Some photographers prefer using ordinary bags with padded inserts to carry their camera gear, both for aesthetic reason and to prevent theft. Instead of buying an insert, you can also make a custom one with some foam, fabric, and velcro. Abi over at vanilla & lace made one to turn her purse into a camera bag after finding that purse-style camera bags can cost up to $300. She also wrote up a helpful tutorial on how you can do the same.
Want a DSLR viewfinder but don’t want to pay big bucks for a professional one? Photojojo has a tutorial on how you can build your own DIY version using a lens from a pair of magnifying reading glasses and some plastic/foam board. It’ll definitely draw some weird looks but hey, it works!
Cut Out + Keep member Myam made this awesome Leica-style messenger bag for a photography-lovin’ friend. Sadly there’s no tutorial for this bag, but she says that the process is identical to what’s seen in this guitar bag tutorial she wrote. A padded insert can also be added to make the bag more suitable for holding cameras. This bag could definitely make for a fun weekend project and photography gift.
We’ve seen DSLR photo booth projects before, but usually they’re just simple ways for guests at an event to take self-portraits of themselves. Kevin over at I Dream In Code actually made a fancy photo booth for his brother’s wedding that prints out a nice keepsake for guests:
It is an Arduino connected to a Staples easy button. When pressed, it starts the sequence of taking 4 pictures on the Canon T3i, triggered through the 2.5mm earphone jack.
The pictures are wirelessly transferred over an adhoc network using an EyeFi Pro SD card. On the laptop, it is looking in a directory for 4 pictures, takes the 4 of them, combines them into one photo along with a picture of Andrew and Jenn, and prints it out.
The entire process from pressing the Easy Button to having the photo pop out takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Check out his blog post for more of the technical details.
Inkodye sells a line of light sensitive textile dyes that you can use to print photos onto fabrics. An example is this photo-printed hair ribbon, created using some white silk ribbon and Inkodye Violet. Check out the tutorial over at Upcraft.it to learn how to make your own.
mr-korn over at Lomography recently snagged a cheap Olympus Zuiko 50mm lens on eBay, but the lens didn’t come with a lens cap. Rather than try and find a replacement cap for that particular lens, he decided to craft his own DIY cap using a can of Coke. Read the rest of this entry »
Craftzine has a step-by-step tutorial teaching how to turn your unwanted 35mm film into an uber-geeky necklace. Not sure how comfortable wearing it would be, but if you’re the type that’s constantly looking for new levels of photo geekiness, this one’s for you.
Here’s a fun weekend project: create a tiny keychain photo album with your favorite photos! Simply print out your photographs as little circles on photo paper or card stock, laminate it, cut them out, and punch the holes. It’s a neat way to keep some tiny snapshots with you, and also makes for an awesome gift. To get started, head on over to the tutorial by Happy to Create.
Ties are meant to be soft and comfortable around the neck, so they’re a perfect fit for a do-it-yourself camera strap project! Besides an unwanted tie, you’ll need some sewing supposed, some ribbon for the ends, and a couple rings for attaching the strap. Check out the step-by-step tutorial over on Ecouterre.
If you ever find yourself with some unwanted negatives on your hands, you can upcycle them into creative film candle holders! All you need is a glass candle holder and some way to fix your negatives to it.
