From Photographer Ian Tuttle comes this ingenious DIY. We met Ian in San Fran during our Photowalk, and were quite impressed with both his work and his exubarent personality. See more from Ian on his website, and read on to see how you can Put Your Subject Inside of the Camera.

Toy cameras don’t have a lot of moving parts or complicated mechanisms, so there’s lots of empty space to play with. I got some 1/8” figurines meant for model railroads, some Elmer’s glue, and my Diana F+, and went to work.

The Elmer’s glue takes a minute or two to dry, but the benefit of this type of glue is that it holds tight while you’re shooting but is easy to remove when you’re done. Try to find figurines that are standing in interesting poses. Notice the man waving, and the guy with the brief case…

Elmer’s glue takes a minute or two to harden. Be patient.

When you glue them in there, remember that the light passing through the lens is inverted, so if you want your people right-side-up, you’ll need to glue them to the ceiling of the camera, so they’re hanging down like bats.

Now shoot away! Here are some examples of the results…