Pantyhose Filter

• Stretch pantyhose over the camera lens as an inexpensive way to execute soft-focus portraits. Use seamless nude or tan-colored hose. After stretching the fabric taught, secure it to the barrel of the lens with a rubber band. Using trimmed knee-high stockings or the foot potion of a pair of pantyhose makes the filter smaller and more discreet. Shooting through pantyhose reduces the appearance of fine lines on the subject's face and softens the overall look of the picture. Try this diffusion technique when photographing a sleeping baby, a close-up of an elderly woman or a formal bridal portrait.
  
  

Medicinal Gauze

• For an even softer focus, secure loose-weave medicinal gauze to the camera lens. Once stretched and secured with a rubber band, turn the camera's focusing option to "Manual." Because gauze has a larger fiber structure than pantyhose, the camera's auto focus system may accidentally focus on the fabric, instead of the subject. Use this soft focus technique for indirect, artistic portraits that don't show a close-up of a face. For example, this level of diffusion would give a picture of a child looking at a lake a paint-like quality.
  
  

Using Petroleum Jelly

• Put a new spin on scenery photography by using petroleum jelly to soften the scene. Apply the jelly to a UV, sky or haze filter. Wiping the jelly directly on a camera lens can damage the protective lens coating. Although messy, this homemade filter creates specific blurring effects. For example, when photographing a statue, apply the jelly only to the perimeter of the filter. This will soften the background, leaving the statue sharply focused in the center of the picture.
  
  

Sticky Options

• If you're looking for an eccentric creative option, experiment with adding a sticky liquid to a UV, sky or haze filter. After the photo session, the filter will need a thorough cleaning and could be ruined depending on the liquid used. Try dribbling a thick, light-colored honey, agave syrup or sugar syrup along the top of the filter. As the liquid flows down the filter, photograph a spooky scene, such as a cemetery at night or the moon framed by barren trees. The drips will cause the image to look distorted and diffused as if the scene melted.