Another DIY light box, with build and test pics

wolf2009 wrote in post #7416284
I think I finally got my act together with this DIY lightbox.

taken with a P & S , sony W120 and post processed with Photoshop Elements , with only Levels.

Comments appreciated

Love the Palit video card! Nice shot!

Give up, mäger. I've tried too, & they don't listen.
They do it because it's fast, it's easy, & somewhere along the way a few of them learn a bit about lighting. Besides, it gives them something to do, keeps them off the street at night & out of trouble?

mäger wrote in post #7435526
why is everyone sticking their things into a small box?

I've spent most of my adult life trying to do just that!

sorry, thats was bad!
this thread is great and I've followed it for some time now even making a contribution along the way.
if you mess around with this enough you really can learn a thing or two and at the very least walk away with a few pretty cool photos
its also very cool to see people "get it"
they post very bad attempts at first then go back and try again, then all the sudden they're posting some pretty cool shots!
thats what its about!

Made one today! Cost me about 4-5 bucks for tracing paper and that was it. First attempt!

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please STOP!

take a look at these:
http://www.youtube.com …=60D6230E7A833C​79&index=0
(prophotolife)

mäger wrote in post #7435526
i started to read the first post, then clicked like the 2nd, 101st, 202nd, 206th and then 209th page, but didn't realize why is everyone sticking their things into a small box?
you get a static light from 3 sides which doesn't look so good...

you should use 1+n lights and then different reflectors to get the light to reflect onto whatever side/corner you want...

mäger wrote in post #7440691
please STOP!

take a look at these:
http://www.youtube.com …=60D6230E7A833C​79&index=0
(prophotolife)

First of all... cool link, and thanks! I'll definitely go through the series and see what there is to see.

However... at least in that first one, he got a completely different effect than most people here seem to be going for. Granted, I haven't played with this yet myself, but people here seem to be looking for product photos: clean photos, nothing at all reflected in them, and no boundaries between the back and bottom. Different intent, different tools.

Also... some of us don't have a convenient space with neutral walls and a clean table. Certainly I didn't when I was living in a dorm, or either of my last two apartments. In a case like that, a light box is a nice tool.

(And just as a note... maybe if you read more of the posts you'd see what people are looking for, and some of the impressive results people are getting.)

I dont think he ment "box" in general.It was "such a small box". I gave up a while ago telling people to get a bigger box, and cut bigger holes in it. Looking at most of the boxes they are way to small to let the light move arrould like they are trying to have it do. And have holes some times smaller than the light scorce they are using. And then trying to over light it with mega watt lights.

I just mostly sit back and watch now.

amckenzie4 wrote in post #7440790
Also... some of us don't have a convenient space with neutral walls and a clean table. Certainly I didn't when I was living in a dorm, or either of my last two apartments. In a case like that, a light box is a nice tool.

(And just as a note... maybe if you read more of the posts you'd see what people are looking for, and some of the impressive results people are getting.)

Exactly. This is just a fun project to allow for properly exposed still life, creative still life/lighting, product photography, practice, etc all at a cheap price. And there's no need for studio space. This thing takes up less than 4x4x4 feet of space.

Speeed wrote in post #7436947
I've spent most of my adult life trying to do just that!

sorry, thats was bad!
this thread is great and I've followed it for some time now even making a contribution along the way.
if you mess around with this enough you really can learn a thing or two and at the very least walk away with a few pretty cool photos
its also very cool to see people "get it"
they post very bad attempts at first then go back and try again, then all the sudden they're posting some pretty cool shots!
thats what its about!

exactly, you "get it" others do not and apparently others were toilet trained at gunpoint and never developed the ability to allow people to do things in their own time and in ways that work for them. Most are best left to their own devices when learning and having fun...

As to the hole "small box" thingy...well, I have found them vastly over rated. Better finding one with enough flexibility to allow "repositioning and/or reconfiguration"...fle​xibility, especially inversion, is a VERY good thing!! hehehehe, sorry, I just could not stop myself and had to continue the, ummmmm, train of thought...

mäger wrote in post #7440691
please STOP!

take a look at these:
http://www.youtube.com …=60D6230E7A833C​79&index=0
(prophotolife)

I found myself watching alot of this guys videos! Very interesting!

mäger wrote in post #7440691
please STOP!

take a look at these:
http://www.youtube.com …=60D6230E7A833C​79&index=0
(prophotolife)

nice video for sure...good to see ideas from Light: Science & Magic put to good use. Though I am not overly fond with the shots of the glassware, he never got into addressing the loss of detail on the lower part of the glass due to the white table top and the lighting. Use any of the setups he showed on a black (or other darker color) tabletop and you get a much better effect.

And the best tip was to really clean the glassware right before the shot. I am amazed at the things we can see in a photo but not with the nekkid eye. A tip for cleaning glassware, skip the paper towels, use newspaper instead...no lint...microfiber rags from the automotive section of any store work OK for the most part but newspaper is the best...I never had thought of using a small brush to keep the things dusted so that was a cool tip also.

My fav technique for most clear (as in colorless) glassware is using dark field lighting on a dark surface. It really adds a cool edge definition.

What I have done with the ideas in this thread is to not create a permanent box but rather I bought some slotted edge molding that fits the foamcore and can build a box of any dimension using any color combo of boards. I spray painted some of them black, blue (navy & "baby bottom" blue), yellow and green on one side. I need a red one but I did not find a color red I was happy with. so I might use a gel on my flash instead. Anyway, I can flip the boards around, change the color of the bottom piece, whatever fits the moment or item.

So, yeah, no doubt you are RIGHT about the monochrome "small box" not being the ideal...just remember most of us are hobbyist types and like to tinker. So, foam core board could just be the best toy we have to play with, pleeeease don't take it away from us...pleeeeease we neeeeed it!! hehehehe...

If I have the time I'll get some shots of the setup I am using...but, like everyone else, I am LEARNING...but at the same time I need to just get product shots done so I can sell the crap I have to sell. Later I can play with the art of photography. A small light box makes that happen quickly. I allot myself about 2-3mins max per item for taking the shots and another 2-min/item MAX to edit the shots. Anything longer and I am losing money. I suspect a lot of folks in this thread are in the same boat, it was actually something like eBay selling that either caused or re-stimulated our interest in photography. So, we have a love of the art but also have to make compromises in order to earn a living as quickly as possible.

I LOVE that video and have saved it to my favs to watch more of his videos...super stuff...one day maybe I can get shots fast and quickly as he can. Pigs will likely fly by then but I can dream.

For others who have not found it here us another place to see how small studio lighting for products can work:

http://www.flickr.com/​groups/84897717@N00/

I have no problem with foam core & use it all the time. My problem is the cookie cutter, one box does everything well, concept. There are a lot of simple hints in those videos that are easy to use & take very little time.

Here's a link to his home page: ProPhotoLife Basic Lighting Videos

PhotosGuy wrote in post #7441663
I have no problem with foam core & use it all the time. My problem is the cookie cutter, one box does everything well, concept.

...sigh...

Hey guys, so I basically recreated the OP suggestion for a light box.

Here is a quick look at the result. All I did was crop, no other PP.

Some one help me.....

I'm trying to figure this out.

For one looks soft and you need to change your whit balance.Mind if I take a stab at it?