If you want a lightbox that lasts longer, you can use a box made of a more sturdy material. A large wooden box or one made of an opaque plastic would also work. However, you’ll likely need something stronger than a box cutter, such as a saw, to cut the lighting panels in the side.
Some boxes will come with one side already held together with cardboard tabs. While this should keep the box steady as you work, it might pay to tape the edges of the box together as well for extra stability.
This will be the size of the window that you will cover with a piece of fabric, parchment paper, or tissue. If you have a particularly big box, you might want to make the window smaller to ensure that you can still cover it with one piece the fabric or paper. You can also trace a window on the top of your box as well, which will allow you to light the item you’re taking a picture of from above.
To keep the lines extra straight, hold a ruler against the pencil lines and cut along them. This won’t affect the functionality of the box but will make it look better.
White poster board works excellently for this, as it will be smooth and will not easily crease inside the box. It should be available at your local craft store for a low price. If you can’t find it, any large piece of sturdy white paper or card with a matte finish should work just as well. White poster board will give you an easy “infinity” look as if the item you are photographing is sitting in an empty space. Try using different colors to get different cool effects. The most important part of the material that you choose is that it has a matte surface. Anything that is too shiny will reflect the light and ruin the purpose of a lightbox.
Avoid folding or creasing the poster board as much as possible. Try and make it bend so that you have a slight curve along the back bottom corner. Don’t worry about covering the entire box, as long as you have a wide enough section that you can take a picture without seeing any of the exposed cardboard.
To make this easier, you can use the piece of cardboard you cut from the box when making the windows as a guide. Place it on the fabric or tissue paper and cut around it, leaving space on each side to attach it to the box. A smooth white fabric, tissue paper, parchment paper or anything similar will work for this. The material you choose just needs to be non-reflective, and let some but not all of the light through it.
Use the viewfinder or screen on your camera to help position the item in the lightbox. Shift the camera and the item around until you can get a clean shot without any exposed cardboard showing. If you can’t get the item or your camera positioned just right, you can always crop the photo to remove anything you don’t want to be seen. You shouldn’t need to do any other photo editing, but a simple crop can save you a lot of careful repositioning.
Keep your lights at least 5 inches (13 cm) away from the windows at all time, to prevent the material covering them from getting too hot. Your lights should be an even distance from the lightbox when you first turn them on. Try moving different ones further away or closer to the windows to create some more interesting lighting effects inside. Use light bulbs with a cool white light for the best results, as other types may give your images a yellowish tinge. You should be able to find cheap desk lamps or lamps that can clip onto furniture for a few dollars online or at your local homeware or office stationery store. If you don’t have a good lamp, feel free to use a northern-facing window (for indirect light) and point the lightbox at the window to let the light bounce off the white paper. [13] X Expert Source Crystal BearProfessional Photographer Expert Interview. 21 January 2021.
If you’re using a smartphone camera, or a camera with an automatic mode, you shouldn’t need to touch the settings at all. Photos that look too yellow or blue are normally a sign that your white balance settings aren’t right. If your photos are too dark or too bright, try adjusting the exposure by changing the ISO, shutter speed, or aperture. Keep on trying until you get a perfect photo!
Use the flaps of cardboard that are left open to block any light shining from the lamps directly into the camera. Any light that’s not going through the windows might create a lens flare and reduce the effect of a photography lightbox.
