, dreamy quality that is hard to put into words.

A lot of photographers use physical tools, such as filters, to achieve ethereal photography.

However, in this blog post, I also want to explore a more creative approach to ethereal photography:

We will look at using inspirational tools like Pinterest, shooting on film, and using narrative, emotion, and atmosphere to achieve that gorgeous, cinematic aesthetic in your images.

Let’s get into it!

1. What Makes a Photograph Ethereal?

So what exactly is it that gives a photo that magical ethereal quality?

Usually, what makes a photograph ethereal is the interplay of a few factors:

Lighting

Ethereal photos are often characterised by the play of light and shadows.

There are certain lighting setups or scenarios that create a more dreamy mood, such as soft natural light, backlighting, lighting combined with fog or atmosphere, or golden hour light.

Lack of Sharpness

Next, a lot of ethereal photos will be slightly unsharp in some way:

There may be a general blur or a selective focus on the subject or other elements.

Here’s one of my images, where I used a stocking over the lens in combination with selective focus to create a dreamy effect:

Emotional Tone

Another big factor in creating ethereal photography is something I call emotional tone.

For example, an ethereal photo may convey calm, nostalgia, spirituality, or longing. 

This is usually achieved by a combination of stylistic elements, such as the aforementioned blur and lighting, as well as colour grading, props, makeup, etc.

Now that we’ve defined ethereal photography, let’s find out how to create our own dreamy photographs.

One tool that I use a lot is Pinterest, which I will talk about in the next section.

2. Pinterest as Inspirational Tool

I LOVE Pinterest.

I use it to gather inspiration for all my shoots, but it can be particularly useful for ethereal photography, which goes beyond using specific camera settings or lighting techniques.

When creating ethereal photography, I recommend you use Pinterest not just to find beautiful images, but also to gather references that evoke the desired mood for your shoot: soft, melancholic, surreal, etc.

Start by collecting pins that align with a certain emotional tone.

Instead of searching “ethereal photography,” try searching by mood:

Enter terms like “quiet morning light,” “misty meadow,” or “vintage lace details.” 

Look beyond photography too: include paintings, fabrics, poetry quotes, film stills–anything that sparks a specific atmosphere. 

Over time, your board becomes less of a collage of pretty things and more of a curated album of your favourite stylistic elements.

When planning a shoot, I use Pinterest to plan not just colour palettes and lighting, but also textures, themes, poses, and storytelling elements.

For example, I recently created this collage around an ethereal aesthetic:

It features delicate flowers, as well as shimmering finishes/materials, and ivory tones.

Hence, if I were to create a photo based on this mood board, I would include some drapey fabrics with a soft sheen, as well as flowers and perhaps some magical fairytale elements or props.

I would also recreate that sort of graceful, feminine vibe in the collage, maybe posing my hand in a similar way or striking a soft, fluid pose.

With Pinterest, the goal isn’t to replicate a specific image.

Instead, you want to collect lots of inspiring images and then interpret them through your own lens.

Ideally, take your time with this; gather and pin images over a few days or weeks and see what naturally develops.

In the next section, let’s talk about a brilliant way to create ethereal images, which is using film…but before I get to that, did you know you can download my free ebook? More info below:

…but now, back to the blog post!

3. Ethereal Photography Using Film

How comfortable are you with shooting film?

Maybe you grew up using a film camera, like me, or you’ve only ever used digital cameras.

Either way, if you’re keen to create ethereal photographs, I highly recommend you give film photography a go.

That’s because there’s something inherently dreamlike about film photography, thanks to the soft grain, colour shifts, and wanted or unwanted imperfections like light leaks, blur, or lens flares.

Digital can sometimes feel too sharp or controlled; film, on the other hand, has more softness and unpredictability, which is perfect for creating magical, ethereal images.

The texture of film grain feels organic, creating atmosphere and a sense of depth that’s difficult to replicate digitally without heavy post-processing.

In addition, film naturally blooms highlights, especially in backlit scenes. This will give you a glowing, haloed effect without having to edit your images.

Dreamy Self-Portrait Taken with a Film Camera.

What I love about film is that you have to surrender a little. 

You can’t check the screen after each shot–you have to trust your eye and your technical skills.

For me, that slower, more intentional process makes me more present during the shoot.

In addition, it forces me to give up control, often resulting in “happy accidents” (perfect for ethereal photography where perfection is not the goal).

Recommended Film Stocks for Ethereal Photography

Here are some great film stocks for beautiful, ethereal images:

• Kodak Portra 400: warm, forgiving, soft skin tones, subtle pastel colours.
• Fuji Pro 400H (discontinued but still available online): cooler tones, delicate greens and blues, slightly more muted than Portra.
• Cinestill 800T: unique glow around highlights; works very well in low light or candlelit scenes.
• Ilford HP5 Plus (B&W): for a ghostly, timeless softness without colour distractions.
• Polaroid i-Type or 600 film: soft-focus, low-contrast, and wonderfully unpredictable. The washed-out tones in particular will give you that vintage, dreamlike quality.

Dreamy Polaroid. Image Credit: Lisa from Pexels.

Tips for Beginners

Start with a simple 35mm camera–something like the Canon AE-1, Pentax K1000, or Olympus OM-1. 

These are reliable, manual, and often cheaply available on eBay or in second hand camera shops. 

For an ethereal feel, shoot in soft natural light and slightly overexpose (by about half to one full stop) to lift shadows and smooth skin tones. 

When scanning your negatives, ask your lab for a low-contrast or “flat” scan.

This preserves softness and gives you more room to add depth and contrast in Photoshop/editing.

By the way, if you want to learn more about how to use film (and how to take film self-portraits), check out my previous post on the topic here.

4. Ethereal Photography Using Diffusion Tools

Another way to create dreamy, ethereal photos is to use physical diffusion tools.

I’ve written a whole post about this topic, so I’ll just give you a quick introduction here!

You can use the following tools over your camera lens to create that soft focus, ethereal effect in your images:

DIY Tools

An easy (and cost effective) method to achieve ethereal photography is using light-diffusing materials such as a pantyhose, tulle fabric, or even some clear plastic (like a ziplock bag) over your camera lens.

Alternatively, you can dab a bit of Vaseline or aloe vera gel onto a clear lens filter.

These tools will scatter light, bloom highlights, and slightly blur details, giving your images an atmospheric and cinematic vibe.

Here’s an example of a self portrait taken with Vaseline on the lens filter:

Prisms/CDs

You can also use a glass prism or an old CD to create romantic, dreamy flares like I did in this picture:

Tip: For more pronounced flares, it’s best to use backlighting. Read more about flares and light leaks in this post here.

Soft Focus Filters

You can also buy dedicated soft focus filters for achieving that ethereal photography aestehtic.

I really like the Walking Way filters:

They reduce sharpness in a controlled, intentional way, creating a dreamy, glowing effect by diffusing light (especially around highlights).

In the next section, let’s explore how storytelling can help you create ethereal photos.

5. Story-Driven Ethereal Shoots

Another powerful way to create dreamy, otherworldly photographs is to use storytelling.

This simply means coming up with some kind of narrative for your shoot, rather than just capturing what’s already there.

So next time you’re planning an ethereal photo shoot, start with a mood or concept.

Ask yourself: What emotion do I want this image to convey? 

Maybe it’s longing, stillness, innocence, or nostalgia. 

Let that guide your choices, from location and lighting to outfits and poses. 

Even simple elements such as a flowy dress or a vintage mirror can suggest a story if you frame them with intention.

If you need help with this, check out my post on storytelling through photography here.

Dreamy Photograph with a Cinematic Vibe. Image Credit: Ron Lach.

Letting the Viewer Fill in the Story

For this kind of shoot, you don’t need to show or reveal everything:

For example, a half-lit silhouette or a slightly blurred figure may have way more impact than a perfectly focused portrait. 

Try to let the image feel like a scene from a movie, inspired by directors known for their dreamy aesthetics, such as Sofia Coppola, Wong Kar-wai, or Michel Gondry.

When planning this type of shoot, it’s helpful to use Pinterest or a similar tool to create a visual mood board, especially for makeup and styling.

6. Enhancing the Dreamy Look in Editing

If you’re comfortable using photo editing tools, you can also enhance the ethereal effect in Photoshop, Lightroom or another software.

You could even create the dreamy look entirely in post-processing, but I prefer doing what I can in camera, as the effect tends to be more convincing that way.

In any case, editing for an ethereal aesthetic isn’t necessarily about heavy effects or filters; it’s about creating softness, light diffusion, and a sense of atmosphere.

Here are some possible edits you can try to enhance your ethereal photography:

Soften Highlights and Contrast

Ethereal images rarely have intense blacks or whites.

Hence, start by reducing overall contrast and lifting the shadows slightly to create a hazy, soft-light effect. 

In Photoshop or Lightroom, you can use the Tone Curve or Curves tool to adjust the contrast and soften the highlights.

Colour Grading for Mood

Colour is one of the most powerful tools for creating atmosphere. 

To achieve an ethereal aesthetic, go for muted pastels, cool highlights with warm shadows, or palettes inspired by film stock. 

In Lightroom, you can adjust the HSL sliders to desaturate strong colours and make the look more cohesive.

I find that pinks, creams, pale blues, and soft greens always add a very dreamy look.

(In Photoshop, try the Selective Color or Hue/Saturation tool for this.)

You can also use the Color Balance tool in Photoshop to add more warmth to the shadows and a cool tint to the highlights.

If you need help with colour grading, make sure to read my previous in-depth post on the topic here.

Add Glow or Diffusion

To mimic the look of backlit film or diffusion filters, you can add a soft glow around highlights:

• In Photoshop, duplicate your layer, apply a Gaussian Blur (8–15 px), and set the blend mode to Screen or Soft Light. Adjust opacity to your liking.
• For Lightroom, try radial filters around light sources with lowered clarity and added exposure.

Adding Grain and Texture

A fine layer of grain can make your image feel less digital and more organic (especially if you’re going for that film-like aesthetic). 

You can use the grain slider in Lightroom or use the Add Noise filter in Photoshop.

Applying Selective Blur

Another thing you can try is adding depth by blurring background areas or edges.

Use lens blur or a soft brush with reduced clarity/opacity around the edges of the frame to draw the eye inwards or towards your subject.

And that’s it for today!

Keep in mind that with ethereal photography, it’s all about the mood rather than perfection, so try not to overedit.

Keeping things a little imperfect will contribute to that dreamy quality and give your images that beautifully fleeting, atmospheric vibe.

Make sure to share your photos on Instagram and tag me @desireesydow.photography; I would love to see them!