My photographs will never find themselves in National Geographic, but I happen to think I'm a decent photographer. My camera has seen a lot of adventures, taken a beating, and keeps capturing the world around me.

Rather than keep using the standard camera strap that came with my camera, I wanted to upgrade my camera strap to something that matched all my rugged travels. Taking an old worn leather belt, which I was going to toss, I made a new leather strap for my camera.

Here is how you can make a leather belt camera strap.

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Step 1: Materials

You'll need an old leather belt, copper wire, box cutter, leather punches, wire stripper & cutter, needle nose pliers, and scissors. Optional: fabric iron-on patches, clothing iron.

Make sure that your belt is long enough to serve as a camera strap. I am 6'3'' and have a ~36" waist, which gave me a camera strap with a perfect length. Don't have a belt that is the right length? Pick one up at a thrift shop. This belt originally came from a thrift store, held up my pants for several years, and then was ready to be retired. So, I reused the belt and turned it into a rugged camera strap.

Step 2: Cut and Shape Belt

For this leather belt camera strap, we will be removing the buckle end of the belt. Cut the buckle end of the belt off, using a box cutter or other blade of choice.

Next, we will cut the buckle end of the belt into a taper, so that both ends match. This is best done by using the original end of the belt as a guide. I used chalk to trace an outline on the belt and then used both the box cutter and scissors to shape the end. When you have finished, you'll have two matching ends.

Step 3: (Optional) Add Fabric to Strap Ends

This step is optional, but I feel it adds a nice touch to the camera strap. Using iron-on fabric patches, affix the fabric to the belt, using an iron. The patches I used require the iron to be set on the "wool" setting. You should, however, follow the directions included with your iron-on patches.

Once attached, trim the fabric to match the taper of the leather.

For my leather belt camera strap, I used denim-like fabric but you could use any color you want. I think it would also look pretty awesome with bright red fabric. This is your new strap, customize it to your style.

Step 4: Punch Holes Into Leather Camera Strap

Take a leather punch (or a nail) and punch a hole into each end of the belt. Use a block of wood to back the punch when making a hole.

Step 5: Attach Belt to Camera With Copper Wire

Using a wire stripper, strip off the rubber insulation of your copper wire. Next, attach the leather belt to your camera, using the wire. There are numerous ways and shapes you can use the wire to attach the camera strap. I've shown the two variations I've used, but there are several more possibilities.

Step 6: Go Enjoy Your New Camera Strap

Go out and enjoy your new camera strap! Below in the comment, post the pictures of your new camera strap and the other great shots you take with your camera.

Best,

Tyler of The Manly Green