Toronto-based photographer Peter McKinnon created this short video that shares 8 clever, quick, and easy camera hacks in the span of about 90 seconds.
“These are 8 camera hacks I use frequently when I’m shooting in the field and need to rig something up in a pinch,” McKinnon writes. “Most of these items can be carried or found on your person at any given time!”
Items used in his hacks include a belt, a coffee cup holder, lip balm, cellophane, sunglasses, a knife, a flashlight, and a smartphone. You can watch McKinnon demonstrating each of his hacks in the video above, but here’s a quick rundown of what his hacks are:
1. Use your belt as a sling
2. Use a coffee cup holder as a lens hood
3. Smear lip balm for a dreamy look
4. Use wrinkled cellophane as a creative filter
5. Use sunglasses for a color shift
6. Use a knife for creative reflection blurs
7. Add artificial flare with a flashlight
8. Use a smartphone for creative effects
Just as a warning: if you choose to try #3, it’s probably best to smear your Vaseline or lip balm on a cheap lens filter that you can clean easily instead of the actual front element of your camera lens.
Sourse: petapixel.com
“…When shooting in the field…”?
1. I always use my belt for my trousers. If I need a sling I bring one, though quite what he’s doing in this demo is anyone’s guess.
2. Not so easy to find a Starbucks out in the field. Apart from which, all of my lenses came with a hood. Funny that…
3. Whether on the lens (ridiculous), or on a cheap filter (why would you even buy one?), you have far more control in post-processing. Pointless.
4. and 5. See above.
6. A knife? It has to be a knife? I think I’d try to keep this gentleman away from sharp objects! What he’s trying to say is you can introduce reflections. Who’d have thought (even if it is mostly pointless)?
7. and 8. Too tired to even think about it now. If only we’d seen just one shot that justified the drivel…
Great tips. Hard to travel with knifes these days, though 😉 You can also breathe on the lens, instead of smearing lip balm on it.
But…why would you do that with your belt?
And what happens when your pants fall down?
I suppose you could just use your camera strap as a sling instead of a belt and keep your pants on.
XRIST……he smeared it on the LENS rather than a screw on filter!!! *~*~* LAME (and dumb)
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/…
Jeeezus, i could do better than those examples half asleep..
I gasped audibly when he (apparently) pushed the blade of the knife up against the lens.
Let’s press a piece of metal to the front element of a lens! What could possibly go wrong!?
Meh.
I refuse to click on clickbait videos. And that includes clickbaity thumbnails.
Chapstick right on the lens? While you can probably get it off with work, why not get a cheap filter, and put it on that?
I just like the editing of the video itself. Doubtful I’ll use the tips but cool none the less.
Make good photos with the tools you already have and you don’t need hacks.
That’s exactly what a hack is. He’s using tools that he has around him to create the desired effect.
I haven’t watched the video yet, but i’m not gonna lie, the still image of the video that shows in the player box showing a a dude taking a knife to the front element of a lens, makes my palms sweat.
So did mine.
It’s just using the knife to get metallic reflections. You can use any flat, polished metal piece. Though I wouldn’t recommend that either.
The knife had the desired effect…drama and response!
Errrr… Could that have been any more pointless? 90 seconds of my life I’ll never get back.
so true all worthless
lol, he stops his timer at 80 secs.
Only so he can harp at you to follow him for 10 seconds.
Fun! But it should be said that some of these apply more to video than to photography.
aaaand this is why Petapixel sucks…
He’s got it back hackwards!
1. Use your sling as a belt.
2. Use a lens hood as a coffee cup holder
3. Save your lip balm for your lips. Crank down the Clarity slider.
4. Filter your coffee with wrinkled cellophane.
5. Wear sunglasses when color correcting in Photoshop.
6. Use a knife to take a selfie.
7. Embrace darkness.
8. Take a creative photo of your smartphone.
it seems to me that a lot of these ” … ways to hack…” articles are trying to make up for lack of creativity. I have had many situations over the years (and not just with photography) where improvising and “thinking outside the box” were needed to solve a problem. Are some people really that uncreative that they would not think of shading a lens with anything other than the manufacturers lens hood?
HCB and Freddie Hubbard are probably rolling over in their graves.
At least the video was short, and shot nicely with slick editing… unlike so many unwatchable videos posted here.
Remind me not to buy any used lens off this guy.
You are scraping the barrel once again, Petapixel!
aaaand this is why Petapixel sucks…
He’s got it back hackwards!
1. Use your sling as a belt.
2. Use a lens hood as a coffee cup holder
3. Save your lip balm for your lips. Crank down the Clarity slider.
4. Filter your coffee with wrinkled cellophane.
5. Wear sunglasses when color correcting in Photoshop.
6. Use a knife to take a selfie.
7. Embrace darkness.
8. Take a creative photo of your smartphone.
it seems to me that a lot of these ” … ways to hack…” articles are trying to make up for lack of creativity. I have had many situations over the years (and not just with photography) where improvising and “thinking outside the box” were needed to solve a problem. Are some people really that uncreative that they would not think of shading a lens with anything other than the manufacturers lens hood?
HCB and Freddie Hubbard are probably rolling over in their graves.