My $5.00 light box build

Dennis Morland

Dennis Morland

KNIFE MAKER
I was inspired by Bossdog and his attempt to give advice to getting better knife pictures. I will attempt to build a light box to aid in that goal. My budget will be $5.00.

First, I needed to obtain an appropriate box. I found one that was approximately 20x25x30. A fairly heavy box. Best deal in town - free. A good start to the build.



You will need to obtain a few white trash bags from the kitchen.



You will need a roll of duct tape. Around $2.50. BTW: The inventor of duct tape is my HERO!!!! Epic stuff.



You will need a sharp utility knife.



You will need two cans of cheap white spray paint. Bargain bin - 96 cents.



You will need a marking device and a ruler.



The first thing that I did was duct tape all the open edges for reinforcement purposes. Because I plan to remove most of the box - it needs this step.



The next step was marking the box where I will cut away the openings. I used 2 inches for the sides/top and 4 inches for the bottom edge.


Next step is to use the utility knife to carefully cut on the laid out lines to remove the centers of the top and sides.





I then duct taped all the cut edges.



Time to paint inside and outside.





Next, cut and attach the trash bags to each opening.



Done!



Here is a quick shot of the inside of the light box.



All set up for the first time.



The very first knife picture from the new light box. I think it has helped me take a better picture.



If you have any suggestions. Please add them.

DeMo
 
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Thats a good start! Couple recommendations for those using a lightbox etc. Try and use the same type of bulb in all your light sources(not that you didnt, just a tip). Different bulbs have different color temps. Typical incandescent bulbs have "yellow" light which can be seen in the final pic of the knife. White balance is easily changed post process depending on the software you use (or even in camera) but it can be quite difficult IF you have light sources with different color temps.

For this particular setup I would consider adding a light on the top and replace the rear plastic bag with plain white paper or foamboard. The white paper on the back will reflect more light that the bag and the light from above should help to reduce the shadow we see under the handle. This could probably be removed as well by moving side lights forward or knife backwards so the shadow is more under and/or behind the handle.
 
exitium
I have a piece of foam board. I will give it a try. Same with the moving of the lights and knife. I have a lot to learn. Thank you for the tips. I will keep messing with it and hopefully get better pictures. Eventually!!!
DeMo
 
Your welcome. The shadows in the above arent very pronounced and certainly dont detract from the pic which is a good thing. Often times subtle shadows are desired because they add depth to the image.

A good exercise is to simply take various pics, maybe put a small slip of paper in image with a number that corresponds to a drawing with notes of the box and light setup. That way after you download the images to view on a larger screen you can look at your reference drawing and notes and see the subtle changes made by moving the lights around etc.

What model camera are you using and what software if any do you use to alter pics after they have been downloaded to your computer?
 
I use a Sony Cybershot DSC-H3. I haven't used any software, yet. Maybe someday - after I get a little bit better at taking pictures.

I am going to start a photo journal in an effort to learn a little bit more and get a little bit better.

Keep the tips coming - I'm taking notes!

DeMo
 
nice build. That maybe the best bargain light box out there.

You might consider having lights on the back and front instead of on the sides.
The whole thing of having a light box is to control your lights, shadows, reflections and background. Lighting is by far the most important part of that.

Portrait guys will have 2/3's of the light on the front, 1/3 on the back.
We are reverse of that. We use 1/3 front of product lighting and 2/3's back. The 2/3's back lighting really illuminates our entire tent and we only need 1/3 light up front. We might have one light on top, side to shoot down at an angle.

Time spent taking the same picture over and over but adjusting the lights differently each time is some of the best photo investment training you can make. I would never shoot a knife picture in a light box with out trying at least three to five different light set ups.
 
Bossdog - Thank you for the advise. I just need to play around with the light box and experiment a little bit. I have enjoyed the picture series that you put together even though I have not submitted a photograph. It has been a little bit inspirational and a whole lot helpful.

Keep the tips coming - I'm still taking notes!

DeMo
 
Next to lighting in importance I would say is "white balance". Different light sources have different "color temperature" light, hence my suggestion to use all the same type/brand bulb. Look in your camera manual and see if it allows you to use a reference pic for white balance. If so what that generally involves is using a special grey card (its like an 18% grey if memory serves) and you take a pic of it filling while frame and then in the camera menu (if an option on your camera) you can select the fame to use as a white balance point and then the camera will adjust white balance accordingly.

An alternative method is that most software that comes with cameras has the ability to tweak exposure and white balance. Much the same way you would in camera, get a shot of the white balance card and in the software, often an eye dropper tool, you can select an image or small section of image to use as your white balance reference point for other images.

Exposure is often another issue if left to the camera is close but not ideal. Using the software that came with your camera you can usually tweak exposure a little.

I would also recommend if your really getting into it would be something like the spyder monitor calibrator. This will help you adjust your monitor so the colors are as accurate as possible so when you are making adjustments to images what you see on the display will be close to print.
 
I went back and took a few new pictures using the light box with exitium and Bossdog's suggestions. Lights front, lights back, lights higher, lights lower, lights on top, etc. I'm going to show these to you and state, "If I can do this, anyone can do this." It is possible to take better pictures with just a little bit of practice.

The first two pictures show what a little adjustment can do to change a pictures. I am really liking this light box. It has definitely helped me to take better pictures and to understand how to take better pictures.

Thank you to everyone that has given me the assistance in this regard.

DeMo

For me this picture is pretty good.



But, I think this one is just a little bit better.



A few more.















 
Better. You'll be a photo pro in no time.

The colors are all over the place. Somewhere on your camera is a setting for White Balance. Adjust that until you can reproduce the truest colors.
If you want to get real fancy on color balance, find a gray cardboard box (like the inside of a board game box - these are very close to 18% neutral) and use that to adjust your color balance manually in the camera. It will take you longer to find the instructions in your camera on how to set it than it will be to do it.

Alternatively, look for CFL bulbs that run around 5400 to 6000Kelvin (light color). These are sold as "daylight" bulbs. Check on the back of the package for the actual kelvin rating as these vary widely. Then set your camera to daylight or sunny, which ever it has. You should see the colors reproduce a bit better and not change so much as you move lights around.

This can be done in software to a degree also but it's never as good as just getting the right exposure in the first place.
 
Bossdog -"You'll be a photo pro in no time." My response is I have a long ways to go just to be average. Your weekly photo contests and emphasis on taking better pictures has helped me a great deal. I already see some improvement. I do have a long ways to go - I'll get there eventually.

I see what you mean by color differences in each picture. I pulled out the paperwork on the camera and fiddled with the white balance. Next set of pictures will incorporate the adjustments. Hopefully, it will be even better. Thank you for the tip.

DeMo
 
And tho I am new to the knife making ..I have a bit of photography history. .in fact it wasn't that long ago that I closed my studio down... and having recently done alot of restoration and Sales of vintage kitchen knives, simply put the better the photos, the higher the price and the faster the sale.... making the transition from portrait photos to still life... I will be building your version of this lightbox... and the best tip I ca give you, I recommend some software...I prefer Lightroom...with it you will be able to work wonders
 
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