What’s in your Junk Drawer? Artistic Photos “Through the Peephole”

Sometimes artistic photos can be created from everyday objects, like peepholes! 

Peepholes are not just for doors.  You cannot deny it.  Peepholes are fun—the kind of mindless amusement that comes from playing with simple toys like a Slinky or silly putty. 

When I found an old peephole sitting in my junk drawer, I instinctively picked it up and began to play.  I loved how the peephole distorted the world around me.  I realized I had to try taking pictures through my newly rediscovered do-it-yourself fisheye lens. 

This was the beginning of my “through the peephole” photography.  This first peephole I used had a small viewing area and made it difficult to get a good focused shot.  After a quick trip to a local hardware store, I found a peephole with a one inch viewing area.  It was perfect for getting the focused shots with that fisheye look that I was going for.

For a peephole like I found (with the larger viewing area), you can expect to pay around $10-a small price to pay for artistic images and hours of fun. 

When you have your peephole and you are ready to begin, just hold the peephole in front of your lens and see if your automatic focus setting picks up a clear image through the peephole.  With my SLR and using manual focus, I hold the peephole between two fingers (like a cigarette) an inch or so in front of the lens, which still gives me the flexibility to focus manually with the same hand. 

If you are worried about scratching your expensive camera lens, just use common sense.  I have taken a lot of pictures through the peephole and it has never been an issue.   If you want to be extra cautious, use your camera’s lens hood for added protection.

Sure, playing with a peephole is far from rocket science.  But hey–rocket science is boring!  Enjoy being creative with photography.  Artistic photos are just a junk drawer treasure hunt away!