Macro Photos Shot Using a Smartphone and a Laser Pointer Lens
Last month we wrote about how the small focusing lens inside a laser pointer can be repurposed as a cheap macro lens for your smartphone. After seeing this project online, photo enthusiast John Coleman decided to give it a shot. To keep the lens secure against your phone, you’ll need something to hold it (e.g. a hair pin) and some tape to attach the holder to the phone. The photo above shows the super simple attachment Coleman created.
![0g249h](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/0g249h.jpg)
![7naH7h](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/7naH7h.jpg)
![7xz4Gh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/7xz4Gh.jpg)
![8miLhh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/8miLhh.jpg)
![JVjCbh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/JVjCbh.jpg)
![kLv1Oh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/kLv1Oh.jpg)
![ob10bh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/ob10bh.jpg)
![uyBkDh](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2012/09/uyBkDh.jpg)
Not bad, considering they were taken with an ordinary phone and a $1 lens, eh?
You can find some more of these photos (and their higher-res versions) here. There’s also a picture-based step-by-step tutorial on how to do this project yourself, just in case you’d like to know how to properly deconstruct a laser pointer.
Image credits: Photographs by John Coleman and used with permission