Fun at Home - Backyard Explorers Part 2 Go to Backyard Explorer Part 1 How to photograph your insects Museum Imagers use powerful cameras and software to capture every detail of whereas your average smart phone or tablet doesn’t have a lens capable of photographing tiny insects successfully. You could buy a special attachment to convert your phone into a microscope but it's much more fun to try and make something yourself. There are some amazing online tutorials that will guide you through this, but these require a bit of patience, tools and access to materials that you may not have at home. You can see the results of one of these tutorials in the pictures below. I enjoyed making this and it’s been useful for photographing stationary objects. Using this homemade jig combined with an inexpensive camera phone I photographed the lettering on an HB pencil, you can see how close in I was able to focus in the photographs below. Aside from the length of time it took to build, and the tools required an additional downside to this microscope is that it wasn’t very useful for photographing or filming live insects. So, I have a simpler process for you. Time to do and skill level 20 to 30 minutes to prepare the lens. Adult help is strongly recommended as there are small parts which may include the removal of button batteries from the laser pointer Equipment list Cheap laser pointer Bobby pin Sticky tape and patience Smartphone or tablet with built in camera Instructions Step 1 – with some adult help take apart a laser pointer and find the tiny circular lens inside. It will measure 3 to 4 mm in diameter. The laser pointer in this photo is a more expensive version and the lens was housed in a brass collar which required the careful use of a hacksaw and vice to remove. I would strongly suggest a cheaper version of laser pen as the lens will be much easier to remove with no need for tools. Step 2 – place your lens in the bobby pin as shown, make sure to line it up with the phone’s camera lens Step 3 – use sticky tape to hold the bobby pin in place and test and see if you have the lens facing the right way, one side will give you greater magnification than others Step 4 – take amazing photos or video of insects, this will take some practice to get used to how quickly the subject goes in and out of focus. Best to photograph in the daytime with lots of natural light. Step 5 – try recording a video Take a picture if it's safe to do so and share on Instagram hashtag #museumofthegreatsouthern or Facebook remembering to tag us. This Fun at Home activity is presented by: