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Simple Camera Phone Stand



Need: The ability to hold a slim camera phone for self timer or low light shots (landscape or portrait mode) with tilt and pan

Problem: Mobile phones are too thin to stand upright on their own, so if you're taking a photo in poor lighting conditions without a flash, the exposure time may be too long to use 'handheld' without introducing camera shake

Solution: Make a simple portable stand out of recycled cardboard... for free!

This really is a simple little project that was devised on a wet and rainy Sunday afternoon, but although simple, is actually very useful. Pictures taken on cheap camera phones are generally awful, but as someone once said 'The best camera you have is the one you've got with you!'

1: Take a piece of card (you can use a cereal box) and mark it out as shown below
                                         


The lines are drawn bold here for illustration purposes (I would normally use a pencil)



2: Fold both ends up



3: Cut along the lines to form two tabs (the narrow end should match the depth of the phone)



4: Make a cut on the tab as shown (do an opposite cut on the tab at the other end)



5: Finally... fold the two ends so that the tabs can be hooked together



The flared cutouts formed when the tabs are folded and hooked together create the all important tilt facility



And it can be folded flat and carried with you in your wallet




Tip: If using a touch screen phone, switch the camera on and set it up before placing it in the stand. This is because the screen is 'touched' by the two contact points of the cardboard which can confuse it!