Thanks to LifeHacker, there are two simple photography-related DIY projects that you can tackle during a rainy weekend.

• Build a Closet Photo Studio
• Build a DIY Digital Camera Scanner

It is no longer possible to list all the web sites that offer you the possibility to assemble a photo collage in a form that is appreciated by so many photographers despite its simplicity. Many web sites are characterized by the needed payments they request, but the idea has come a long way and what could be easily done with scissors and a glue stick, is now available on a computer near you. So, here are just two ideas I liked.

• PhotoVisi offers about the usual services with the main difference that you can freely download the image file in 1600×1200 pixels.
• ShapeCollage is letting your imagination roam freely with its huge choice of templates taking the form of nearly anything and because it is a free download software.

If, after that, you do not have ideas for your next photos, I’ll resign…

In most case, long-distance trigger are very limited (by wire length, by price, etc.) This is why some people decide to go DIY. They build their own radio trigger. Here is exactly what DIYPhotography describes us from a concept developed by Marco Jetti.

When you use an expensive SLR camera you are often tempted to purchase a specialty lens like a ultra-wide angle (fish eye) lens.

But, apart from the rare occasions when you really need it, it’s too expensive for you and me. Why not build it yourself? Instructables does the demonstration with a Nikon D90, but it could be done with any other camera.

How to make a fish eye lens for a Nikon D-90 Digital SLR for $16

When seeing the DIY tilt-shift lens described here a few weeks ago, Ted, one of our most active commenters, mentioned that he had done about the same for a DIY high-quality slide duplicator.

Here is how he described his craft to me:

As I did not want to put my hard-earned money in a new one, I bought a full frame slide duplicator on eBay for 5€. Since my camera is an APS, the lens was too far from the rear mount, the slide mount was too close to the lens. Moving the lens closer to the rear mount was easy (just had to reverse-mount the lens internally, check the diagram below), but the slide mount was still too close to the lens and out of focus. So I torn the slide mount apart, and added a small PVC pipe to lengthen the distance between the lens and the mount. As the PVC pipe diameter did not exactly match the original design and was a bit loose, I secured it with a metal clamp. This allowed some added flexibility to perfectly adjust the focus.

Since then I digitized more than 4000 old slides from the 60s, and I’m perfectly happy with it.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge them

DIY

This Flickr user, Marco Jetti has a proposal to transform into a long-distance radio-controlled trigger a kit of two talkie-walkies.

A little DIY elbow grease and here it is:

When you want to go cheap, you’d better be able to build your own devices. For most photographers, a tilt-shit lens is often too expensive for something that you’ll nearly never use. So, why not build your own tilt-shift lens from cheap plumbing parts?

Bhautik Joshi did exactly that. $10 for the whole project, including the lens mount, plus a manual focus lens (less than $50 on will open the doors to architecture and special effects only available to tilt-shift. If you accept quality limited by your ability with tools and crafts.