7 Simple Camera Hacks in 3 Minutes

Photography Tips

Need a little inspiration in the creative photography department? Want to add a little oomph to your images but can’t really afford to buy fancy equipment? The Cooperative of Photography photographer Leo Rosas has seven great ways to get creative with your camera that are easy, inexpensive, and totally effective:

The Hacks

1. Timelapse Rig Hack

Create a moving timelapse with an egg timer. You can easily mount a GoPro camera to a flat egg timer to get a steady, moving sequence of pictures.

2. Arty Filter Hack

Add some color to an otherwise dull image with a clear plastic bag and some colored markers. Just color the plastic, tear a hole in it, and fasten it over your camera lens to get an arty effect.

The colored filter hack.

3. The Vaseline Hack

Add some artistic blur to the photo with a Vaseline vignette on a lens filter. Smear the Vaseline over the filter, but keep a clear spot to focus your subject in; the rest of the image will have smooth, blurred edges.

4. Flash Diffuser Hack

You can cut a flash-sized hole in and layer a regular Tupperware container with some transparent paper and tinfoil to create a perfectly good flash diffuser.

The flash diffuser hack.

5. ND Filter Hack

Mount welding glass over your lens by fastening it to the lens hood with elastic bands. This will block the light, forcing the shutter to stay open longer, which creates blur on moving objects like water. The more light blocked, the longer your shutter will stay open.

6. String Tripod Hack

Try tying a long string to a tripod mount in order to create a “triangle” tripod that you can stand on to steady the camera to ensure sharper images.

7. Bokeh Hack

Cut out a shape (any shape) in a round piece of cardboard paper and tape it over your lens. This will make the lights in the background blur into the cardboard shape.

The shaped bokeh hack.

Creating new looks doesn’t have to mean a shopping spree at the nearest photography store. Choose one of these easy hacks and see where it takes your photos.

Have you tried any of these techniques? Share your experiences and ideas for simple camera hacks in the comments below.