Do you want to take stunning and creative pictures using your smartphone or DSLR without breaking your bank on expensive photography gear? If yes then look no further as we have listed down 10+ best DIY photography hacks that will help you capture some amazing and creative shots and will add a lot more fun to your photography:
• The Wall Of Bokeh:
If you want a really bokehlicious shot or want a standard background for your subject then all you need to is take aluminum foil crumple it up and cover your wall with it. Next, place your subject in front of it and start shooting, you will end up with some really unique and sparkly photos.
• Custom Bokeh Shapes:
For this hack, you will need a piece of black paper or cardboard. Cut down the cardboard into a circular shape similar to the diameter of the lens. Then cut a custom bokeh shape in the middle as shown in the image below. Stick the cardboard on to the front of your lens and shoot at the widest aperture possible. This will provide you with the desire bokeh shapes and an artistic look.
• Light Painting:
Light painting is one the most fun photography techniques. Basically, you can paint anything with light in your photographs by using a slow exposure in a dark room.
For Example: If you want to take a really cool photo of your friend then all you need to do is to pose him in a dark room, turn on the flash and set a low shutter speed like 8 seconds, this will provide you with time to draw or write anything in the background using a torch or flash light. The result is a really compelling photograph with some cool background effects.
• Flash Diffuser:
If you don’t have a dedicated flash light for your DSLR and are stuck with the on camera flash which produces some really harsh photos then all you need to do is take a white colored polythene bag fill it with and tie a knot. Then place it in front of the flash which will help in diffusing the flash light and you will end up with much decent looking photographs.
• Soft Focus Lens Effect:
For this hack, you will need a UV filter and some Vaseline. Put some Vaseline on the UV filter but make sure to keep the center part clear. Once you have applied the Vaseline, carefully screw the filter on to your lens. This will give you a really soft focus lens effect just like the picture shown below.
• DIY Lens Flares:
This is the easiest photography hack on our list. All you need is a CD and your camera. Before attempting this technique make sure to remove the lens hood as they are designed to prevent any flares in the photos. Place the CD in front of the lens at different angles to get that reflected light flare effect.
• Sparkler Ring Of Fire :
Believe it or not, you’ll just need three things for this photography hack. All you need is few meters of wire, some sparklers and a duct tape. Make a circle of the wire and then tape down the sparklers to it. Now light up the sparklers and place it in front of the subjects and capture really lit photos.
• Using Towel As A Video Slider:
If you want to achieve that cinematic sliding effect in your videos but don’t want to spend money on an actual camera slider then you can create one on your own. All you need to do is suffuse the towel on a table in front of the subject and place the camera on top of it. Now pull the towel from one end to achieve that smooth sliding effect.
• Coloured Lens Filter:
Take a circular piece of plastic sheet and cut a medium sized hole in the middle, now color the area surrounding the hole using color markers. Place the sheet in front of the lens and shoot some unique and colorful photos.
• DIY LightBox:
This is a fairly simple photography hack, you will need to stick a plain white paper on to a window through which sunlight enters the room. Place your subject in front of the paper. Switch the camera to AV mode, set a narrow aperture and set ISO to 100. Now you will be shooting some professional looking lightbox images.
• The Tea Strainer effect:
You can use the tea strainer in your kitchen to achieve a photo with strong shadows and beautiful patterns that highlight depth. For this, you need to place the tea strainer in front of some light source so that the light passes through and falls on the subject creating this really amazing shadow effect. Just make sure the light is strong enough and the subject is close to the strainer.
This was our list of the 10+ best and cheap photography hacks that will take your photography game up a level. If you try any of these photography hacks make sure to share your experience with us in the comment section below.
