5 Genius Photography Hacks
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The great thing about photography - well, one of the great things about it - is that there are a million different hacks, tricks, and tips you can use to improve the quality of the photos you take.
You can also hack your way into creating more unique, interesting, and eye-catching photos.
In the video above, Benjamin Jaworskyj presents five photography hacks that can help you do just that.
Have a look at how he implements each trick, and for a play-by-play of some of his most interesting hacks, check out the article below!
DIY Photography: Bokeh Filter
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
Adding bokeh to your images gives them more visual appeal with interesting pops of beautiful, blurry light.
And while bokeh is usually achieved by using a large lens aperture, as Benjamin shows in his video, you can create bokeh by making your own DIY bokeh filter.
Just grab poster board, a pen, your lens, tape, and a knife, and get to work!
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
Use the pen to outline your lens on the poster board. Then, cut out the circle you've created.
Next, draw shapes on the cutout (Benjamin used hearts), using a knife to cut them out.
Finally, tape the DIY filter to your lens, and start shooting! As you can see above, it's an easy trick that can have a ton of impact on your shots.
Learn More:
Easy Photography Hack: DIY Bean Bag
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
If you're like me, you come across situation after situation in which you need a tripod, but for whatever reason, you don't have one with you.
But as Benjamin demonstrates, you can hack together an easy DIY bean bag using nothing more than a washcloth, some beans, and some tape.
He uses a washcloth that's made like a pouch, and simply tapes the top of it together.
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
But if you only have traditional flat washcloths, no worries!
Just bring the four corners together to make the cloth into a pouch.
Carefully fill the cloth with beans, and then close the four corners together, securing them with tape.
Easy, right?
Now you can have the stability of a tripod, but in a much smaller, easy-to-carry package!
Editor's Tip: Turn your prints into gorgeous photographs by having them printed. See what your photos look like as fine art.
DIY Macro Lens
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
If you want to test the waters of macro photography but you don't want to spend the money on a dedicated macro lens, you can hack one together at home using a drill, a lens body cap, and some tape.
Take an extra body cap for your camera, and using a drill, make a series of holes in the cap in a circular shape. Then pop the center of the cap out, being sure to smooth the edges after doing so.
YouTube Screenshot/Benjamin Jaworskyj
Next, just screw the cap onto your camera body, and then tape your lens to the cap.
Just be sure to tape the lens on backwards!
As you can see in the image above, this DIY photography hack works great for mimicking the look of a real macro lens.
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Wrapping It Up
This is just a sampling of photography hacks that Benjamin has cooked up, so be sure to check out his full video at the beginning of the article.
Using these easy-to-do photography tricks will not only help you create more interesting photos, but it will also help you tap into your creativity and help you develop your photographer's eye.
Use these hacks as a leaping point, and see what interesting tricks you can come up with to improve the quality of your shots.