Clean, crisp photography on a blog is starting to become just as important as writing good content. On my other blogs I feature a lot of DIY projects and I really wanted to make my pictures look better but as a new blogger I don’t really have the funds to buy a bunch of expensive photography equipment. I did some online searching about how I can make my DIY projects look better and found a lot of tutorials about making your own lightbox! I didn’t even realize this was something you could easily do, but after reading a few tutorials I decided to give it a try.
Before DIY lightbox:
After DIY Lightbox:
DIY Lightbox
Supplies
Large cardboard box
Tissue paper
Masking tape
Box cutter
White poster board
Lights
Step 1 – Cut the flaps off a large cardboard box. Luckily we had just moved and were swimming in empty boxes, but if you need to acquire one, you can get a large box at any home improvement store or Uhaul type place. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be careful when using the box cutter. Go slow and cut smartly. Injuring yourself and ending up in the ER defeats the purpose of saving money by making your own lightbox.
Step 2 – On three sides of the box, you’ll need to cut a large hole, basically leaving just a couple inches on each side. This one’s tough to explain, so please refer to the picture.
Step 3 – Cover the holes with tissue paper on the outside of the box. Do this carefully so you don’t tear the paper! Use masking tape to secure the paper on all sides. Don’t put masking tape over the cut out holes. Remember this doesn’t have to look pretty! The outside of your lightbox will never be seen in your photographs.
Step 4 – Place your box on a table so the three tissue paper sides are on the top, right, and left, and the opening is towards you. It should look like the picture below. Measure your poster board and cut it so it’s the width of the bottom of the box. Tape the poster board to the back of the box and let it curve down. Don’t bend it or crease it.
Step 5 – I don’t have the best lighting set up, so I used two lights on each side and my dining room light above. It worked okay. Then my photographer friend told me to just take the lightbox outside and use the natural light. I’ve been doing that for my most recent pictures and it has been working great! Luckily I have a backyard and work from home so this set up easy for me, but not long ago I was living in a tiny, sunless apartment and doing all my projects at night after work, so having a good light set up is important. I found these two light options on Amazon (affiliate links) that have pretty good reviews:
CowboyStudio Photography Table Top Photo Studio Lighting Kit – 2 Light Kit
PBL Photo Lighting Table Top Kit
Here are a few more photos I’ve taken for my blogs since creating my lightbox. All of these were taken inside the lightbox using natural sunlight. The results are amazing! I’m so happy I finally made a lightbox and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long.
Have I convinced you to make your own lightbox yet?
