DIY Light Box for Photos

I saw a great post over at Pretty Handy Girl that made me want to make one of these handmade light boxes. Even if you already have one of those $60 pop up light boxes, like me, you will want to give this one a try. Why? This light box isn't so super hard to handle.  It comes down in 5 seconds for flat storage. The pop up light box takes 30 minutes to figure out how to fold and twist it back up!  And I love how the light comes through these sides way better than the fabric on the pop up kind.

Here is what I used:

-4 Foam boards (3 for sides and top & I used one for a white bottom)

Mine were 20" by 16", just what I had on hand.

-Roll of parchment paper 

-Packaging tape

-Xacto knife

-Lamp that bends & bulbs (PrettyHandyGirl recommends 2 lamps and 1 CFL bulb and 1 Incandescent bulb for best lighting)

How To:

First off, I cut out the inside of 3 of the foam boards just a tad skinnier than a sheet of parchment paper is wide.

And then use packaging tape to cover the cutout with the parchment paper.

And this is what it will look like from the front:

And here's two of them done:

And here is when I started setting it up and arranging them.

I wanted to put a wooden pop crate in the background to give my photos a rustic look.

And I also used a piece of the cut out parts, covered the front of it with a sheet of parchment paper also. 

I made it for just a pop in background for when I need a solid white background instead like this:

And unlike the one from Pretty Handy Girl, I didn't tape mine together. I just stood them up and they are pretty sturdy with just a mason jar on each side as a support.  So for me, this will be a super easy assembly and dis-assembly process.

I still have to get the bulbs that she recommends though because my upclose photos are okay, but not awesome. Here is one of when I only had one 75 watt regular light bulb.

I can't wait to see it when I get the other CFL bulb she recommends so that I can put it on the other side!

But overall, it was a very easy light box to make.  

I think it took me a total of about maybe 20 minutes or so. A definite thing to make if you need a place for pics of items for Etsy or eBay like I do.

See ya'll next time,

~Lisa