Estelle de Paris

Collapsible Lightbox Tutorial

Collapsible Lightbox Tutorial: Link

–Why should I make a lightbox?
Taking good pictures is a key for an internet based business. Each shot needs to focus on the details that make an item unique and desirable. Your pictures need to provide the potential buyer with as much visual information as possible.

Remember that the only sense that is stimulated through internet shopping is the vision. Unlike at the store where the buyers can grab the item, feel it, smell it and turn it inside out!
The only way to give your customers an idea of the texture of your handmade items is to take macro pictures and this can only be done with a good lighting, a white environment and a tripod or something stable to rest your camera on (A pile of books?).

–The light

The idea is to use indirect light, so you have to point the light on the sides of the box. Direct light exposure tends to flatten the volumes by reducing the shadows. The amount and intensity of light needs to be sufficient enough so you do not have to use the flash. Basically what you want to reproduce is: A daylight environment.

I didn’t invest in good lights for the longest time and had to deal with a fluorescent light bulb and a halogen light. Fluorescent is just not working for this, I have to adjust the camera settings to balance the greenish tone it gives to every picture and fix them in an image editing program. What you need is a good old fashion lightbulb at least 100W and the best would be to use 2 light domes, this is the advice my photograph friend gave me.

So let’s do this!
So far the foam core panels (4) cost me $13.

It made a world of difference and it inspired me to retake pictures that were not doing any justice to some of my creations.

Here is an example of what I obtained, these earrings are really shiny and previous test with direct light never showed the creases in the wings. While now it shows the earrings just like I want!

I live in Washignton state, famous for its rain and therefore its cloudy days. If I wait for a nicer day to come around so I can take pictures, I might never take any^^
But it can also be a good alternative for the night owls from all over the planet and in general I find it to be a very easy way to take shots of your items.

Here is a picture of my new awesome macro studio and my old ghetto lightbox.

Funny thing: My dear cat tried to “rest” on top of my old crappy cardboard wannabe macro studio and fell through it. At least that box brought me a good laugh ^^