Pretty? No. Stable? Yes.
I needed a tripod to hold my iPhone steady so I could shoot a stop-motion video of a bunch of our photo books for Vine. But I left my Glif tripod adapter at home. Necessity being the mother of invention (and the father, I suppose, being espresso), I had to go with whatever I had handy. Given that I work in an office, I turned to the supply cabinet to MacGyver together a solution.
The result may not be pretty (though one person here at Blurb says it looks like R2-D2), but my DIY iPhone “tripod” made from office supplies is actually rather stable – even if it is technically a bipod. And, unlike other more expensive accessories, it works with any smart phone, with or without a case.
In case it’s not obvious, here’s what you need:
Some assembly required
1) Two large binder clips
2) A rubber band
3) Tape (gaffer or electrical tape provides cushion and grip)
Wrap the binder clips in tape with the loops up, put the rubber band around them, and slide in your phone. Shoot away with added stability. Need extra stability? A strip of tape through the bases of the triangles can attach it to a table (note: this post not responsible for damage to phones, tables, you, or your office supplies).
Got suggestions? Improvements? DIY camera stands of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Another view
One Comment
Brilliantly simple and useful at the same time! And what is more important, is valid for most of the smartphone out there, not necessarily iPhones (especially in light of Lumia’s emerging photographic capabilities as of recently). Thanks for sharing!