My daughter-in-law, Heather, is a professional photographer and videographer. Back in September of 2011, she offered to create a light box for me. It’s made out of inexpensive materials, but it works great. Ever since then, I’ve been very pleased with how much better my photos come out. I shared this experience on my blog, Fimo Fanatic, but I also wanted to summarize it here on the IPCA website.

The light box is made from a clear plastic box approximately the same size as a cardboard file box. The inside of the box is lined with white cotton muslin, and the box sits on a small portable decorator table that has removable legs. Two clamp-on gooseneck lamps sit on either side of the box, and a spotlight shines down from the top. I use a slanted piece of white poster board as the backdrop, or an assortment of silky fabrics, depending on what I’m photographing. This light box is portable – everything packs up in less than 5 minutes and will fit easily into a seat in my car. Cost: less than $50.00.

Here is a list of other Free tutorials for making an inexpensive light box:

Digital Photography School or Strobist: This design is by far the cheapest and most popular of the DIY lightbox tutorials around. It is made from a cardboard box and fabric. Less expensive than my design, about $20.00, depending on how much you spend on the lamp or lamps. Other variations on this theme are at WikiHow, (Never Home) Maker, and Food For 7 Stages Of Life.

Studiolighting: This one uses foam core board and 4 light sources.

JB WebDev: this one is made from pvc pipe, and so is this one from Scott Wood Photography.

Farmer’s Daughter: Ever wonder what to do with those extra Christmas mini tree lights?

DIY Photography: you can’t get cooler than shooting a tomato through your light box!!

Lomography: How about this one for scanning your old film negatives?

Whichever method you choose for creating your light box, you’ll want to keep this advice from Heather in mind. She says, “Place your light box in a location where it won’t get any extra light, such as a darkened room or a closet. Competing light sources will interfere with the ones you’re using for your light box, and cause unwanted shadows in your photographs.”