Here are 5 of the most innovative and craziest DIY cameras that push the boundaries of photography and craftsmanship. ALL functional!
1. The Legotron Camera
The Legotron Camera, created by Cary Norton, is a large-format camera made almost entirely out of Lego bricks. Cary's inspiration came from his love of Legos and a desire to merge it with his passion for photography. The building process took several months and involved meticulous planning to ensure the camera was light-tight and functional. Comes with a 4X5 film holder and a lense!
2. The Cardboard Hasselblad
Kelly Angood, a UK-based designer, created a fully functional cardboard pinhole camera modeled after the iconic Hasselblad. The body of the camera is crafted from sturdy, screen-printed cardboard, which is both lightweight and durable. Tape and glue are used to assemble the various parts, and the pinhole is created using thin metal.
3. Cameras made with fruit
Brendan Barry is an artist and educator known for transforming everyday objects and foods into functioning cameras. From shipping containers to loaves of bread, his projects often involve teaching workshops, where participants build and use their own cameras, fostering a community of innovative photographers.
4. The Watch Camera
Alireza Rostami, a pioneering Iranian photographer, crafted a watch camera, ingeniously merging traditional watch components with camera mechanics. This miniature device encapsulates his philosophy of blending everyday objects with photographic technology. It functions by using a small lens and film inside the watch case, allowing for discrete, portable photography. Rostami’s watch camera exemplifies his innovative approach and boundary-pushing creativity, as highlighted in his detailed interview and showcases. He created various prototypes.
5. The Regular Camera, but with a lense made out of ice
Mathieu Stern, a French photographer known for his unconventional lens creations, embarked on an ambitious project to create a functional ice lens. After extensive research, Stern realized no one had successfully made a working ice lens before. He spent six months developing prototypes to perfect the lens shape and focus distance, then traveled to Iceland to source the purest ice from its glaciers.
In Iceland, Stern used a Japanese ice ball maker to shape the lens from clear glacier ice. Despite the challenging conditions—where ice took 45 minutes to melt compared to 5 minutes at home—Stern persevered. After several failed attempts, he successfully crafted a working lens. The images produced by this ice lens were not as sharp or clean as those from modern lenses, but they had a unique and mesmerizing quality, capturing light through a naturally formed piece of ice.
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