Got a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder? Don’t fret, because if you’re crafty, you can easily make one — a cool waist-level optical viewfinder at that! In the video above, James Warner of snappiness shares how he was able to make his own waist-level viewfinder using some cheap materials and some
Feeling crafty? This easy lens modifier is a fun one for the holidays and only takes a few minutes to prepare. Bonus: Your kids will love it! I love shooting wide open to capture beautiful bokeh behind my subject: The blurry, out-of-focus blobs that are characteristic of wide apertures. Bokeh
Looking for a fun photography project you can try at home? Why not make your a DIY lightbox? It doesn’t require very much, and you may already have most of what is required at home. Using a macro lens and a slice of orange (fresh and dried), I captured some
Once you’ve used my tutorial to make yourself a handy bokeh modifier, it’s time to start shooting. All you have to do to get started is cover the lens with the modifier, position your subject in front of some twinkly lights, focus and shoot. Here’s some tips to start your
This is admittedly a rather specific DIY project, but hopefully, it fills a niche, however small that might be. I can’t take credit for this fine design. Night photographer Tyler Heibeck told me how to do this, showing this to me when we were traveling in Iceland. But it’s easy
Studio photos can be fun for Christmas. But if you’re more of a DIYer and have some string lights lying around, you can easily create a fun Christmas backdrop at home for your own mini session. Here’s how to create the simple and fun backdrop. You’ll need two flat white
Night photographer Mike Cooper creates inventive light modifiers for his lights. I caught up with him to ask him more about them. Tell us about the light painting devices you use to illuminate your night photos. When I first started in night photography/light painting, I was using a couple of
Backgrounds are easy to create. Honest. Many times I hear people say they can’t take certain images because they don’t have the tools, equipment or gear they think they need. My reply to them? Be creative, be like MacGyver! Use what you have, and there are almost always ways to
Why try this fun afternoon project, you just need a sheet of white acrylic (mine is 900mm x 600mm) but it does not need to be that big. In some parts of the world, it is referred to as Plexiglass or Perspex, but they are mostly brand names. I set
Photography can become an equipment-heavy craft, with many photographers focusing more on gear than the art itself. I’ve gotten caught up in this from time to time as well, having spent hundreds of dollars on things that served no purpose. Luckily for us, there are also tons of genuinely useful
What is a snoot? A snoot is just a funny name for a piece of equipment — generally a tube or similar object such as a conical, cylindrical or rectangular shape — that fits over a studio light or portable flash. It allows you to control the direction or area
Dreaming of building your own portrait studio? You can actually make a quick set up right now, right in your own garage, especially if it gets some nice natural light! In the video above from Adorama, Pye Jirsa of SLR Lounge gives some excellent tips on how to take advantage
