Just about everyone has a digital camera in their possession, or has access to one. Most of these cameras are point and shoot, which offer good pictures for every day affairs. However, what happens if you need something a bit more on the professional side? For example, an image for a presentation or slide show. To get that quality feel without spending a fortune on professional photography equipment, you'll need some quality light settings. We're going to show you how to make yourself a homemade light box to get that look you need.
A lot of times, you'll visit your favorite online retailer and wonder how they managed to take such a nice shot of their products. Usually these shots are done by hired professionals. We'll try to mimic this with a few pieces of PVC tubing and some really bright lights.
Here is what you'll need (all PVC is 3/4"):
- 4 x 15" PVC tubing
- 2 x 8" PVC tubing
- 2 x 4" PVC tubing
- 1 x 24" PVC tubing
- 4 x L shaped connectors
- 2 x T shaped connectors
- 4 x black rubber feet
- Roll of white artist paper
- White bedsheet
- 3 x 5000K color temperature fluorescent bulbs
- 3 x Clamp lamps
Before going ahead with this guide, I did some searching and pre-made light boxes cost $300 and up. That's a bit too much for me. All the items listed can be purchased at any home improvement shop. The total came out to about $75 for me. The white bedsheet can be picked up at any department store. I got my twin size sheet for $3.99!
The 5000K color temperature bulbs may or may not be available at your local shop. These are basically equivalent to having bright white (daylight) bulbs, which aren't too common. Most stores will carry the weaker yellow style bulbs for home use. Try online retailers if your local store does not carry it. Or, just have them order it for you. Each bulb should run about $8. Later in the guide, I'll show you what a weaker color bulb looks like compared to the 5000K. With the weaker bulb, your pictures will carry a yellow tint, which is just not attractive.
If you can, have your hardware shop cut the PVC pieces for you. This will save you some time and mess by doing it at home.
The first thing I did was grab the four 15" pieces and capped each end with a rubber feet.
Then take those four pieces and flip them around and attach the L shaped connectors.
