4 WEIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TRICKS THAT ACTUALLY WORK!
Sometimes I feel like I spend so much time reading photography tricks and tips online that I never see anything new anymore. So, I set out to make this useful collection of some weird and cool photography tricks that aren’t your usual run-of-the-mill variety.
I hope you find some joy and learn a new tip or two. When you’re done, comment below with what cool photography hacks you’ve learned!
1. NO TRIPOD? USE A LAMP!
Want to take a group photo but don’t have a place to set the camera? Just whip the lamp shade off a lamp and screw your camera onto the lampshade-holder.
The thread size of the bolt on a lamp shade is exactly the same size as the filter thread used on tripods, so your camera will easily attach.
Not only will your party and indoor pictures look better, but you’ll look like MacGyver in front of the group. Not bad. This tip doesn’t come in handy every day, but you’ll like the coolest photography nerd on the planet when the situation arises.
2. REMOVE THE LENS FOR MACRO
This is the coolest camera trick I’ve seen in a long time. If you take off your lens and hold it in front of the camera, you get a macro lens! I was really skeptical about this, but I just tried it and it worked like a charm.
There are four things you need to know about using this trick: (1) Your camera won’t take a picture with the lens off unless you’re in manual mode. (2) The best focal length seems to be around 50mm, so either a 50mm prime or an 18-55mm kit lens would be perfect! (3) Obviously, you lose autofocus since your lens isn’t attached to the camera. Focus is achieved by simply moving closer to or further away from the subject, and (4) The camera can’t open up the aperture, so you’ll do it with your hand. On the back of the lens (the side you mount on the camera), move the little plastic slider piece that controls the aperture. If you look in the lens while doing it, you’ll see the hole open up.
If you want to take this a step further, you can buy a reverse lens mount for $5 or $10 which should sharpen up the images quite a bit since it will hold the lens more solidly. Also, be sure to use a tripod when doing this or any other macro photography. With such fine detail, even a tiny movement can destroy the sharpness.
3. REFLECTOR AS STUDIO BACKDROP
Sometimes when I’m shooting outdoor portraits, I see a pose or an expression for the model that makes me wish we were in the studio so I could photograph them on a white background. Sometimes a white background is the best way to focus all attention in the photo on the model, and it gives the photo a bright and clean look. When I’m in this situation, I often grab a simple $25 reflector and use it as a studio backdrop on the spot!
The trick for making this technique work is to use positive exposure compensation. The camera will try and dim down the white background to a dull gray because it thinks the white is overexposed. About 1 stop of exposure compensation will make the reflector background look bright white. If you’re still learning to shoot in manual mode or how exposure compensation works.
4. INSULATION REFLECTOR BOARD
I debated whether or not this counts as a “camera trick” or if it’s really just a super-awesome reflector that costs basically nothing. Call it what you will, but it works so well that I have to share this tip.
Circular reflectors are excellent for improving the lighting in your outdoor portraits. By holding them to reflect the sun’s light, you can fill in shadows and put beautiful highlights on the face of the person you’re shooting. However, most circular reflectors only work for a head-and-shoulders shot and only for one person. You can purchase a large full-body reflector, but they usually cost around $70.
One trick I learned from a photographer who shoots celebrities is to simply purchase insulation board for $5 and then cover the back and edges with white duct tape. You’ll find insulation board with reflective silver backing at any home improvement store. It comes in several sizes. I chose one that is 4 feet (1.2 meters) in height.
This simple solution gives you a very large reflector that is lightweight, and you can use one side to reflect silver and the other side to reflect white. Awesome!
Oh, and I also use this as a way to put a little wind in the hair of my models when I’m shooting someone with long hair. Just have an assistant fan up and down with the reflector board and it gives just the right amount of wind to give the hair some bounce without blowing the models away.
I hope you find some joy and learn a new tip or two. When you’re done, comment below with what cool photography hacks you’ve learned!
1. NO TRIPOD? USE A LAMP!
Want to take a group photo but don’t have a place to set the camera? Just whip the lamp shade off a lamp and screw your camera onto the lampshade-holder.
The thread size of the bolt on a lamp shade is exactly the same size as the filter thread used on tripods, so your camera will easily attach.
Not only will your party and indoor pictures look better, but you’ll look like MacGyver in front of the group. Not bad. This tip doesn’t come in handy every day, but you’ll like the coolest photography nerd on the planet when the situation arises.
2. REMOVE THE LENS FOR MACRO
This is the coolest camera trick I’ve seen in a long time. If you take off your lens and hold it in front of the camera, you get a macro lens! I was really skeptical about this, but I just tried it and it worked like a charm.
There are four things you need to know about using this trick: (1) Your camera won’t take a picture with the lens off unless you’re in manual mode. (2) The best focal length seems to be around 50mm, so either a 50mm prime or an 18-55mm kit lens would be perfect! (3) Obviously, you lose autofocus since your lens isn’t attached to the camera. Focus is achieved by simply moving closer to or further away from the subject, and (4) The camera can’t open up the aperture, so you’ll do it with your hand. On the back of the lens (the side you mount on the camera), move the little plastic slider piece that controls the aperture. If you look in the lens while doing it, you’ll see the hole open up.
If you want to take this a step further, you can buy a reverse lens mount for $5 or $10 which should sharpen up the images quite a bit since it will hold the lens more solidly. Also, be sure to use a tripod when doing this or any other macro photography. With such fine detail, even a tiny movement can destroy the sharpness.
3. REFLECTOR AS STUDIO BACKDROP
Sometimes when I’m shooting outdoor portraits, I see a pose or an expression for the model that makes me wish we were in the studio so I could photograph them on a white background. Sometimes a white background is the best way to focus all attention in the photo on the model, and it gives the photo a bright and clean look. When I’m in this situation, I often grab a simple $25 reflector and use it as a studio backdrop on the spot!
The trick for making this technique work is to use positive exposure compensation. The camera will try and dim down the white background to a dull gray because it thinks the white is overexposed. About 1 stop of exposure compensation will make the reflector background look bright white. If you’re still learning to shoot in manual mode or how exposure compensation works.
4. INSULATION REFLECTOR BOARD
I debated whether or not this counts as a “camera trick” or if it’s really just a super-awesome reflector that costs basically nothing. Call it what you will, but it works so well that I have to share this tip.
Circular reflectors are excellent for improving the lighting in your outdoor portraits. By holding them to reflect the sun’s light, you can fill in shadows and put beautiful highlights on the face of the person you’re shooting. However, most circular reflectors only work for a head-and-shoulders shot and only for one person. You can purchase a large full-body reflector, but they usually cost around $70.
One trick I learned from a photographer who shoots celebrities is to simply purchase insulation board for $5 and then cover the back and edges with white duct tape. You’ll find insulation board with reflective silver backing at any home improvement store. It comes in several sizes. I chose one that is 4 feet (1.2 meters) in height.
This simple solution gives you a very large reflector that is lightweight, and you can use one side to reflect silver and the other side to reflect white. Awesome!
Oh, and I also use this as a way to put a little wind in the hair of my models when I’m shooting someone with long hair. Just have an assistant fan up and down with the reflector board and it gives just the right amount of wind to give the hair some bounce without blowing the models away.
