Point and Shoot Modifiers for Photography Class

[pbjef]

<p>I'm teaching an Intro to Point and Shoot Photography in September and I wanted to branch off and show how you could non-destructively modify your camera to get some cool effects and push the limits beyond simple shots. <br>

I've found a few ideas I like, but I was wondering if anyone had a few more. </p>

<p>- Use a peep hole for a fish eye lens<br>

- Use colored cellophane as a color filter<br>

- Use polarized sunglasses as a polarizing filter</p>

<p>Anything else you have seen that may be fun, inexpensive and simple?</p>

[SCL]

<p>Take an old piece of women's hosiery and use it as a softening filter by rubberbanding it over the lens. Some folks used to burn a cigarette sized hole in the center (before mounting it of course) so that the central area was sharp but the periphery was softened. Nice project BTW.</p>

[rapyke]

<p>Cool idea!</p>

<p>Use a magnifying glass for various effects.</p>

[lachaine]

<p>A magnifying glass can be interesting, but keep in mind that if the point & shoots are like 99% of the ones out there, it's not really practical or advisable to be hanging, taping, rubberbanding or otherwise attaching things to their retracting zoom lens. They are pretty fragile.</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Hi Jeff, non-destructively, there's really not much one can do except to put something in front of the lens and shoot it, or shoot through it. However, that doesn't mean things can't be fun or creative. </p>

<p>Going a little beyond your requirement of simplicity are a few things I thought might be interesting to discuss or demonstrate:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.google.ca/#pq=eyepiece%20projection&hl=en&cp=35&gs_id=5l&xhr=t&q=eyepiece+projection+point+and+shoot&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=eyepiece+projection+point+and+shoot&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=99abb6c14058c7ce&biw=1216&bih=1106">Eyepiece projection</a> - shooting through an eyepiece of a telescope/microscope.</li>

<li>Fun with mirrors - large or small, old or new; a crackled old mirror to shoot a reflected image without photoshop, for example. </li>

<li>Projected image - <a href="http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&cp=10&gs_id=14&xhr=t&q=eyepiece+projection&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=eyepiece+p&aq=0&aqi=g5&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=99abb6c14058c7ce&biw=1216&bih=1106">solar projection</a>, slide projection, image projection on a focus screen of a TLR. </li>

</ul>

<p>Demonstrating that simple P/S cameras can accomplish not-so-easy or creative photography will serve to inspire students and reinforce the notion that gear isn't everything. </p>

[billangel]

<p>I had some fun experimenting with a glass prism like device that can be picked up at museum gift shops. I just hand-held the device in front of the lens of my Sony Cybershot "point and shoot".<br>

Please see my image <a href=" Tell Me that I'm "Multi-Faceted"</a></p>