# Homemade light box



## Scooley01

Anyone have any experience building their own light box?  I found this link earlier, and I may try it (to save the $50 cost of a light box).

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent


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## Robert Taylor

i bought a 20"x20" box on ebay with two lights and bulbs a tripod, three backdrops and it folds into a handy dandy carrying case for $15.00


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## moke

*Lighting Tent*

Make sure if you go into a Photo store, you ask for a Lighting Tent. A light box is a completely different thing and not what you want. 

I saw this post some weeks ago and thought this was an ingenious way of getting an inexpensive "tent". 
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=70079&highlight

It looks to be a translucent file box of some sort. It may be a touch small, but should work well. Be sure to use all the same type of bulbs, then make your lighting "color" adjustment in your software. Remember, in digital photography, software adjusting is almost as important as the photo itself. I am sorry I forgot who posted it, but it was a good plan, and my hat is off to them.

If you need more help, feel free to PM me.


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## toddlajoie

moke said:


> I saw this post some weeks ago and thought this was an ingenious way of getting an inexpensive "tent".
> http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=70079&highlight


That is super cool ingenious!!! I'm sure there are larger boxes along the same line that can be found for probably pretty cheap in the job-lot type stores. I'm all for the home-made light tents, based on the inexpensive tent's I've seen. I was amazed that the lights that come with it can actually make a room darker when they are turned on...:biggrin: The cardboard box can work out very well, and if you just bought a new washing machine you can make a REALLY big one!! If possible, the inside of the box should be white, not cardboard brown or such, as you will see the bands in the reflections of your pens. Any cheap spray paint will do this for you.

There are all kinds of cheap options to get light on your tent, aquarium lights, shop work lights, aluminium reflector clamp lights, just remember as Mike said, stick with one type of lights, incandescent (screw in light bulbs) Compact or strip florescent (keep to the same within this group as well as there is a LOT of variation... The daylight balanced ones are quite good), Halogen shop lights are great for giving a LOT of light with just a few fixtures (where else can you get a 500W bulb...). Plus it will keep your shop warm in the winter:music:...


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## WoodWorkinthe530

I'll be the first to say it, I'm cheap.

Here are a couple of shots of the light "tent" I came up with. I used a left over piece of butcher block from my work bench, a couple of pieces of scrap for the lamp holders, and an overhead flourescent light defuser panel. The panel was about $9, I already had the clamp on lamps, and I purchased a box of very white (6200k) flourescent "twisty" bulbs. The panel stores flat and I can unscrew the "uprights" to make the whole thing flat.

I'm just getting started and am working with a pretty basic camera (ordered a new one last night) but the shots are pretty good.


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## 65GTMustang

That is Awesome!!!
I have been experimenting with different set ups and have not come up with one I was that happy with yet.  I have tried the translucent storage bins with small clamp on shop lights and regular flood type bulbs.  That did not work out well at all.  I don’t think the translucent box was translucent enough?  My last attempt and current method is using white foam board.  I simply clamped 5 pieces together and use a grey poster sheet as my back drop....I guess I should be using white???  No additional lighting with this set up – I rely on my boot flash with a diffuser cap.  It does a decent job – I think this idea will be much better!
I just printed out the article and going to make one tomorrow. 
I would like to field one question to the group to see what ideas come across.
My only other need would be making the box in a way so it was an easy collapsible piece for storage.  I don't have a lot of room to leave a tent set up nor do I have the space to keep the box in a safe place and out of the way.  The foam board would go together in one large flat space - but I had to spend the time to set it up and break it down.  If there were a solution for making the $100 folding tents – that only have about $5 in cost to them….That would be the ticket.
Just thinking out loud here.  What about buying one of these pop up hampers or canvas bag / boxes – They usually always have solid colored material on them – If the collapsible frame was used as a basic structure and you could remove or cut away the existing fabric and replace it with the white Muslin – that may work???? What do you think?
Could someone tell me if using a regular flood light bulb from Lowes or home depot is the correct light for these tents?  If not what should I be using and where can I get it.
Thanks for the idea
And an advanced thank you for those to offer some additional advice.


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## Scooley01

So I made it...cost me $3 plus a cardboard box I had lying around.  A yard of fabric from hobby lobby was $2 and a large sheet of white drawing paper was $1.  I used duct tape to put the fabric on the box (I tried superglue, but it was wicking the glue and not holding).  I'll take a picture of the box, and with the box, momentarily (Now I need a bigger light tent to take a picture of the light tent I just made  )


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## Scooley01

Not sure how to attach files when you're editing a message...here they are.  I have a 75 watt "Reveal" compact fluorescent bulb in a desk lamp over the top of the box in one pic, and on the side of the box in the other pic.  The pics seem a little dark...but those are on my cell camera so maybe a better camera would make a difference.  I used my cell camera so I could compare directly to the other pen photos I've taken.


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## Rob73

I built mine from the link you supplied a long time ago.  It works very well.  The only difference is I used halogens as a light source.  I also used white tissue paper, the kind you wrap gifts with since I had some laying around. The only problem I've run into with that is it breaks very easily.  Though it's also super easy to just throw another sheet on.  I also went to the dollar store and picked up different color cardboard paper.    

Eventually I think I make a more sturdy tent and get some different lights but for low budget it works very well.


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## ctubbs

Chris, you have a cool set up, but, my favorite item is that table pod.  That is about the coolest table pod I have ever seen.  Good thinking on you set up.  It should work for quiet a while for you.  the only improvement on your set up I see cheep is possibly a camera shield.  That is simply a white piece of card stock with a hole cut in it for the camera to see through.  This will eliminate any possibility of catching a reflection of you or the camera in a shiney surface.  It does happen.
Charles


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## WoodWorkinthe530

The tripod is a camping/backpacking unit I have had for years:
http://www.rei.com/product/777249

Thanks Charles, I did need to put some white paper (paper towell because I was too lazy to raid the kids art supplies...again) to block the color of the box my tripod is sitting on. I also ended up with the pens set further back in the tent so the ceiling lights (yellower) didn't show. I will add a camera sheild next.
Chris


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## Scooley01

Thoughts on the brightness in my box?

I bought the 75W CFL bulb because the desk lamp I bought said "Maximum 60W incandescent or 11W CFL".  The "75W" CFL bulb pulls 20W, and I figured that was pushing it. 

after doing a tiny bit of reading online, I can't see any reason why the lamp has different wattage limits for different bulb types...should be able to handle a certain wattage or not, regardless of the bulb type...so I wish I would have gotten a brighter bulb!


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## Scooley01

Here's another photo taken with SDP777's PhotoMatix method (elsewhere in this forum).  Ignore the weird purple blobs my camera puts in the dead center of every photo.


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## LarryDNJR

WoodWorkinthe530 said:


> The tripod is a camping/backpacking unit I have had for years:
> http://www.rei.com/product/777249




Will a larger DSLR work just fine on this or be to much weight and lean over?


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## 76winger

I've been discussing my DIY booth in this tread: http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74186



 
Let compare notes!


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