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- Nov 12, 2009
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- 13,409
Hi guys -
I had found a write up on how to make a cheap light-box for taking pictures of smaller items - like die-cast model cars and motorcycles for instance, and of course knives.
The light box makes all the difference in taking decent pictures or really good pictures.
To make a "home-made on the cheap minimalist light-box" or it's official "Busse Knife Acronym" HMOTCMLB, you need the following materials:
1 Cardboard box - approx 19 - 25" square or slightly rectangular. Choose a size that is compatible with the objects of which you intend to take pictures.
Tissue paper - like the stuff you get in shirt boxes at Christmas, you know the wife has a stash of that under the stairs or somewhere....
1 sheet of white poster board (I bought three sheets at Walmart for .30 cents each.
Duct tape and scotch tape.
Scissors and a JK Titanium Folding Scout (or comparable excellent cutting machine)
Wire cutters (if using coat hanger wire)
Dowel rod or coat-hanger wire to reinforce the frame of the box.
Lighting: I use three of the cheap clamp-on light fixtures that you can get from Lowes for a few bucks, and three "daylight" high kelvin light bulbs - I used three so that I can illuminate from two sides and the top of the box. You can use whatever you like, but the flourescent bulbs have less chance of lighting your tissue paper on fire. If you do get flame, please take pictures of that!
The Build -
First, cut out two sides and the roof of your light box. Make sure to cut out the smaller sides if your box is rectangular. Make the windows as large as possible, leave about 3/4" of carboard on each edge to allow for attaching the tissue paper.
Next, reinforce the remaining "frame" by taping pieces of coat-hanger wire or dowel rods (I used dowel as I had some left that I used for staking tomato plants). into the inside corners of the windows. This will allow the box to keep it's shape.
Next- tape a sheet of tissue paper over each window from the INSIDE. Leave a little extra to overlap the edges of the neighboring sides.
Next - Tape sheets of tissue paper on the OUTSIDE of the windows - keep tape off of the window area itself.
Once you have your box all cut out, reinforced, and tissue in the windows, carefully cut the poster-board to the width of the inside of the box and then fit the poster board into the box from the front, taping the corners of the poster board into the top rear corners of the box. Gently curve the poster board downward and run it out the front of the box. The gradual radius of the post board will allow your pictures to have that "infinite" background you see in studio shots.
I folded the remaining poster board under the front bottom of the box, so that I could extend it out if I needed or wanted.
If all goes well - you should wind up with something that looks like this:
Here it is set up in the mqqn studio.....
Here is how it looked while I was taking pics of the JK Folding Scout for my review -
And here are examples of the pictures I can take with the box -
Here are pictures of the Rough Rider Large Trapper that Sean gave me at the Gathering (Thanks buddy!)
Here are two pictures that my granddaughters took of the Spyderco Delica that John graciously gave to my youngest grandaughter Emily -
Lauren's picture -
Emily's shot -
And Emily with her knife - she goes right to the shelf every time she comes out to my house to get her knife to carry around ....it's cute!!
best regards -
mqqn
I had found a write up on how to make a cheap light-box for taking pictures of smaller items - like die-cast model cars and motorcycles for instance, and of course knives.
The light box makes all the difference in taking decent pictures or really good pictures.
To make a "home-made on the cheap minimalist light-box" or it's official "Busse Knife Acronym" HMOTCMLB, you need the following materials:
1 Cardboard box - approx 19 - 25" square or slightly rectangular. Choose a size that is compatible with the objects of which you intend to take pictures.
Tissue paper - like the stuff you get in shirt boxes at Christmas, you know the wife has a stash of that under the stairs or somewhere....
1 sheet of white poster board (I bought three sheets at Walmart for .30 cents each.
Duct tape and scotch tape.
Scissors and a JK Titanium Folding Scout (or comparable excellent cutting machine)
Wire cutters (if using coat hanger wire)
Dowel rod or coat-hanger wire to reinforce the frame of the box.
Lighting: I use three of the cheap clamp-on light fixtures that you can get from Lowes for a few bucks, and three "daylight" high kelvin light bulbs - I used three so that I can illuminate from two sides and the top of the box. You can use whatever you like, but the flourescent bulbs have less chance of lighting your tissue paper on fire. If you do get flame, please take pictures of that!
The Build -
First, cut out two sides and the roof of your light box. Make sure to cut out the smaller sides if your box is rectangular. Make the windows as large as possible, leave about 3/4" of carboard on each edge to allow for attaching the tissue paper.
Next, reinforce the remaining "frame" by taping pieces of coat-hanger wire or dowel rods (I used dowel as I had some left that I used for staking tomato plants). into the inside corners of the windows. This will allow the box to keep it's shape.
Next- tape a sheet of tissue paper over each window from the INSIDE. Leave a little extra to overlap the edges of the neighboring sides.
Next - Tape sheets of tissue paper on the OUTSIDE of the windows - keep tape off of the window area itself.
Once you have your box all cut out, reinforced, and tissue in the windows, carefully cut the poster-board to the width of the inside of the box and then fit the poster board into the box from the front, taping the corners of the poster board into the top rear corners of the box. Gently curve the poster board downward and run it out the front of the box. The gradual radius of the post board will allow your pictures to have that "infinite" background you see in studio shots.
I folded the remaining poster board under the front bottom of the box, so that I could extend it out if I needed or wanted.
If all goes well - you should wind up with something that looks like this:
Here it is set up in the mqqn studio.....
Here is how it looked while I was taking pics of the JK Folding Scout for my review -
And here are examples of the pictures I can take with the box -
Here are pictures of the Rough Rider Large Trapper that Sean gave me at the Gathering (Thanks buddy!)
Here are two pictures that my granddaughters took of the Spyderco Delica that John graciously gave to my youngest grandaughter Emily -
Lauren's picture -
Emily's shot -
And Emily with her knife - she goes right to the shelf every time she comes out to my house to get her knife to carry around ....it's cute!!
best regards -
mqqn
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