How to mount your smartphone on a tripod (DIY)
Want to mount your smartphone (or even a tablet) to a tripod? Sharon shows you a simple, affordable solution you can create in minutes.
- Webby Award ("How To, Explainer, and DIY Video"); Folio Changemaker Award, 2020
This five-minute DIY project is the simple solution to shooting time-lapse videos, getting steady shots, and even capturing group selfies. It's a simple way to securely mount your smartphone to a tripod, and it only costs about $15. Assuming you already own the tripod.
The solution is easy. I used an L-shaped bracket to prop up the phone and secure it to a standard tripod. The secret is in using a 1/4-inch nut, a trick used in the stringpod and the gliding camera strap.
You'll need:
- A 1-inch L-shape corner bracket
- Some kind of adhesive (epoxy or Command strips for a semipermanent solution)
- A simple hardshell phone case
- A 1/4-inch nut
- Spraypaint to match the case (optional)
Step 1: (optional) Paint the L-shape bracket. Allow to dry according to product instructions.
Step 2: Apply the adhesive (in this case, a small, trimmed-down Command strip) to the inside of one side of the bracket. Attach to phone case.
Step 3: Position bracket over the screw of your tripod's quick release plate. Sandwiching the bracket, place nut over screw and secure.
