Tuesday 27 August 2013

... and a DIY Light Box

One of our goals from our 6 month review was to improve our photos, especially the process shots. Something we find tricky is getting the lighting right and finding the best time of day and setting to get a good shot. With the evenings now getting darker *sigh* it's going to be even harder to catch the light.... So what better time to make our own light box!! We took our inspiration from this great tutorial by Flax and Twine.
PS. If you would like to read about our Homemade Lightbox that helps with tracing, drawing etc please click here. Otherwise please read on!!!

Materials
  • Cardboard box
  • Two anglepoise lamps
  • White tissue paper or opaque plastic
  • White thick paper
  • Sticky tape and/or Staples
  • Scissors
Start with a square-ish cardboard box. This should have been a simple task - but we found it surprisingly difficult to find a suitable box without paying lots of money....but thanks to Aldi we found some free ones in the end!
 Next cut a 'window' in each side of the box, so light can come through.
Choose a suitable material to cover your box. Many posts use white tissue paper - we used a disposable plastic tablecloth which had the same level of transparency but seems a lot sturdier (plus it was on sale for 29p!!). We cut it to size and used sticky tape and staples to attach it to the box. [There are two boxes in the photo as we made one each!!].
Finally add a large thick piece of paper inside to form both the base and background (having one piece means there's no seam or join line). Place your lamps either side and there you have your finished light box!
Ironically it was difficult to get a good, well lit photo of the whole light box so you can see how its all set up - especially as it had to be set up near a plug socket etc! But we had a play around with different photos and here is the same bottle taken with and without the light box. It definitely makes a difference!
Hopefully this will go some way to help us get better photos. If anyone has any other great tips or ideas, we'd love to hear from you!

28 comments:

  1. Could definitely do with one of these too!

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  2. Thanks for linking up to last weeks "That's My Style" link party. I'm happy to report you were featured today! :D

    Hope to see you again at this weeks party.

    Karla @ www.MySerendipitousLife.com

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    1. Thanks for featuring our Comic Book Bracelet Karla! You have a great blog & party :) x

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  3. My photos need some improving too! Thanks for sharing such an easy tutorial. I'll have to go find myself a box now.

    xx Del

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    1. Would def recommend giving it a go! It makes it so much easier to take indoor photos & is (almost!) free too :) x

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  4. I come from the blog of Karen "Sew Many Ways"( Linky party) and I'm glad I found your blog! Some time ago I was looking for a tutorial to learn how to make a light box... and I'm so glad that I found it here! Thanks for your explanation and for the link to the blog of flax and twine. New follower here via GFC . I hope that you will visit my blog.
    Nice to meet you!
    Marisa from
    http://passionetcouture.blogspot.ca/

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    Replies
    1. Nice to meet you too Marisa! Hope you try it out! We will pop over and visit! xx

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  5. This looks like a great idea, I need to go find a box now!

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  6. This is something I need to make, but on a larger scale. :) So many projects, so little time!

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    Replies
    1. We know what you mean... there's never enough hours in the day for all the things we want to make!! x

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  7. Fantastic! Thanks for this tutorial.

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  8. Wow, you can really see the difference in your two bottle shots, thanks for sharing the tutorial

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    Replies
    1. It really does make a difference! Will hopefully come in handy :) x

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  9. I've been needing to make one of these BAD! Thanks so much for sharing this easy tutorial at the Someday Crafts party ~ I've already Pin'd it & shared it on Sverve! Great party! Thanks so much for having me! =) Marcy @ day2day SuperMom

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  10. Wow, it sure makes a difference in your photos when you use a light box. Thanks for linking up this project with us at BeBetsy Brag About It. http://bebetsy.com

    Sharon and Denise ♥

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting such a great party, we always enjoy visiting! x

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  11. This is a great idea. It turned out so well!

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  12. Love these! They are so easy to make and make a big difference! Thanks again for linking up! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Karla! Always enjoy visiting your blog & linky :) x

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  13. OHHH THAT'S HOW THEY DO IT!!!!! Thank you ever so kindly for this share! You've made my day

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    Replies
    1. So glad we've made your day! Am sure there's other ways to make a lightbox... but this way worked for us ;) x

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