If you’re a photographer, chances are that someone has bought you a lens mug so far. Or maybe you already have a few of those (I know I do). We all know more than one lens mug is just too much – so why not repurpose it? In this video, Dave Knop a.k.a. Knoptop will show you how to turn a lens mug into a desk lamp. It’s simple to make and it looks pretty neat!
How to make a 2-in-1 DIY foldable reflector on a budget
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A reflector and a flag are useful pieces of kit you should have in your kit. In this video, photographer Alastair Bird shows you how to make your own 2-in-1 reflector and flag. The white side works as a reflector to give you a nice, soft fill light, and you can use the black side as a flag. It’s cheap, easy to build, and it fits in your car along with all the gear you carry to a shoot.
11 simple DIY tricks to improve your photography or video work
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It often takes only a bit of creativity and some household items to make something awesome for your photo or video work. After all, that’s what probably brought you to this blog in the first place, right? In this video, Kyle and Jamie of Field of View and Michael Lohrum of DIYCameraGuy team up to bring you 11 simple DIY tricks you can do to improve your photos and videos.
You already have most of these items and home, and if you don’t: they’re cheap and easy to find. So, it’s practically effortless to pull these tricks off, yet you can achieve some pretty creative effects. Take a look.
How to make a simple $10 DIY disco prism for Profoto A1
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Controlling and modifying light is a lot of what photography with studio lights and battery powered strobes are about. Especially when it comes to portraits, I like to work with my lighting setups so they add something that is not perfect or flat.
Twisting and turning your lights to make use of the edges is one very effective way of doing that. Breaking up the light with a scrim, gobo or something else is also very rewarding.
This DIY project is all about a cheap prism from a LED Disco Party Bulb that I found for under 10 EUR/USD.
Make a DIY low-angle quadpod under $20
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I love low angle photography! It brings fresh and unusual angles that makes your pictures stand out. You can buy Platypod for this purpose but I didn’t want to spend $100 on a chunky piece of metal. This site have many suggestions for do-it-yourself low angle stands including a frying pan. Good luck taking it on your trip. Here is a super low angle solution under $20. In addition, in my opinion, it is more stable, probably lighter and more compact then Platypod.
Turn any camera into underwater camera with this $10 DIY periscope
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If you want to take some underwater shots and buying a professional housing would exceed your budget, is Alex of I did a thing has some good news for you. He has built a simple periscope that not only costs around $10 to make, but it also requires almost no time. So if you’re looking for a simple, quick and super-cheap DIY project, take a look at this one.
How to make DIY “rusty wall” background out of plywood
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Guys at raw.exchange offer tons of great resources for photographers and retouchers. They are devoted and serious and put a lot of effort in their packages, and for this article, they shared with us how they built a “rusty wall” background – out of wood!
“Why would you make a DIY rusty wall” you may ask. Well, one of the very attractive packages is their Rusty Wall background textures. It features 82 hi-res background textures of a rusty way, taken from different perspectives. And although they are master retouchers, their background is a real deal. So, if you’re less into Photoshop and more into DIY and building, or just curious to see how raw.exchange background comes to life – carry on reading. The kind guys from raw.exchange shared with DIYP how to make the rusty wall background out of wood.
How to make a DIY softbox from an old bicycle wheel
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There are plenty of fantastic DIY softbox solutions, but this one is definitely something I haven’t seen before. To make it, you’ll need an old bicycle wheel. It doesn’t only make a great softbox, but it looks really cool, too. So, if that old bicycle is just collecting dust in the garage, maybe it’s time to repurpose it. In this video, Prickly Sauce will show you how.
How to create epic 360 bullet time videos with some wood and a caster
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Recently, we stumbled upon a video that was too good not to share. Made by Luca Amhofer, the video shows a 360-degree rig he made himself for shooting videos. The rig enables a filmmaker to place the subject in the center and rotate the camera around it. And unlike most creations of this kind, this one is inexpensive, yet still efficient.
We got in touch with Luca, and he was kind enough to share some details of his build with us. There are also some BTS images and the video, where you can get acquainted with the process. There’s also the final result, so you get to see what he achieved using this simple and cheap DIY solution.
How to build a cheap collapsible DIY light box
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Clear, well-lit photos of your projects are among the best ways to share your work with others. Few techniques highlight your project as well as an all white light box with soft, even, shadow-free lighting. Not only is the white background distraction free, it will also serve to bounce your light source onto your object from nearly all angles.
This is an effective, inexpensive, and easy way to build a light box for project and product photography. Plus, you can quickly break it down for flat storage, and set it back up in seconds!
