Flickr user Twin-Reverb made this nifty DIY flash diffuser using a cardboard paper towel tube, a paper towel, and some aluminum foil.
Read more…

Having sunlight hit your computer screen can be a problem if you’re trying to see colors and details accurately while editing photographs. You can always buy a monitor hood to kill the glare, but if you don’t want to spend money on one, photographer Roger Sacul has come up with good DIY monitor hood you can make yourself using some cardboard (or any other ridged sheet material.

Avoid Sun On Your Screen By Building A DIY Monitor Hood (via Make)

Editor’s note: Since we featured in back in August, Justin Jensen’s Cineskates project has raised nearly half a million dollars. Here’s a DIY tutorial by Ed Lewis on how to make your own.

Want to get a nice dolly shot without spending a lot of money? With less than $20 and a GorillaPod you can have an adjustable tripod dolly. You can adjust the angle, the direction, and the radius for circular dolly shots. It’s also ridiculously easy to make. With all the supplies and tools, the build time here is less than 10 minutes.
Read more…

DIYPhotography has a neat tutorial on how you can build a DIY Lensbaby lens with cheap parts. The ingredients list consists of a macro extension tube, some electric tape, a macro filter set, and a pipe clamp.

Build a Lynny – A DIY Lensbaby [DIYPhotography]

Flickr user Alex12Ga turned his Canon 5D Mark II into a DIY digital view camera by mounting a Novar-Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 lens from 1949 with its original bellows. He mounted the bellows to his camera using an aluminum plate and an EOS mount ring that he salvaged from a broken Sigma lens.
Read more…

Want to add some simple panning action to a time-lapse video? Trying using a cheap IKEA kitchen timer. GetawayMoments has a tutorial on how to convert a $2-$6 timer from IKEA into a simple device for your time-lapse projects.
Read more…

If you ever find yourself needing some quick stabilization when recording video with your DSLR, but don’t have a fancy rig with you (or you’re in a place where you can’t bring one), you can use an ordinary tripod as a makeshift shoulder rig for some extra stability.

(via Reddit)

Image credit: Photograph by packman86 and used with permission

Mechanical engineer and Flickr user Some Guy (Art) was bored at his job where picture taking was explicitly disallowed, so he did what any rebellious photo-fanatic would do: build a makeshift camera out of trash! Bringing $5 worth of parts (e.g. dowels, bolts, super glue) from home, he successfully turned some machine core — which he calls “cardboard toilet paper tube on steroids” — into a 35mm pinhole camera.
Read more…

If you need a cheap way to bounce some light, don’t want to spend a wad of cash on a real reflector from a camera shop, and don’t want to take the time to make a cardboard and aluminum foil reflector, you can buy a cheap car sun shade (less than $10 at Walmart) as a cheap reflector. They’re lightweight, foldable, and reflect light well — just make sure the reflective surface is white or silver.

Image credit: diy reflectors by damon.hair and used with permission

The Coleman LED Quad Lantern is an area lantern that features four detachable LED panels that function as individual lights, with each one containing six LEDs, a handle, and a rechargeable battery. While it’s designed for outdoor use (e.g. camping), it can also be used as a cheap solution for lighting your photos on the go.
Read more…