If you want to take beautiful macro photos, without having to pay for an expensive macro lens, try the reverse lens technique and use the lens you already have. This is a creative way to get great photos without spending all of your money on equipment.
If you want to engage in macro photography and can't afford a close-up lens, you may be in luck. By using a "G" lens (that is, a lens that does not have a built-in aperture ring) it is possible to reverse the lens and take close-up shots with your camera, without having to buy ...more
There are tons of ways to make a macro lens for your smartphone, but if you need one for a DSLR, it's not quite as simple as using a magnifying glass or a drop of water. If you have an old kit lens, though, you can turn it into a macro lens in no time—all you have to do is rem ...more
In this lesson, learn how to shoot compelling close-up shots using a macro lens. Tips on composition, lighting and controlling depth of field are discussed in detail. Watch this video photography tutorial and learn how to shoot close-up pictures with a macro lens.
If you've got an extra DVD drive laying around not being used, watch this video and learn how to give the lens new life—as a powerful macro lens for your camera phone! You'll be able to take incredible pictures on your camera phone using this clever mod. Video: .
Forget splurging on a fancy digital camera. All you need to do is attach a lens from a pair of dollar store reading glasses, and you'll get your macro shot. From Sean Lee, how to make a fifty cent macro lens. Before After Previously, Easy! Cell Phone Camera Macro Mod (5X Zo ...more
In this video, we learn how to use extension tubes in place of a macro lens. First you will need to have your camera and a tube insert that will attach to your lens. Once you have this, you can attach it to the lens by screwing it on with your hands. Then, you can focus extrem ...more
This is really cool. I tried it and it works pretty well for the price. It isn't as good as the winning prize, but can help you get to it!
If you have a smartphone with a good camera, chances are you don't think it's good enough. There's always something that can better with your mobile pics, and for me, that something is closeup shots. I love macrophotography. The finer things in life excite me, finer meaning t ...more
Photographer Suren Manvelyan presents an incredible series of macro photographs of eyes, entitled: "Your Beautiful Eyes". The depth of detail makes these eyes look like they have the texture of otherworldly planets.
It can be incredibly frustrating to take closeup shots with an iPhone camera—or any smartphone camera for that matter. Even if your phone's camera is top of the line, you'll still get a fuzzy picture if you get to close to your subject. To resolve this, you could always purch ...more
This is a great tip that will save you quite a lot of money on camera lenses. No matter what lens you are using, this video shows you how to get a good macro shot. All you need are special filters that go on top of your lens.
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
UPDATE: Winner announced. See the winning photo here. This week's Giveaway Tuesday is all about macro photography. The prize is a combo lens for your camera phone that can shoot BOTH macro and wide angle—but as far as the entries go, we only want to see your extra close-up sh ...more
Peekfreak is a collaborative project between industrial designer Wai Lam and photographer Yann Huey, both hailing from Malaysia. The aim of the project is create experimental cameras made from household junk (such as plastic food containers, discarded bicycle parts, and floppy ...more
Create your own macro lens using the standard 50 mm lens that is shipped with your Digital SLR camera. The presenter - Kip Kay explains how to do so in a very cost effective way using only a Pringles( or any other similar) can, a black cloth, your camera's body cap and a few ...more
Right out of the box, iPhone is incredibly easy to use. If you want to get the most out of every feature, you’ve come to the right place. This video tutorial straight from Apple will teach you how to take and share photos on the Apple iPhone 3G. The iPhone redefines what a mob ...more
There's a technique available for digital SLR cameras that most amateur photographers do not know about, or do not use correctly, and that's using a simple telephoto lens (long lens) to create blurry background, great portraits or awesome up-close macro shots. Without the tele ...more
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
This was a quick snap shot of some flowers in my kitchen. I used a Canon Rebel XS with the 18-55 lens that had a screw on macro lens ($30).
Lozzless demonstrates how to make a diy cheap macro lens with working aperture for his Canon 5D Mark II, coined the "SuperMacro". According to Hack a Day, "The process involves fashioning a connector ring from a lens cap, modifying an Electro-focus lens mount, and assembling ...more
Watch this quick instructional photography video and discover how to do extreme macro photography without having any real specialized macro photo equipment. Use a couple of your existing lenses to create a super macro lens. Practice these tips and improve your photography skills.
Via WonderHowTo World, Cinematography: Lozzless demonstrates how to make a diy cheap macro lens with working aperture for his Canon 5D Mark II, coined the "SuperMacro". According to Hack a Day, "The process involves fashioning a connector ring from a lens cap, modifying an ...more
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
Inspired by the vast and exotic geography of Iceland, Canadian-Hungarian artist Eszter Burghardt uses food and wool to reconstruct her memory of the landscape. The series, "Edible Vistas and Wooly Sagas", is molded from "poppy seeds, coco powder, coffee, milk, and chocolate ca ...more
Artist Pery Burge uses water, paint and ink to create images that look like they might have been captured by the Hubble Telescope or under the super-zoom of a powerful microscope. "I use a Canon EOS 500D digital camera with EF100mm F2.8 macro lens and Speedlite 420EX flash, a ...more
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
Incredible. There's a type of sand (found only on the small Okinawan island of Iriomote) in which each grain resembles a tiny star. And I never would have known, if it hadn't been for blogger Jason Kottke's pal Mouser. Mouser collects sand from all around the world, and then d ...more
Here at WonderHowTo, we appreciate the fine art of photography (including its extensively vast bag of mind boggling tricks). We also enjoy playing with fire. Sorry, most of us are little boys at heart, and we can't get enough tutorials that fall within the playing-with-matches ...more
Moving up from a point and shoot to a digital single lens reflex camera is a big step. And actually, a DSLR can be a better buy than a new point and shoot, many of which rival the prices of entry level or used DSLRs. Keep in mind when you buy a new body, the lenses are the mos ...more
I finally got around to trying out another one of Will's mad science experiments and found out that this one was actually more satisfying (and less frustrating) than my slightly uncooperative jar jet. There's something very pleasing about making potassium nitrate at home in th ...more
In recent years, Russian marine biologist Alexander Semenov has built a stunningly beautiful collection of deep sea photography, capturing alien creatures only locatable in the hostile, icy depths of the far northern sea off the coast of Russia. A brave art world denizen migh ...more
Difficulty Level: If you have eyes, you can do this. Ambient light is often called available, natural or existing light. Lots of professional photographers have quotes on lights, but this is my favorite: "I only shoot available light. Any damn light that’s available." I wish ...more
See how to use FocalPoint 1.0, a plug-in for Photoshop, to simulate a tilt-shift lens effect for table-top food, products or other macro photography. Add depth and dimension to your still life photography by simulating a tilted or shifted lens effect easily in the FocalPoint p ...more
Reverse lights are not something to let slide. Having a reverse light out can cause a serious accident. Before you kick your car into reverse, make sure your reverse lights are working properly. Replacing them is easy and takes only a few minutes. You Will Need: • A screwdri ...more
Hack N Mod offers an incredibly simple cell phone camera mod that delivers striking results. All you need is a lens from an old DVD player and you can magnify your zoom by five times. "You’ll find the lens directly under the disk tray. If you’ve just upgraded to Blu-Ray, now ...more
New to Microsoft Excel? Looking for a tip? How about a tip so mind-blowingly useful as to qualify as a magic trick? You're in luck. In this MS Excel tutorial from ExcelIsFun and Mr. Excel, the 7th installment in their joint series of digital spreadsheet magic tricks, you'll le ...more
Sugru is some pretty versatile stuff. The company's slogan is "Hack things better," and for good reason. It sticks to aluminum, steel, ceramics, glass and plastics, it's waterproof and heat-resistant, and it can be molded into any shape you can imagine. Anything from your kitc ...more
Add-on smartphone lenses are nothing new, but they have definitely gotten better as time goes on. Case in point: the Olloclip series of lenses for iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices (the S4 and S5 only at the moment). Their newer 4-in-1 lenses give you fisheye, wide angle, 10 ...more
You can take some really awesome photos of water droplets if you've got a fast enough camera (and flash), but water drops aren't just spectacular as photographic subjects—you can also make them a part of the photographic process by using a water drop as a DIY projection micros ...more
With smartphone cameras and software getting better and better every year, more and more users are getting passionate about photography. So when you're shopping for a gift to get someone, if they have a smartphone, chances are they'll more than appreciate some tools and access ...more
It's truly amazing how far smartphone camera hardware has come in such a short period of time. It took roughly 5 years to advance the image processing capabilities from a pixelated mess to the crisp and clear photos we can take today. This reaches well beyond the megapixel spe ...more
The new iPhone 5 was just revealed yesterday, and it's 18 percent thinner and just 1/5 the weight of its 4S predecessor. It's also taller with a larger screen, which gives you a fifth row for apps now. As far as speed is concerned, it has a speedy A6 chip and can tap into wire ...more
Smartphones are vital travel companions. While you're on the go, they connect you with loved ones back home, help you find tickets and passes for tourist attractions, and make it easy to find your way through foreign roads — but even the most powerful smartphone could use help ...more
Apple's iOS 15 update has some great camera features that can benefit professional photographers and casual users alike. And while many are exclusive to newer iPhone models, there are still some Camera app upgrades and additions that apply to all iPhones running iOS 15. 1. Im ...more
When traveling or sightseeing, you may come across a landmark you can't quite identify and want to know what exactly it is and the history behind it. It could be a building, waterfall ... anything. If there are no signs around or they're in a different language, you'll have no ...more
Google Lens is a fantastic addition to Google Photos for Android and iOS that allows your smartphone to identify a number of things in your pictures, like landmarks and contact info. Using this power, you can even find out how to buy almost any product you've taken a photo of ...more
With the holidays right around the corner, it's easy to miss a big software update on your iPhone, and by that, I mean iOS 15.2, which was pushed out Monday, Dec. 13. There's a surprising amount of new features and changes in the updated firmware, and there are a few big ones ...more
If you're into photography, you're probably no stranger to the myriad of ways you can take macros with your smartphone. Your phone's built-in camera may not take great pictures up close, but you can modify it to do so with anything from a magnifying glass to a drop of water. H ...more
Advancements in technology have made it perfectly possible to make a short film or even an entire movie with your iPhone or Android — as long as you've got the right gear. Lenses, stabilizers, tripods, lighting, microphones, chargers, and cases can make the difference between ...more
Planning a vacation overseas can sometimes feel overwhelming with the number of things you need to remember before heading out. Since smartphones keep us connected at all times, it's essential that you have everything you need here as well. Unexpected events can arise while on ...more
All those Apple commercials encouraging people to use their iPhones to make their smartphone movies look amazing, but how can you achieve some of the same looks? That's the question many often ask after plunking down over $1,000 for a brand new iPhone, shooting some video, and ...more
In the wild world of Snapchat lenses, this week was an especially good one for cool effects. Lens-crafters (really hoping I can get that name to stick) have gotten a lot better at making non-gimmicky lenses that allow you to interact with them in new and unique ways. New to t ...more
Imagine this: you have your finger poised to take the perfect picture — a once in a lifetime opportunity, like a solar eclipse — and you are suddenly caught off guard by a buzz, then "ding!" You look down at your phone to find your perfect pic ruined by distortion from the vib ...more
It looks like the dust is finally starting to settle on Google's POLED PR nightmare. The Pixel 2 XL — one of the most hotly-anticipated phones of the year — has been plagued by screen issues and worries. While it is certainly not without its faults, Google has created several ...more
With the Kodak Zi8, the power to capture razor-sharp, full 1080p HD video fits in the palm of your hand. Its easy, one-touch operation and incredible versatility make it the perfect camera for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. Step 1: Get started Get started in a s ...more
In this jam-packed October, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro has flown under the radar in the US. Due to Huawei's lack of presence in the States, many are unfamiliar with the second largest OEM in the world. Huawei has continuously put out amazing mobile devices, and this year they rele ...more
Here's a quick video of a cool looking caterpillar walking. I didn't have any macro lenses with me at the time...so this is at about 300 mm (35mm equivalent) from about 12 to 18 inches away.
Macro photography is a type of photography used to create interest by focusing the lense on one thing in a picture, generally something that's located in the foreground. The rest of the image (the midground and background) fades out into a blur. This is a special effect that ...more