Anyone who has been to my apartment knows that it is very cozy, very small, and has a lot of character. That character includes paneled wood walls, original hardwood floors. and lots of windows. Though great in most aspects, when it comes to my art, it is perhaps not the best, especially when it comes to taking photographs. Those paneled wood walls don’t make the best backdrops for good photos.
So, for the last few weeks, I’ve been pondering what I could do to make my photos look more professional, especially since I’ve opened my Etsy shop and am hoping to sell a few items soon. Naturally, the first place I went to find ideas was Pinterest. Seriously, opening my pinterest account was one of the best things ever. Anyway, it wasn’t too long before I found a tutorial for a DIY lightbox that could help make your photos look more professional, even without a nice camera. So, I salvaged a couple boxes, grabbed some tape, tissue paper and poster board, and went to work.
It didn’t take too long to finish my small little lightbox. I taped the corners of the flaps together, and cut out three of the sides, making sure to leave the edges to keep the shape intact. I taped two layers of tissue paper over the sides, and then I cut a piece of poster board to fit inside, and taped it on the top back of the box. The posterboard is long enough that it covers the back and bottom of the box. It’s important not to mold the posterboard to the shape of the box, but rather leave it in a curve as it bends from back to bottom. This gives your photos an “infinity” quality that looks awesome.
Which one looks more professional now? :) I’m so happy with the results I got. Once I got my husband to hold the lamp above the top of the box so the light would shine through, the results were great, even with my cheap little camera. Using the light box made it look more focused, cleaner, and I know I’ve said it multiple times- professional. That’s really the best way to put it. Of course, I have several pieces of art that are larger than this lightbox will allow and require being hung on the wall. So, step two of my lightbox experiments, I made a much larger lightbox that I nailed to the wall, so that I could use it for my hung pieces. It’s also versatile enough that I can put a platform up and use it for things that need to be set down. :)
The experiment for this diy lightbox was ok, but I realized I need a lot more light for this lightbox to be functional. Of course, this means finding some way of mounting lamps on either side- I’m not sure how I’m going to do that yet. But, I do believe that I am on the right track to making my photos reflect the hard work I have put into my paintings.
Here is a basic tutorial if you’d like to create your own lightbox.
