Imagine this. You are on a one night trip with your friends at a lake. You spend all night planning to get the perfect time-lapse footage of the sunrise but when the time finally comes, your camera fails to focus on the action. Wouldn’t that be so disappointing?
To save you from this disappointment, the tripod was invented so passionate photographers like you can take as many photos as you want without any hassle. But if you are someone who occasionally forgets to bring the tripod along or think that tripod is too heavy to be carried around, we got you covered.
You might be of the view that buying a tripod is easier than making a DIY tripod but here is where you are wrong. A homemade tripod costs less than your Starbucks and can be made in no time. A DIY tripod for recording not just costs you less but also is very lightweight and portable.
Fun fact is, you don’t even need to go out of your place to get the required equipment. It can be made with the objects you have at home! You can even carry those objects around in your bag and make a homemade phone stand or a homemade tripod whenever you need it.
Steps to build a DIY tripod
Having your camera completely under control while you aim for the perfect shot is crucial. We have listed 2 ways on how to make a phone tripod using objects available at home. You can make your free and easy tripod and continue doing what you love – taking jaw-dropping pictures and videos!
1. Cup Tripod
The first tripod we are going to help you make is one of the easiest makeshift tripods. You would be needing the following objects:
- A cup
- A pair of scissors
- Some rocks or sand for the weight
Steps to make a phone stand tripod.
- Find a paper or a plastic cup. You can use both cups and small containers, basically any plastic or paper thing that can support your phone. This includes paper cups, coffee cups, ice cream containers, etc.
- After you have found a suitable cup that can support your phone, grab a pair of scissors. Mark the areas on both sides and cut out the wedges from your cup. These slits would support your phone so it is better to mark the area you need to cut out by considering the width of your phone.
- After you have cut out the wedges and your phone fits in there, fill your cup or container with some weighted objects so it doesn’t trip over. You can add some pebbles, sand, and candy, etc.
That’s it! Your iPhone camera stand is ready. Place your phone in the wedges and take some continuous shots or make a video. You can use this DIY phone holder/ DIY camera tripod to film moments both inside and outside of your house.
You can perform the same process by using a plastic cap. All you need to do is cut the flaps and a hole in the bottom of your plastic cap. Take a plastic water bottle and fill it with water. Close the water bottle and adjust the plastic cap on it. Place your phone in the flaps and your tripod is good to use!
2. String Tripod
The string tripod is another easy and fast way to make a DIY phone stand for recording and taking the perfect shots with perfect focus. String tripod also allows the users to adjust the camera height as per requirements. This portable DIY phone tripod costs even less than $5!
The following are the objects you would need to make a string tripod.
- A metal hook
- A sturdy rope (preferably of about 20 feet)
Steps to make a string tripod.
- First of all, you will need a metal hook like the ones used for hanging potted plants. Fix the hook into your camera’s binding hole.
- Take the rope you have and tie it into a loop. Make two distinct loops by suspending the rope from the hook.
- Put one of your feet in each loop and there you go! You have a portable homemade tripod that can give your pictures the perfect focus. You can also retie the rope to get the perfect camera height for filming. If you are looking for a perfect cell phone stand, this is perfect for you. This extremely lightweight camera uses your body to give your phone stability to capture the angles you want. If you do not have the tripod or you are comfortable carrying the additional weight in your bag on a trip, this might be the perfect solution for you. Just put in a hook and a rope while you are packing and spam the Instagram feeds of your friends with your amazing photos on the way back! Other than these two simple methods, you can always use binder clips or hair clips to hold your phone while you click or film. All you need to do is to hold your phone in the landscape mode and attach the clips at the bottom corners. You can also fold some paper between the screen on your phone and the clips to avoid any scratches on the screen. After all, necessity is the mother of invention!