0$ Light Box!

[ticoun]

i was bored that all my pics were bad, so i decided to make myself a light box. i took a cardboard box, some thin white fabric, some aluminum foil and a few sheets of white paper, and i made this:

 

and it works! here are the pics of all my pens, taken with a Sony Cyber-shot, the light box, and color balanced on Preview:

 

Eclipse flat top

 

Esterbrook SJ

 

Parker "51" Aerometric

 

Sheaffer Imperial II deluxe

 

Sheaffer 330

 

PenUSA Genesis

 

Hero 616

 

Noodler's Flex

 

 

the reflectors don't seem to help a lot, i think i'll just remove them. anyway, i'm very happy of how well it works, ant that it didn't cost me a single penny!

[WendyNC]

Okay, I'm impressed. Thanks for sharing this. (Rather impressive pens, too.)

[dlong716]

Great idea and pics.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I think they will look even nicer if you replace the foil with white posterboard. That bounced light won't be as "hot" as the light from the foil.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[markiv]

Now this a DIY hack that I can upvote..

+1 for the white posterboard tip by FLGuy.

[Video11]

DIY lightbox

 

Made my light box after reading this article a couple of years ago.

 

Regards,

Rick

[JonSzanto]

Nicely done!

[ticoun]

I think they will look even nicer if you replace the foil with white posterboard. That bounced light won't be as "hot" as the light from the foil.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

i'll definitely try that! the foil gives a bit more light than without any reflector, but the foil isn't perfectly flat, being a bit crumpled, it scatters some of the light.

i used a 100W Reveal lightbulb in my desklamp for the photo session, and by the time i was done my whole bedroom smelled like overheating plastic... i'll need to buy some 40W Reveal bulbs for that lamp, as the normal bulb doesn't look quite right with the yellow walls.

[ryanshanabarger]

How creative! That really makes the pens stand out. When i get around to selling a few I'm definitely trying this out!

 

Thanks for the idea.

[watch_art]

So cool. Thanks for sharing.

[KrazyIvan]

I went this route though it is a very temporary measure.

 

http://sodoityourself.com/cheapest-light-tent-light-box/

[OcalaFlGuy]

There is another method that Can Be just as cheap if you already have the Rubbermade style storage box, otherwise they're about $5 at Wally-Whurl. I use mine outside for the free lighting. Where I *want* light thru the box it's lined with white tracing paper to more diffuse the light, where I want the light to reflect, I use the white posterboard. The coolest attribute is it works fine outside in direct sunlight.

 

Another FPNer turned me onto the idea and Tyler Dahl wrote it up on his blog.

 

http://tylerdahlpens.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-get-better-pictures-of-your-pens.html?m=1

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Fabienne]

Great, thanks.

[watch_art]

My first lightbox photo.

Yay!!

 

 

I used copy paper for the sides and some cream colored paper for the background.

[ticoun]

My first lightbox photo.

Yay!!

 

 

I used copy paper for the sides and some cream colored paper for the background.

that's good, but a bit more light would help. this one's a bit dark.

[Ron Z]

I went to a light cube some time ago, and yours is nicely done. I use the swing arm lamp above the box for all of my pictures. No side reflectors though.

 

A couple of suggestions for others who might do the same:

 

1] Use white nylon or thin satin instead of a white sheet. Pick the whitest stuff you can find. A sheet will add a yellow tint, and can suck up quite a bit of light. The nylon OTOH will stay white, and will transmit (as well as reflect) more light

 

2] Paint the inside of the cardboard box white. Again, it will reflect some of the brown, and trust me when I say that the brown WILL get into your picture. Painting the cardboard white will help.

 

3] The hot incandescent lamp is a safety issue. You can buy some 5000 degree K photo floods on eBay quite cheaply. They run a heck of a lot cooler, are closer to the right color than the reveal bulbs, and a 30W CFL lamp will replace a 150W incandescent. You can put the lamp right on top of the light box and take as much time as you want.

 

4] You can use book end paper from a craft store to add interest to the background, or to provide contrast for a white object.

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/wahl_desk.jpg

[PAKMAN]

Nice pics with a very simple design, I like it!

[vintagepenspecialist]

i was bored that all my pics were bad, so i decided to make myself a light box. i took a cardboard box, some thin white fabric, some aluminum foil and a few sheets of white paper, and i made this:

 

and it works! here are the pics of all my pens, taken with a Sony Cyber-shot, the light box, and color balanced on Preview:

 

Eclipse flat top

 

Esterbrook SJ

 

Parker "51" Aerometric

 

Sheaffer Imperial II deluxe

 

Sheaffer 330

 

PenUSA Genesis

 

Hero 616

 

Noodler's Flex

 

 

the reflectors don't seem to help a lot, i think i'll just remove them. anyway, i'm very happy of how well it works, ant that it didn't cost me a single penny!

 

nice pics and also the 0 cost of the light box. I'll try make one.

I can't believe its only a Sony Cyber-shot, nice!

Thanks and Good day!!!

[sajiskumar]

Ticoun, Thanks for sharing this great idea.

 

Here is another useful link:

how-to-make-an-inexpensive-light-tent-diy

Edited December 29, 2011 by sajiskumar