Home-made Light box....

I am trying to make a home-made light box and was wondering if anyone has had good results with theirs. If you can please post a pic of your light box, a breif discription of how you made it and maybe your fav shot. Thanks

Do a Google search for 'Tinker Tubes' and follow the first link to the Software-Cinema web page. Tinker tubes is a free PDF ebook with lots of PVC designs for light boxes, tents and other goodies for photographers.

I found out about the Tinker Tubes when shooting with a friend that had Tinker Tube light panels. He draped them with black fabric and we shot high-key. Here is a shot from that session...

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That is a very cool website, definitly something to save. I am looking for the smaller light boxes for shooting small items. Ive read that some guys have made boxes and just used 75w household light bulb for lighting.

I'm sure it can be done. Those light panels will work for anything depending on what you're diffusing them with. With a white sheet you could diffuse strobes, halogen home-depot worklights, sunlight, windowlight, and yes, even a bare bulb. However I'd probably go with a higher wattage bulb than just 75.

I made two of them for about $50. That included a very nice $13 specialized PVC cutter and pvc cleaner/glue, tubes to make two full-sized stand up light panels, all the elbows AND shock cord for the middle.

While I would make two medium sized panels for a light box if you wanted the true wrap-around effect go ahead and build a box in PVC. If you are photographing smaller objects I've even heard of people using translucent white plastic trashcans cut in half. Just make sure you white balance with a gray card.

-John

If you want to shoot small items you need something like this: