Make Your Own Light Box and Take Fantastic Photos!

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When writing, whether it’s a blog post or an article for an online publication, it’s really important to catch the reader’s eye. The best way to do this is to have fantastic photos. Photos that draw in the eye, and then hold the audience captive by the color and clarity of the subject.

Pinterest is excellent proof of how intriguing a great photograph can be. The whole idea behind Pinterest is to share a visually appealing “pin board” that catches the eye. Whether it’s a delicious treat or a cute furry animal, quality of the photograph is essential to having a stellar picture.

One of the ways so many bloggers go wrong is not taking the time to learn how to take great photographs. What might shock some is that you don’t have to have a $1000 camera with interchangeable lenses to improve your picture quality. There is a really simple way you can do this with things you probably already have around the house.

A light box is a great way to take those pictures from drab to fab! This is especially useful for food photographers or artists that use other items that could easily fit in a small box. The best part is it’s really easy to make your own box, and will definitely not break the budget. Just look at these two pictures. The first was taken on a window ledge using natural light, and the second was taken using the light box with one household light on the right side.

Make Your Own Light Box

To make your own light box you are going to need a few supplies; a larger cardboard box, white tissue paper, tape, box cutter, and Scotch banner roll. Now you are ready to get started on improving your lighting.

First,  you want to work on your box. You are going to cut three squares out of your box, one on each of three sides. Make these squares by measuring 2 inches from each edge. Use the box cutter to score the box, and then fully cut the sides out. When you are done, you will have holes on the top of your box, and then both sides. If you happen to have flaps on the box, you can cut those off as well. Your final box will look like this one.

After you have your sides cut out, take one single piece of white tissue paper and place it tightly over each of the holes you just cut. Make sure to take the tissue paper to the edge, but don’t let it drape over it. Just make sure that it is securely on the box with the tape so the paper can act like a proper filter.

The last step is to use the banner paper to drape the inside of the box. You want to cut the paper so it fits snuggly in the box but does not crease. Tape the top of the banner paper securely to the top of the inside of the box (securely out of the photo frame), and then drape it all the way out of the box. Leave it a little bit longer than the box so it covers the edge. Your finished box should look like this. Now you are ready to start taking some fantastic photos. You can increase or decrease the light by adding lights on both sides of the box, or using just one like I did with the eagle photo. Now that you can make your own light box. The sky is really the limit. Start playing around with your every day household lamps and see what lights give you the best results!