Shoot Great Macro Photos — with a Cheap Plastic Cup. By Joseph Linaschke | Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Have you ever shot really close-up hand-held macro photography and struggled with keeping your subject still, holding your camera steady, or avoiding harsh, ugly shadows?
I’m going to show you how to solve all of those problems in just a few minutes with nothing more than a plastic cup and some scissors. The challenges There are lots of challenges when shooting macro photography outdoors, especially if you’re shooting handheld. For one, things move. Secondly, if you’re shooting handheld, it can be a real challenge to hold the camera steady. Finally, if you’re shooting outdoors on a sunny day, hard shadows can ruin your shot. The homemade solution All of these challenges can be overcome by a single, simple cup. Camera Hacks and Adapters on Pinterest. Turn an Old Kit Lens Into a Macro Lens by Removing the Front Element. If you have an old plastic kit lenses lying around, something that you are not using for anything serious, you can give it a new life as a macro lens by removing the front element.
Here I have an old Canon 38-76mm lens. You can find these in eBay, second-hand stores, etc. The process may not be identical for other kit lenses, but should be similar. Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the plastic ring that is glued onto the front. Be careful not to tear or break it. You’ll find tiny crosshead screws under the ring.
Pull the front element out. Markus Keinaths Photohomepage - Startseite. Markus Keinath's Photohomepage - Camera And Lens DIY, Repair, Modification. Pentax K+ Multi-Mount - Influential Photo Gear. Pentax K+ Multi-Mount By PF Staff in Influential Photo Gear on Feb 20, 2013 Today, I will introduce the piece of “gear” that has been most influential to my photographic journey to date.
Camera Mounts Sorted by Register. This is a list of known camera mounts (thanks to William-Jan Markerink, who provided almost all the data in this table.
I have sorted the mounts in order of decreasing register (flange distance) to help see what adaptations might be feasible with correct infinity focus. Alphabetical List of Camera Mounts. This is basically a reformatting of the wonderful list published by William-Jan Markerink.
There are several other extensive lists; here are a few. There is also a wonderful page with photographs of different mounts. I have made the following changes: Added the B4 mount for 2/3″ HDTV (and, I think, other video with 2/3″ sensors). Added decimal places to the C-S register distance. Noted that the Canon EX1 and EX2 are camcorders. The same list is available sorted in order of register distance here. Extreamly Swirly Bokeh - Short Tutorial. Here is my story...
Over years, I collected some 20+ Helios 44 lenses. (If you never heard of this lens, it is Russian copy of Zeiss Biotar 58/2, one of my favorite standard lenses). I did so partially out of curiosity to see how many variations I might discover (it is believed that anyone who would like to learn about all Russian lens variations, would need highest degree on the Hogwarts University) and partially because they are real bargain, being made in huge numbers. Few days ago, I found an offer on our local Craig's list, for the Specially adapted Helios. There was a link to the images made with that particular lens and when I opened the link, I was surprised to see images similar to this one: Helios 44 (Just like Biotar 58/2) are one of those lenses known for so called Swirly bokeh, but I never saw image with a bokeh that wild. Spending quite some time in that wrong direction, I finally dig few bits of info about making background more crazy. 7 Simple Photography Hacks.
View topic - Imitating an MP-E using a reversed zoom. Some observations to add to this.
First of all I need to dampen expectation - although it works it is a bit hit and miss. This is why I didn't want to make a big deal out of it over on Flickr... it's a classic case of "in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king"! My technique for snowflakes shooting. This article on other languages: Фотографирование снежинок (russian version), Chinese version translated by Hung Li.
My main hobby is taking closeup snowflake pictures. Real snow crystals are amazing objects for macro photography, thanks to their beauty, uniqueness and unlimited diversity. Even after eight winters of regular photo sessions, seeing thousands of snowflakes in all their details, i do not get tired to admire new crystals with amazing form or an incredible inner pattern. Some people think that snowflake photography is a complex matter, and requires expensive equipment, but in fact it can be inexpensive, very interesting and quite easy, after some practice.
I capture every snowflake as short series of identical photos (usually 8-10, for most interesting and beautiful crystals - 16 shots and more), and average it (after aligning, for every resulting pixel take arithmetical mean of corresponding pixels from all shots of series) at very first stage of processing workflow. DIY photography - Digital Camera World. In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post we show you a very simple way to liven up your parties by making a home-made photo booth.
In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post we show you how to make a light tent, the perfect accessory for still-life photos and eBay shots. In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post we show you how to make a simple tripod strap which can also serve as a support in its own right. In our latest DIY Photography Hacks tutorial we show you how to use an old pair of sunglasses as a filter to create a variety of photo effects.
In our latest DIY Photography Hacks tutorial we show you how to make a really simple clamp for your off-camera flash using a few bits and pieces from around the house! Eliminate harsh flash without breaking the bank! Personalised calendars make a nice change from the typical commercial fare, and they make great gifts too – so why not create your own calendar, using portraits of family or friends, for 2014? Photography DIY. How to Make a High Fashion Specular Reflector. I’ve got a fun little DIY light modifier for you today.
I call it the High Fashion Specular Reflector or “shiny board” for short. In my travels, I have to carry a LOT of gear. Especially when the trip is on my own dime and I don’t have a budget to rent the cool toys I want to have. I came up with the idea for this reflector through experimentation and just obnoxious luck. I wanted to create a very hard light (in addition to the sun) to use on my model while on location. Tilt-shift: Building a DIY tilt-shift lens.
Building a custom DIY tilt-shift lens is an easy introduction to the world of homemade lens hacking and building. Why build your own? The first big factor is cost - DIY tilt-shift lenses typically cost around US$20-50, whereas professionally built options start out at ~US$1300 (notes on more affordable commercial options are in Appendix B). The designs below involve a minimal amount of hacking, and should be relatively simple starter projects for the amateur lens enthusiast. The second factor is simply the pleasure that is derived from building and shooting with something that you have made yourself. Click image to embiggen. Where Light meets the Ordinary" Commercial/Advertising/Lifestyle/Wedding. Custom Photography Softgoods: camera bags, tripod sleeves… April 21st, 2012 by Jan As you may have seen in some of my previous posts, I sew! I posted a couple items I’ve made but I never formally introduced my other venture, JAVRAN™.
Now that the site is up and running, it’s time! JAVRAN.com. Ambient lighting vs. manual flash: the [strobist] basics November 1st, 2011 by Jan. Markus Keinath's Photohomepage - Camera And Lens DIY, Repair, Modification. Markus Keinaths Photohomepage - Startseite. The Making-of "House of Cards" video. Camera mods and hacks. Converting Topcon lenses to Pentax K. Canon View Camera. Keith regularly uses the Canon 24mm and 90mm tilt/shift lenses for his work. The range of tilts and shift is relatively limited, compared to the traditional large format view camera. Install Canon camera software without CD.
Obtaining the Canon Camera Software Please don't call us for disks - We can't directly supply software! Updates/disk images for your camera can be downloaded from Canon sites. You need to download the software before you can continue with the installation process. Which Canon software? Previously, only updaters for existing software were available... so you will need the latest version for your camera and computer type. The Canon EOS 1Ds pinhole camera. Tired of spending heaps of cash on your lenses? Keith describes how to make a pinhole camera out of your digital SLR. Results are compared to a significantly more expensive lens not made of toilet paper tubes. 11 megapixels ought to be good for something... Basics of the pinhole camera. Strobist: DIY Coffee Can Pop-Up Ring Flash. Strobist: Free and So Easy: DIY Grid Spots for Your Flash.
This is so cool. I would love to take credit for this idea, but the props go to Strobist reader Gut Mann, who posted a note in the Flickr Strobist threads a ways back. It sat on my list of (about 20,000) things to do until I saw a piece of thick, corrugated cardboard yesterday. Making these little grid spots really could not be easier. (Heck, the top picture pretty much explains it.) Discussing DIY camera lens tutorial in Homemade Lens. Johnnyoptic says: $6 Macro Tilt Lens without glue or duct tape. Using Ultra-Fast Lenses on DSLR Cameras. Start by getting one of these ultra-fast lenses.
The example here is a Kowa 1:1 55mm, an f/1.0. There are lots of others to choose from, mostly branded Kowa or Rodenstock. The Kowa shown here cost $25, including shipping, via eBay. Not Exactly Mainstream Photography. Homemade Lens. Discussing DIY Soft Focus Lens: Replicating the Rodenstock Imagon in Homemade Lens. Johnnyoptic says: In-camera textures. Processes How-To. Instructions and recipes on how to work in alternative photographic processes and non-silver techniques. Instructions are provided by photographers and teachers working in the process, written with a practical approach, so; enjoy learning a new process.
Not your ol' man's TtV setup.