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Hi friends,
Welcome to the May Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop! The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! This month, I chose to try and make a DIY overhead camera mount based on two separate pins I found. I liked the structure of The Wonder Forest‘s pin but I preferred the materials used in Crafty Blog Stalker‘s pin. So I decided to combine them!
I have been on the hunt for what seems like forever, searching for the perfect way to take pictures/videos of DIY project tutorials. It’s super difficult, when your hands are covered in paint, glue, who knows what, to then pick up your camera and snap a picture of the step you’re on. Sure, you could set up a tripod, but then you have awkward angles and you’d probably see the feet of it. I know professional DIYers (is that even a thing) use an overhead camera rig, but I couldn’t find one that I liked that was in my price point. And then I randomly stumbled on these pins and it’s like the clouds opened up with a hallelujah chorus.
Supply List
- 3-4x 24″ PVC Pipe
Pieces
- 2×4 Wood Piece
- Miter
or Circular
Saw
- Drill
- 1″ Spade Bit
- 1x Coupling
Attachment
- 2x Elbow
Attachments
- This Special Clamp
Pieces
or 
Saw
Attachment
Attachments
Instructions
1. I grabbed a spare 2×4 from my collection and cut it in half. My finished pieces were roughly 23″ in length and I don’t think you would want them much smaller for fear of your camera tipping over.
2. My first idea was to just get a PVC flange and drill them to the 2x4s but, fun fact, they don’t make PVC flanges that small. At least not where you can pick them up easily at a local hardware store. You may be able to get something custom made, but ain’t no body got time for that. So I grabbed my 1″ spade bit and drilled holes into my wood pieces. The holes were still a bit too small, so I continued using my spade bit but at somewhat of an angle. This is tricky but, if you go slowly, it gets the job done.
3. Now to assemble my PVC pipes! I actually started the project with three 24″ pieces of PVC (as shown in the final pictures) but finished with 4 pieces. I found, after putting it all together, that just having a 24″ piece as the crossbar when you zoom your camera out, you can see the 2×4 bases on the sides. Now, that may work for you! And if it does, move on to step 4. But it didn’t for me. So I added an additional piece of PVC and attached it with a coupling piece.
4. On both ends of the PVC crossbar, I attached my elbows.
5. Once the PVC pipes were all put together in a “U” shape, I stuck the ends down in the 2x4s. I may end up using a construction grade adhesive to secure them in place, but I kind of like that I can somewhat take it apart when I’m done and store it away.
6. The last step is to grab this special clamp that attaches to the bottom of your camera. If you’ve never attached your camera to a tripod, there’s a hole on the bottom that you want to screw this into. After it’s securely on your camera, open the clamp and tighten on your crossbar.
7. Take amazing overhead shots! I picked up this cute cacti decor at Target for $1 but I wasn’t a fan of the words, I just wanted a plain planter. So I bought it and figured I could paint over it. Here’s my “before” flat lay shot. So much easier to shoot with my DIY overhead camera mount!
You guys, this is the first Pinterest Challenge that hasn’t been a total fail! I’m seriously so mad at myself that I didn’t make this earlier. DIY project tutorials are going to be sooooo much easier to create now! And, if you’ve been around for a while, you know that I’ve wanted to be more consistent with video tutorials. This is definitely going to become a staple with my blogging set-up. I can even use this to make art project video tutorials for my students as a flipped classroom! So many ideas on how to use this…Summer needs to come quickly so I can work on them!
To join next month’s #pinterestchallenge, click below to sign-up!
June Pinterest Challenge
Now let’s see what other things Pinterest inspired! Head over and visit the other hosts to see what they crafted, cooked, built, or tried!
Erlene – My Pinterventures • Lauren – Mom Home Guide • Debbee – Debbee’s Buzz
Laurie – My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies • Marie – DIY Adulation • Julie – Sum of their Stories
Marie – The Inspiration Vault • T’onna – Sew Crafty Crochet • Pili – My Sweet Things
Debra – Shoppe No. 5 • Roseann – This Autoimmune Life • Terri – Our Good Life
Marci – Stone Cottage Adventures • Leslie – Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Kelley – Simply Inspired Meals • Joanne – Our Unschooling Journey • Jenny – Cookies Coffee and Crafts
Gail – Purple Hues and Me • Rebecca – Hello Central Avenue • Sam – Raggedy Bits
Beverly – Across the Boulevard • Tyler – Just Enough Blush • Kristie – Teadoddles
Shirley – Intelligent Domestications • Kelli – The Olympic Nest • Lydia – Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen
Cherryl – Farm Girl Reformed • Ola – J’adore Le Decor • Rebecca – Simple Practical Beautiful
Gwen – Geez, Gwen! • Michelle – Our Crafty Mom • Emily – Domestic Deadline
Megan – C’mon Get Crafty • Micah – Home Faith Family • Chelc – Inside The Fox Den
Loved it? Pin it!
I seriously love this! I have a tripod that I can use overhead but it more difficult to maneuver under when creating videos. This is the perfect solution! Pinned so I can try making one this summer.
I have been wanting to make one of these for myself, as I do a lot of flatlays. Thank you so much for this tutorial!
That has been in my to do list since I started the blog. But I don’t have a proper camera yet, do you think the clamp would hold and iPhone?
This is awesome & amazing! I can’t wait to try this because it is so hard to take pictures when your hands are full of paint etc. Pinning!
Jenny recently posted…Ghostbuster Cupcakes- Pinterest Challenge
Well that is just bloomin’ marvellous. I’ve been thinking about how I can do something like this for ages and you’ve gone and worked it all out for me- thank you!
This is going onto my “honey do” list for my husband the engineer to construct for me! Thanks for the great tutorial
That is awesome!! I often stand on a chair to get the right height/ angle for my pictures. Pinned.
I need to make one of these also. Thanks for the great tutorial. Now to make the time…
I NEED one of these! Thanks so much for sharing. I am fully inspired to make my own now!
Thanks so much for linking to the clamp. I’ve tried a couple different set ups and currently use something like an open sided PVC “box” that I can lay my tablet or camera onto. It takes up a lot of space unlike yours. I think I can use my existing PVC to build something similar to your set up. The clamp will be the missing key.
I think I may need to make one of these. I have a set up, but I want something taller and this may fit the bill. Thanks for the tutorial and supply list.
Thanks for the tutorial! This could really come in handy!
I really like that you took both ideas and made one great idea. This looks simple enough and inexpensive to get the job done! I need one!
Shirley Wood recently posted…Free Summer Reading Programs
I have been looking for an affordable way to take better photos. I will definitely be trying this out!