Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of making flowers using my camera. Not with my camera, like, not taking pictures of flowers, but actually turning my camera into a flower. Sounds weird, I know, but stick with me.
It all started when I was cleaning up my old photography gear. I had this ancient DSLR, the kind with a bunch of detachable lenses. I was about to toss the body cap – you know, that little plastic thing that covers the sensor when you don’t have a lens on? – but then I thought, “Hey, this kinda looks like the center of a flower…”
The First Attempt
My first try was super basic. I just grabbed some construction paper, cut out some petal shapes, and taped them around the body cap. I used different colors, trying to make it look, I dunno, “realistic,” I guess? Then, I stuck the whole thing back on the camera body. It looked… okay. Kind of like a kindergartener’s art project, but it was a start.
Getting a Bit Fancier
The paper was too flimsy. It kept flopping over, and the tape was visible. So, I went to the craft store and got some felt. Felt is way better! It holds its shape, and you can get it in all sorts of colors. I even found some with glitter! This time, I cut out more detailed petal shapes – some pointy, some rounded – and used fabric glue instead of tape. Much cleaner. Much better.
- Material Upgrade: Switched from construction paper to felt for durability and a more polished look.
- Adhesive Change: Replaced tape with fabric glue for a cleaner finish.
- Petal Variety: Experimented with different petal shapes for a more realistic (or at least, more interesting) flower.
The Lens Cap Conundrum
I played around with using different lens caps, too. The standard black one was alright, but then I found an old, white lens cap. It looked way better as the center of the flower. It just popped more, you know? I even thought about painting some of the caps, maybe adding some details, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. I was too busy try the different lenses.
Trying different lenses
I tried to put the flower-camera onto my short lens, and long lens. It turns out the flower looks better on the short one! I guess it depends on the way you see it?
Still Work in Progress
It’s still a work in progress, obviously. I’m thinking about adding some wire to the petals to make them poseable. And maybe finding some of those little fuzzy pom-poms to glue in the center, like pollen or something. I even saw some fake stamens at the craft store – those long, skinny things that stick out of real flowers. The possibilities are endless! It’s just a fun little project, something different to do with my old camera gear. Gives it a new life, I guess.
Next time, I might make a sunflower!
