Check out these DIY photography ideas and hacks and spare your wallet from super expensive photography equipment. The trick to taking a good photo isn’t necessarily your fancy gear. Did you know years ago, people used to make their photography equipment out of cardboard and some tubing? It isn’t terribly difficult to make your own darkroom developing solution, either. Help yourself to some of these awesome DIY photography hacks and tricks to help you build your own custom photography kits!
DIY Photography Projects, Tips, and Tricks for Amazing Photos!
1. Studio Quality Product Photography with a $12 Set Up
Check out this awesome set-up made for relatively cheap to help you with your product photography. Be sure to stock up on aluminum foil for this hack!
2. Dual Speedlight Mount for Universal Softbox Mount
Did you ever want to make your own speedlight mount but couldn’t figure out how? Check out this awesome do-it-yourself tutorial with the full instructions. So cool!
3. DIY Gary Fong Lightsphere
Check out this interesting way to diffuse your light by using some bubble wrap! See the link below for the full instructions. This DIY photography lighting idea is so clever. Who would have thought (besides being insanely fun to pop) bubble wrap had so many uses!
4. Dreamy Vaseline Filter For Blurry Effect
All you need is a rubber band to hold the cling wrap tight on the lens hood and some Vaseline (smear liberally). With a dab of petroleum jelly, you can create professional vintage-style photos without spending much or at all!
5. Collapsible Light Box For Those Short On Space And Cash
Here’s a DIY photography lighting hack that will give your photos better lighting and high definition. It is also collapsible so you can carry it around, especially if you’re using it professionally.
Don’t have the time to make your own lightbox? Here’s a fairly inexpensive one available on Amazon!
6. Laser Lens Smartphone Macro Rig
Most people don’t realize the power that they have been carrying around in their pockets. Smartphones have really amazing camera properties, however, they lack in one department – macro photography. Why? It isn’t in high demand, especially for the average smartphone user. But if you want to tap into this photography trick, take this photography hack to super macro your smartphone using DVD lens.
7. How To Build a Matchbox Pinhole Camera
We’ve always found matchbox pinhole cameras to be really neat. Building them can be kind of tricky, however, by following this straightforward tutorial you should have no trouble at all. Ready to see how it works? Check out the full tutorial on how to build a matchbox pinhole camera for more!
8. Create A Tilt-Shift Lens
Did you ever want to create a blurred background effect, like the filters you commonly use on all your favorite apps? Here is a nifty DIY photography tip to try out. It involves dissecting your lens, so it isn’t a project for the inexperienced camera op.
“Keep in mind that the mechanism on old 50mm lenses goes deeper than modern crop-factored lenses, so if you are building one on your own, watch the lens-to-mirror distance carefully.” —diyphotography.net
9. Make a Softbox with Cardboard for Creative Lighting Effects
This project is super simple and requires some household items that you probably won’t have to take a trip to the store for. Want to know more? Check out this awesome tutorial to make a homemade softbox with cardboard!
10. Make a Macro Studio with Paper and Table Lamps
No macro studio at your disposal? No problem. We have this DIY photography studio on a budget for you. Try all of these awesome photo hacks from strobist and make this DIY macro photo studio for only $10! The definition in the photographs is pretty astonishing.
11. Reduce Your Camera Shake With a Bag of Lentils And A Pair of Jeans
Every photographer’s nightmare is camera shake. It’s completely inevitable in certain circumstances when you don’t have a reliable tripod for stabilization purposes. Check out this super awesome camera hack for getting rid of camera shake with some lentils.
12. DIY Lightbox for Product Photos
Try this interesting idea of a small studio for product photography by using a cardboard box, white poster board, and light bulbs. Read more about how to make a DIY light box in 7 easy steps.
Check out this video from Jessica Kobeissi for a DIY photography studio tutorial:
In this digital world and social media-active generation, who doesn’t love great photographs and who doesn’t aim for quality photos that are IG-worthy? Now you know you don’t need to break the bank to take and create awesome photos and memories!
Thanks for checking out our post on DIY Photography Hacks! Know a great photo hack that we missed? Share it in the comments section below. Let us know how these projects worked out for you!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 29, 2015, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
