Made It Monday: DIY Lightbox

11:30 AM


I made a lightbox! I saved a moving box just for this purpose.

A lightbox is very useful for taking macro shots, pictures of small objects, and product photos. It provides even lighting and gives the illusion that the subject is floating. It's quick, it's cheap, it's effective. And it works well with both DSLR and point-and-shoot cameras! I just followed the steps from Strobist.


  1. Use a large-ish box. It can be square or rectangular. Mine is about 14 x 11 x 11 inches. It's best not to go under 12 inches though. Mark three sides of the box to make windows. Leave the bottom and one side as is.
  2. Cut out the three windows.
  3. Cover the windows with tracing paper.
  4. Place a lamp on the top window and a piece of posterboard (cartolina) in the box. Then snap away! In this photo I was too lazy to bring out my tripod so I just used my adjustable computer chair. Again: quick, cheap, and effective!

Tips:
  • Want brighter pictures? Add light sources to either the top or sides of your lightbox, depending on where you want your shadows to fall. You can also place your camera closer to the subject. (Sometimes the camera + my whole head is in the box already!)
  • For dramatic side lighting, place a bright light source on one side of the box.
  • You can use any color of posterboard! A high-contrast background can often highlight your subject.

Here are a few test shots I made.


I need a brighter light source, but it's still nice, right? Make yours now!

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4 comments

  1. Lol, I remembered an office mate of mine who said he wants to make a lightbox but bigger, for taking photos of people. I told him "Uhh...that's called a studio."

    Anyways, must make my own soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wahahaha!! Nakakaloka! How big would the lamps need to be!

      Delete
  2. Wow! Great tips Eula! I'll make one asap lol :) cheap and effective pa sya.

    Followed your blog because of this post. Hope you can follow back :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jaja, thanks! Following you back. Looking forward to seeing great product photos in your reviews! :)

      Delete

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Majority of the products you see here are purchased by me. Products that are provided by companies for consideration will contain a footnote indicating that fact, as will affiliate links. Rest assured that all reviews are written with my honest opinion.

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