Homemade Lightbox Tutorial

A lightbox is an important tool when photographing items to post for sale online. A lightbox allows you to uniformly illuminate an item. Because the light is diffused through tissue paper, it doesn't create bright spots and allows you to bring all of the little details out clearly. These instructions explain how to make one using things you have at home and you will have professional looking images in no time. It is so easy, you will wish you would have done it sooner.

For another fabulous photography tutorial, this article covers basic photogrpahy tips.

1. Find a box. The only size requirement is that it be appropriate for the size of items that you plan to photograph.











2. Secure the bottom with masking or packing tape. I'm using masking tape because packing tape is a commodity in my house with all the shipping that I do. Draw a line about one inch inside of the edge of the box on four sides.







3. Cut along the line that you drew. You can use a box cutter but I found that scissors worked just fine for me.









4. I laid a piece of paper in the bottom of mine because I was going to lay fabric inside my finished box.










5. Cover the cutout areas with tissue paper. Now you can add lighting to the outside of the tissued areas. Any lights will work- I have used desk lamps or aquarium lamps.







Check out the results- pretty shnazzy huh?

Photographing jewelry- A Lesson For Me

I spent my morning being completely frustrated. Not only because it is Monday but because I decided to take pictures of some jewelry that I have been dying to list on Etsy. I woke up and it was cloudy outside so thought it would be the perfect opportunity. Boy was I wrong. Everything is blurry, the color is washed out, or you can't even tell what color it is. So, I spent the day hunting for tips to take photos of jewelry and decided to share my findings.

• Choose a background that will allow the item to pop but not distract from it. I tend to use a black t-shirt (my own little secret) but I have seen people use pieces of pottery or often they use drinking glasses. Today I added a chunky black candle stick to use as a platform of sorts. Just look around your house, I'm sure you will find something. Something bright or too busy may take away from your jewelry.
• Use macro mode when taking pictures. I had no idea what macro mode was or where to find it on my camera. I googled macro mode and the model number of my camera and found out what it is and how to use it. Macro mode allows you to take pictures of items less than three feet away with very sharp focus.
• Lighting is of course incredibly important. Especially because you should avoid using your flash which will washout your colors and leave bright spots. I prefer to go outside and use what mother nature gives us. The sun is awfully bright in south Texas during the day so I have to catch it first thing in the morning or in the evening. A cloudy day will work too.
• Take more pictures than you need. This is my philosophy with taking all pictures. I constantly get compliments on the pictures I take of my baby. What people don't realize is that I have taken 1000 in her little five month life- they are only seeing the best 60. Give yourself plenty of options. In this digital age, it is free to snap away so do it!
• Computer editing software. My camera came with Kodak software that I feel like allows me to do some extensive editing. There are also a number of programs that you can buy. Photoshop seems to be the biggie.

All of this made a total difference for my pictures. Check out the before and after shots below. There is a world of difference!

Teach me more! Teach me more! Leave your great tips in the comments for us!