To be a photographer is to lose lens caps. They slide under stacks of paper and get kicked across floors. But armed with a shampoo bottle, an X-acto knife, and this guide, you can make your lens caps stay put.

The simple system involves attaching a plastic hook to your camera strap and an elastic hoop to your lens cap. Then, instead of being tossed aside or slid thoughtlessly into a pocket, the lens cap stays hooked onto your rig, easily accessed, at all times.

This tutorial offers a template for a simple hook, as shown above, but there is plenty of room to get creative with your lens cap clip. And the less time you spend looking for your lost caps, the more time you can spend on your photography. [Benvelo via Wired]