A catch up post from May
How To: DIY a Lightbox for Product Photos
We are going cheap this week! Usually when I look at something I need, my first thought is, “Can I make that?” Sometimes that answer is no, and I need to save up money, but sometimes that answer is yes! Especially if I can make it for cheaper than buying the product. So, here we have it: a DIY lightbox for product photos. You can use this for Etsy, like in the above picture, or for Instagram, Twitter, Ebay…whatever you need to take professional looking photos for!
Supplies
- 2 lamps. I use cheap gooseneck lamps I found at Walmart, because you can direct the light, but any 2 lamps will do, as long as they don’t have shades.
- Pop up laundry hamper. Try to find one with mesh on all sides. Mine has one side that is not mesh, but I just use that for the bottom.
- Sticky back Velcro, in long strips or dots
- Fabric for the background, generally a solid color. I bought the cheapest fleece. Fleece or felt works well. A satin or lining fabric will work, too, but you might have problems with wrinkles.
- A single panel of sheer white curtain. Again, I just bought the cheapest I could find at Walmart.
Assembly
- Cut your fabric to the size of the inside of the popup laundry hamper. It should be flush along one seam, then be able to travel down and curve around the bottom, and exit out the top or side of the hamper.
- Put at least three velcro strips along the top seam of the hamper, and along the fabric.
- Attach fabric to hamper, then smooth out so there is a nice gentle curve.
- Drape the curtain over the top and arrange lamps on either side for the diffuse lighting.
- Arrange your item inside the light box, and make whatever adjustments are necessary to have the object well lit.
- If all else fails, I flip the curtain down over the front and point the lamps directly towards the back. I then can stick my phone under the curtain to take the pictures.
Take your pictures! Depending on your phone’s camera and the size of the product, you might need to crop the image a bit to get rid of the sides. But this is an easy way to get those professional looking photographs!
Token Geek Girl 