Tuesday 19 March 2013

How To Make A Light Box

For quite a while now I've been wanting a light box to help me photograph my Etsy items, but I've been putting this project off because I didn't have space for it, or I thought it would be a difficult project. Turns out, it's super simple to make a light box! And you save a lot of money by making your own instead of buying one too!

Here's how to do it:

What you'll need:
-A small box
-A white sheet you don't mind destroying
-Duct tape
-Scissors
-A box cutter or sharp knife
-Double sided tape
-Stapler

Step 1: Tape up the bottom of the box. Cut out 3 sides of the box, leaving about 1 1/2" as a frame. Cut off 3 box flaps from the front, leaving just the bottom one. 


Step 2: Put double sided tape everywhere! Corners, and top especially. Then comes the tricky part. Carefully start pressing your white sheet into the box, sticking it to the tape. Pulling tight to (try to) prevent wrinkles, and cutting excess fabric as you go. This might take some time. Also, try to only have seams at the corners. Use staples on the top for reinforcement against gravity- making sure that they are as inconspicuous as possible. 



Step 3: You have a light box! Now just add light sources. In the photo above I have placed the box by a sunny window. Notice how there aren't any really harsh shadows? Alternatively, you can put lamps facing toward each open side. The sheet will allow light in, while diffusing it to make it softer. 



 These photos are unedited to show you how great the box works. It allows for a simple background, and soft shadows, allowing your subject to pop! Here is an example of the same subject, same place, without the light box:

Dark shadow, harsh glare, busy background. You can really see how much a light box helps!

And lastly, here's the same photo from above, just edited a little:

I simply boosted the colours a little to make it stand out. Now just imagine this was an Etsy item- the picture would show off the product splendidly, no? 

Happy Crafting! 



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