Say Cheese! It’s National Camera Day!
You know we love our random holidays, but today is one we can really get behind. From playing in the snow in the name of fun holiday photos to rounding up 20 must-haves for the modern photographer, we're all a bunch of shutterbugs here at Brit HQ.
Now grab a fresh pack of Polaroid film, charge up your DSLR, fold up a teeny tiny tripod, and get ready to get snap happy for National Camera Day!! Here are a dozen of our favorite posts with the shutterbug in mind.
If you've been following Brit.co for a while, then you know there are two things we really love:
DIY iPhone Filters
While we love photo filtering apps like Instagram, Path, and Camera Bag, it can be a lot of fun to take everyday objects, place them in front of the camera on your phone, and see what happens to your pics. In this video, Brit created DIY filters with a bottle cap, hair clip and doily and got some pretty awesome results!
2. Scratch Off Polaroids: Back in February, Brit figured out how to turn a Polaroid into a super charming scratch off Valentine! This is a great idea for any occasion or, if you're really feeling like getting your DIY hands dirty, use the idea for Save the Dates!
3. Polaroid Pop-Up: How adorable is this pop-up Polaroid card?! We're basically obsessed and keeping our Xacto knife sharp as ever for impromptu pop-up inspiration.
4. Camera Strap: Bored of that synthetic black strap? Take any piece of trim, a scarf, or a belt, grab a few keychains and fashion yourself an uber chic new strap. As you can see, we like wearing a whole bunch at once – the more flair the better!
Whether you're a professional photog or an amateur one, it's fairly likely that your primary source of photo power lies in your darling iPhone. Here are a few ways to get a little bit more out of that never-ending camera roll.
5. Syncing Photos: First up, you've gotta make sure you've got those photos backed up! We've rounded up a handful of different ways to keep your photos synced, including a playful web app that lets you bump fists with your computer.
6. Easy Video Slideshows: So you've got a ton of photos, now what? If you've got a birthday, wedding or anniversary coming up, use Slide.ly to make an awesome video slideshow with music of your choice in under 5 minutes.
7. Frameographer: Thanks to Frameographer, you don't need a fancy camera and film set to create a whimsical stop motion or time-lapse film. We heartily recommend getting silly with a few plastic dinosaurs and some fake woodgrain.
8. Cinemagram: So you want movement, but you don't want video? And an animated gif isn't quite right? Cinemagram's the ticket. This handy app allows you to make just part of your photo move. Great for capturing a waterfall, moving car, or for getting super weird in the mirror.
Seeing as we love knowing what's next around the house, in the kitchen, and in your camera bag, we're always on the hunt for the most innovative, creative, and zaniest camera gadgets.
9. Iris: Having just stumbled up on this a few days ago, we're still baffled by how it works. It's a biometrics-enabled camera that harnesses the basic functions of the eye to manipulate the workings of the camera. Looking becomes focusing, narrowing or widening the eyes controls zoom, and blinking snaps the photo. Crazy!
10. Tamaggo: Billed as the first digital handheld 360 degree camera, the Tamaggo hopes to revolutionize the way we capture images. Photographs are totally seamless and can be shared directly from the Tamaggo to Twitter and Facebook. Admittedly, we're most excited about the fact that this camera seems to have a network connection, but the 360 degree thing is cool too.
11. Dog Cam: Curious about what your dog is up to you when you're apart? This collar cam concept hopes to let you do see just what your darling Fido sees, totally unfiltered. Be careful though. After all, curiosity did kill the cat. ;)
12. Polaroid Z340: We were so ridiculously excited when old school Polaroid decided to go new school digital, but with a twist. The Z340 prints just like a Polaroid on good quality film but lets you preview your photos beforehand, and lets you save them to an SD card. Magique!
And if you've got all the apps, gadgets, and DIYs down pat but need creative inspiration, take a look at this roundup of super innovative photo series!
