Fidget spinners have definitely made a breakthrough overnight. Now that every single child (and even some adults) around me play with it, I am still wondering – what on Earth does that thing even do except for spinning? Sure, it’s supposed to help you focus and/or relieve stress, but does it have any other application?
Well, as a practical girl, I decided to try and give fidget spinner a purpose in my own playground – photography. So I bought one, played with it, and here’s what I came up with.
1. Long exposure photos
Well, maybe it goes without saying, but you can try and use this spinning thingy as your photographic subject. I bought a fidget spinner with flashing lights, so it would look cool in the dark. I gave it to my boyfriend (I know he was dying to try it out anyway) so as he span it, I took some photos. Here are a few:
Of course, I am sure it can get far more interesting and creative than these abstracts I made, but this was enough for me to spark my imagination and give me some ideas to try out when I have more time.
2. Challenge yourself
Have you ever challenged yourself to shoot with only one focal length over a certain period of time, or at a certain event? It can be fun and boost creativity, so you should definitely do it. But, if you own many lenses, it may be difficult to decide which one to pick for the challenge.
So, write the lengths of the lenses you own on a piece of paper, in a circle. Then, draw an arrow on the spinner with a marker, and put it in the center. Now twist it! It’s kinda like the wheel of fortune. 🙂 When the spinner stops, you get to use the lens pointed by the arrow for your challenge.
3. Store tiny items
The model of the fidget spinner I bought has small white containers, and the tiny flashing lights are inside them. They’re easy to open, and you can use them to store Micro SD cards, tiny screws or other small items you may have in your camera bag.
I must say, I was skeptical to this toy, but I eventually got interested in it. Of course, it’s a thingy that you’ll probably get bored of pretty soon, so you have to either give it a new purpose or give it to someone who’ll find it more interesting. I came up with the three ways photographers can use it, and now I’d love to hear your suggestions. How would you use a fidget spinner for photography or video?
