Ten geeky things photographers do

When it comes to tech-related passions, photography inspires some amazing traits in its followers. Here's ten geeky (and very cool) things that photographers do to share their passion with the world.

Somehow, we don't see any contestant on MasterChef trying this one any time soon. It's a Nikon D700-shaped cake, baked as a romantic present.

Who needs Tiffany's when you've got your very own aperture-ring bracelet? Or Polaroid scarf?

Did you know that you could turn a Canon point-and-shoot into a RAW-wielding, manual exposure monster? The CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) adds a bunch of features to a huge range of cameras to add ISO, aperture, shutter, bracketing, histogram, high-speed flash sync controls and many more — you can even play games. Just don't tell Canon we sent you.

They say bigger is better, but this is getting extreme. Shaun Irving created the Cameratruck, which is the world's largest travelling camera. It takes images in the vicinity of 1.2x2.4 metres, and the prints are developed with a bucket and hose.

Sure, photographers could spend money on a place to live, a car to drive, food to eat ... instead, a box with some glass attached to the front is what gets the dosh. And we love it. Pictured above is the Hasselblad Ferrari H4D but there's also Leica's AU$35,000 titanium M9 camera to choose from.

When photographers get together, great things happen. Like sending a Canon A470 camera into space with just a GPS receiver on board, and intervalometer hacks from the CHDK to let it take photos every 5 seconds.

There's also the father and son team who jettisoned an iPhone 4 into space to create this mesmerising video.

It's not just Pentax users that can crow about having a coloured SLR — now any photographer can paint their camera pink, yellow, blue, or any colour they please. The camera above? That's a Nikon D7000 spray painted pink by the people over at DigitalRev.

There's something about photography that fosters and encourages the DIY aesthetic, and that's always apparent in accessories. Covering flashes in plastic bottles, cigarette cases and cheesecloth is nothing out of the ordinary.

Pictured above is the Juice Box Camera from Photojojo, but you can also be the star of the party with a miniature Minox, 35mm Lomo, or reinvent yourself Polaroid-style.

Whether it's in their phone, a point-and-shoot or an SLR, photographers always have some sort of camera with them to make sure they never miss life's moments.