DIY Light box for product photography

     Credit goes to JYOseph.com for this article


Building a light box is pretty easy stuff. A light box is particularly useful for product photography where you need a nice white background. Many people find that their products will actually sell faster with a more professional looking photo. Here you’ll find a step by step on how to build your own DIY light box.
This thing isn’t really rocket science at all. I think it’s more the technique that people would be interested in. I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking about the light box so I hope this will be a help to anyone wanting to stay inside during the winter months and take shots of random stuff from the fridge.



Foam Board
 You’ll need 5 sheets of foam board, also called foam core or foam poster board. If you go to the local craft / art store you should be able to pick up large sheets for just a few dollars a piece. I have a huge box in my basement and the pieces were $4.99 a piece. The board used in this tutorial was $1.99 a piece (each piece is 30″x 20″). * My recommendation is to get a thicker piece for the bottom where the object will sit.

White Tape
 The tape I’m using is between 1″and 2″wide white masking tape. Stay away from duct tape, as the heat from the lamps makes the glue really messy. This masking tape is nice and lightweight and if you need to, you can take the tape off to re-adjust.
 Lamp / Light Bulbs
 I’m using clip-on shop lights from Home Depot / Lowe’s. You can pick these up for just a few dollars a piece.($3-$9)
 I’m using just a standard bulb from Home Depot. I’ve tried all sorts of bulbs. To your eye they may all look the same, the camera picks up different colors from different lights.
 Edit
 I tried full spectum bulbs and really have to say that they’re not worth it. Learn to set the white balance on your camera and shoot in RAW if possible.
 *Above all, I favor and would suggest using a flash directed straight up into the top of the box, this is THE BEST WAY TO GET A GOOD WHITE BACKGROUND – (see the diagram below).
 Other
 You’ll need a razor knife and a straight edge.

 Instructions

 1. Attach the Top and Bottom 

Here is a quick sample of how I apply the tape. I know it’s overkill to show this but I’d rather err on the side of being thorough. 




2. Attach the Left and Right

 It may be hard to see how it will come together, but I just applied the left side (which is at the top of the photo below). Do the same for the right side.

3. Cut Off Overhang on the Sides

 Left: Shows the box with the overhang on left and right side.
 Middle: Shows using a straight edge to cut the excess. 
Right: Shows the box with the sides trimmed down. 



4. Cut Notches in Sides

 This is something I just recently started doing. I found that I wasn’t able to set the lights deep enough so cutting a notch in the side helps. You may have to skip this step and see the final deal, then you’ll get the idea. 
The notches I cut were only a few inches deep, you could do more or less. Make it work for you. *If you’re using a flash this step is unnecessary. 



5. Lights

 You can see I added a few more lights. The more the better in my opinion. *Use a flash if possible. 


Showing the outside of the box. 



Use this light box with a Flash. Here would be a sample illustration of how to use the flash with this setup. This works like a charm. 



Optional Step
 You can apply a strip of tape to the back seam on the bottom. Apply it so the tape forms an even transition between the two pieces of foam core. This hides the back seam so you don’t have any shadows in the background. Here is a quick and dirty illustration to show what I mean: 



See What it Produces
 After literally 2 minutes with the light box and a few snaps later here is a shot I took of one of my lenses. Obvious improvements could be made here but this is just a quick image to show you how simple using this box can be. 


But Wait, There’s More
 Here is another trick I started doing. Sometimes I like to shoot the object from a top view. If you cut a hole in the top of the box, this is possible. Be careful not to cut too much, you’ll want to score the part you don’t cut, that makes it bend with ease. 



Here is a sample of shooting a necklace through the hole I just cut in the top of the box. 



Voila
 I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I’m hoping that it was easy enough to follow. From start to finish this project should take no longer than 30 minutes

I love this Idea - So making something like this.....!

From the Etsy Blog

Valentine’s Day Candy Box Diorama-Rama

Story by HeatherLucille

Published on Jan 31, 2012 in Make

Photo by Heather Atkinson

Heather Atkinson is an artist, crafter and creator of narrative vignettes inspired by all things obsessive, haunting, and bizarre. She utilizes various media, including photography (digital and analog) and found objects, to populate the worlds she imagines and creates. For more information, visit her blog. (P.S. Heather abhors writing bios and bribed her BFF Tonya to write this for her.)

There is simply no argument – the handmade valentines of elementary school are simply the best valentines ever. Period. Recapture the edible paste and construction paper high of your youth with a project suited to your more mature (debatable) tastes and refined skill set. You can use big kid hot glue, fancy paper and even knives! Why not make a freaking rad DIORAMA for your valentine? Here’s how!

You’ll Need:

• Heart-shaped cardboard candy box, preferably with contents emptied into tummy. May I recommend Russell Stover as a fine choice?
• Assorted ephemera: Decorative paper, photos, postcards, drawings, clip art, wrapping paper, paper dolls, hair, etc. – the only limit is your imagination and your box size.
• X-acto knife with fresh blade and/or small scissors
• Box cutter with fresh blade
• Pencil
• Metal ruler
• Brush – soft bristle or sponge
• Decoupage medium – I used the fancy stuff but good old Mod Podge never fails!
• Glue stick
• Corrugated cardboard. A shipping box destined for recycling is ideal.
• Glue gun
• Optional: Small piece of plastic or mylar, masking tape, specialized miniature lighting

Heather Atkinson

1. Decide on a theme and plan out the scene you want to create in the diorama.

You will want at least three layers to create depth: background, middle ground and foreground. The lid of the box will be the topmost layer with a viewing hole cut out, and the interior bottom of the box will be the background. You can also decoupage the bottom of the box if you like.

Heather Atkinson

Heather Atkinson

2. Gather all of your ephemera and have it prepared.

Plan what items will go where and in what order. I recommend photographing your plan or sketching it as you will have to dismantle to build up from the background to the foreground. I chose a “sea-captain-death-at-sea-mermaid-true-love-rescue” theme and used an old postcard; clip art scanned, scaled to size, printed and cut out; pages from a poetry book; and vintage wrapping paper.

Heather Atkinson

3. Decoupage the box with your choice of background layer – you’ll build on top of this. This is a base layer to cover the obnoxious scene and brand name on the candy box. Follow manufacturer’s instructions labeled on your gel medium of choice.

Let dry completely. (Again – let dry completely!)

Trim excess paper from around both pieces using your X-Acto knife. Immediately after use, tightly close the lid on your gel medium and wash your brush in lukewarm soapy water. Helpful hint: Check the opaqueness of your paper before beginning. A translucent or light colored paper may require a double layer.

Heather Atkinson

4. Measure and use X-Acto knife and metal ruler to cut a viewing window from the box lid according to your design plan. This will create your viewing window.

Heather Atkinson

Heather Atkinson

5. Now it is time to start creating your scene! To make your interior scene, start with the hindmost layer and build forward creating layers of interest. Use pieces of corrugated cardboard to build up the backing of your scenery. Loosely trace the object and cut cardboard to fit within the lines. Apply hot glue from your glue gun to stick layers of together. (I added a black cardstock background to the bottom of my box covering the cardboard. To do, simply trace the heart shape, cut out, and glue in place. )

Heather Atkinson

Heather Atkinson

6. Carefully place your inner pieces in correct order and hot glue gun in place. It is helpful to make a light pencil mark delineating where each layer should be placed. Make sure you view the subject with the lid on and looking at it straightforward before setting the final display. Arrange and decoupage the layers of your lid design – remember build from back to front overlapping to create visual appeal. Let dry completely. If desired, glue lid in place so diorama is tightly secured.

Heather Atkinson

Heather Atkinson

7. Add special details such as a ribbon around the outside of the bow, an image on the back, lighting inside, attach a wall hanger, etc. You can add lights ordered from a specialty hobby or dollhouse supplier to put inside the box out of sight for a special glow – this will really show off depth! Simply use a dab of glue to apply. This is a sure fire way to impress.

If you want to be extra profesh you can add a pane to your window using plastic or mylar. Cut a piece of plastic slightly larger than window size. Glue and/or tape it to the backside of your window. Clean as needed with glass cleaner.

Heather Atkinson

A special thank you to Artifacts for the loan of the styling props – including the eye popping plastic lace and hot pink tablecloth seen in the photos above. No boring stuff allowed!

I love this Idea for Light Bulb Terrariums!

How-Tuesday: Light Bulb Terrariums

Story by  weirdwolf

Published on Jan 03, 2012 in Make

MP4 | YouTube | Vimeo | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(Music by Barry London and Eric Beug)

For this week’s How-Tuesday, we’re resurfacing an old favorite. Enjoy!

Just because the first flurries have decimated your window garden, there’s no need to settle for a season lackluster and dreary. Bring a tiny lush world into your home with this week’s How-Tuesday video! Kimberly Sevilla of Rose Red & Lavendershows us how to make terrariums out of light bulbs — an urban gardener’s dream. This project is fun, simple, and completely customizable (gnomes, anyone?). Also keep in mind that you’re not limited to light bulbs, any container will work just fine (mason jars, vials, fish bowls, old medicine bottles, etc.).

Lets get started!

Materials Needed:

• Container
• Charcoal
• Soil
• Rocks
• Sphagnum moss
• Needle-nose pliers
• Long tweezers
• Screwdriver
• Plants

Step 1:

Choose your container. Anything that is clear and can hold water, either open or closed, will work. In this how-to we use a light bulb. You will need to remove the guts of the bulb, so put on your safety goggles!

Step 2:

Add a layer of rocks. You can use regular stones or expanded clay pellets — just make sure your rocks are clean. Fill your container approximately 1/3 full with your layer of rocks.

Step 3:

Add a barrier layer of sphagnum or green moss, a layer of activated charcoal and a layer of soil (organic soil works best). Consider what type of greenery you’re planning to nurture: which plants work well together? What type of container do you have? Moss needs only a fine layer of soil, whereas plants need a little more for the roots to grow.

Step 4:

Gently settle in your plant and decorate the interior of the terrarium with figurines, twigs or other ornamental additions.

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-tuesday-light-bulb-terrariums/?ref=fp_blog_title

Herbal Salves

How-Tuesday: Herbal Salves

Story by  kellywilk

Published on Dec 27, 2011 in Make

Photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Well, the mad dash of the holidays has subsided, and eyes are turned towards a glittering new year. To help you recuperate from the notoriously busy holiday season, in this week’sHow-Tuesday post we’ll learn how to make herbal hand salves with the help of Kelly Wilkinson, author of the book, Weekend Handmade, and the blog Make Grow Gather. Give your hands a spa-worthy treatment designed to wind down and relax after a seasonal tinsel-tinged whirlwind.

Making these salves is an easy process that involves infusing oil with your chosen herbs, then combining the oil with beeswax. Although oils can be infused in a couple hours on the stove, I prefer to infuse them using the slower solar method, which takes a couple of weeks. Watching the sun glint through the jars of golden oil as they steep is beautiful — and makes the wait worthwhile.

My ideal is to make these salves with herbs I’ve grown in my garden and then dried myself, but high-quality dried herbs purchased from a bulk supplier work well also. Use these emollient salves on hands, feet, elbows, or any other part of your body that needs moisturizing.

Supplies you’ll need:
Dried herbs or fragrant flowers
About 2 cups (473 mL) olive oil or other carrier oil, such as calendula oil or almond oil
About 1 cup (236.5 mL) beeswax (you can use a small votive beeswax candle if you can’t find pure beeswax)
Essential oil (optional)
Clean glass jars with tight-fitting lids, for infusing oil
Cheesecloth or a jelly bag
Liquid ingredient measuring cup
Saucepan
Grater
Plate
Tablespoon
Spoon
Saucer
Small clean tins or jars with lids
Kraft paper adhesive labels and printed Japanese washi tape

Yields about 2 cups (473 mL) of salve

Directions:

Infuse Oil
Note: When you’re infusing the oils, there is no strict measurement or ratio of herbs to oil — just make sure to use enough oil to generously cover the herbs, since the herbs will absorb some of the oil.

1. Place the dried herbs or flowers in a clean jar and cover with olive or other carrier oil, filling to within 1″ (2.5 cm) of the top of the jar.

2. Seal the jar tightly and place in a sunny window. Shake every day or so for two weeks to disperse the herbs throughout the oil.

3. Place a double layer of cheesecloth or a jelly bag over the measuring cup. Pour the contents of the jar over the cheesecloth or jelly bag to strain out the herbs. Let drain.

4. When the oil stops dripping, wring the herbs out with your hands to extract all of the infused oil. Discard spent herbs. Note how much infused oil you have in the measuring cup.

Create Salve
1. Pour the infused oil into a small saucepan. Grate the beeswax onto a plate. For every 1/4 cup (59 mL) of infused oil in the pan, add 2 tablespoons of grated beeswax to the pan and stir until dissolved. If you’re using essential oil, add a couple drops for every 2 tablespoons (29.5 mL) of infused oil, or more if you prefer a stronger scent.

2. Warm the ingredients gently over low heat. Meanwhile, place a saucer in the freezer.

3. When the wax is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and place a spoonful of the salve mixture onto the cold saucer. Place the saucer back in the freezer.

4. After about a minute, check the consistency of the salve by removing the saucer from the freezer and testing it with your finger. If it’s very hard, add more infused oil. If it’s too soft, add more grated beeswax. Aim for a consistency that will work well as a salve (I prefer mine on the creamy side so I can use it as a heavy-duty gardening balm).

5. When the salve reaches the desired consistency, pour it into clean tins or jars.

6. Place the tins or jars on a level surface to cool and set. When the salve has cooled completely, place lids on the tins or jars.

Add Labels
1. Add decorative labels to the tins or jars to identify the blends. I printed the blend names on adhesive kraft labels and cut the labels to fit the tops of the tins. I also added a piece of washi tape along one side.

2. Store the salve in a cool, dark place.

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/how-tuesday-herbal-salves/?ref=fp_blog_title

Last Minute Gift Ideas you can Make!

How-Tuesday: Last-Minute Gifts

Story by  julieincharge

Published on Dec 20, 2011 in Make

Photo by minieco

The holidays are nearly here! If that sentence has left you gasping for air and double-checking the calendar, sure that I am wrong, don’t worry: there’s still plenty of time to whip up something handmade for the loved ones on your list. In today’s How-Tuesday round-up, you’ll find a collection of 25 tutorials to help you create special, personalized gifts.

Sweet Treats

Time to fire up your oven! Homemade baked goods are a holiday classic. Make somecardamom sugar cookies, handmade chocolates, or spiced pumpkin seed brittle for those with a thriving sweet tooth. Make a big batch of granola to jar up for healthy crunchy friends (see below for jar ideas).

Classy Containers

Dress up that little something-something in the finest of handmade attire. Try etching glass jars, make your own fiber baskets, or revamp an old cookie tin into a handy chalkboard container that will outlive that batch of cardamom cookies and serve as a useful item around the house.

Cups & Mugs

Once you’ve got a set of Pebeo paint pens made for glass or porcelain, the possibilities are endless (and pretty fast). Make a teacup and saucer for a coffee or tea aficionado, draw ahandwriting paper motif mug for your favorite teacher, or make customized painted glassware or a cross-stitch-inspired mug for just about anyone on your list.

Paper Gems

I love paper for many reasons — it’s incredibly versatile, affordable, easy to recycle and repurpose, and lends itself to experiments and quick projects. Make globe garlands from recycled maps for a faraway friend with a case of wanderlust. Fold up jewel-toned paper gems for a treasure chest effect. Print out and fold weekly planners for a list-making fiend, or make paper dolls for an imaginative kid.

Tools of the Trade

Why not make your artist, crafter, or designer friend a handy tool to support their practice and inspire fresh creativity? Make a recycled hanging notepad or mini matchbook sketchbook for notes and sketches. Create a custom bulletin board for a studio wall — just the thing for pinning up visual inspiration or even making a visual map of Etsy sales or contacts across the country. Using an old wool sweater, stitch up a laptop sweater cozy; you can also scale this pattern fit just about any device. For the crafty set, sew a skinny pincushion designed to nestle right up against a sewing machine, or try your hand at making a knitting mushroom, a classic knitting tool for making I-cords.

Pet Presents

Shower a pet lover with quick gifts for their furry friends. Pay tribute to a precious pup with a silhouette tote bag, or whip up a handmade leash with your choice of cotton webbing and ribbon for a stylish trip to the dog park. Cat toys are a fun and quick gift. Try making a fewpom-pom toys or a catnip stuffed mouse toy. Meow!
Happy handmade holidays to you and yours!


http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/how-tuesday-last-minute-gifts/?ref=fp_blog_title