Light My Way - Making My Own DIY Light Box

 If I don’t have access to natural light or the budget for professional lighting gear, a DIY photography lightbox can be a practical and affordable alternative. Also known as a light tent, a lightbox is an enclosed space designed to evenly diffuse light around smaller objects, eliminating harsh shadows and glare. It helps produce clean, well-lit images that highlight the details of the product.

My initial budget included to buy a light box, but I dismissed that idea and made my own box.

Here are the steps and necessary items:

A cardboard box
My box will house the white background for my photos. I used the biggest box that I can find as it allows me to photograph objects of different sizes.

Take the cardboard box and remove one of its sides completely usually one of the sides that opens. That’s the opening where we shoot into the lightbox.

White paper
I lined the inside of the box to create the white background. White poster board is good over paper, as it won’t crease when placed within the box. The white background will make the object appear as if it’s sitting in an empty space, which is great for product shots.

Clear tape and Scissors
Place the paper over the top of the box and I used scissors to cut away the excess edges. The paper should be the width of the box and about twice as long on the top side, so it covers the entire interior without creases. Tape to hold everything together without being too messy.

Lamps
I have put up LED light as a light source to diffuse within the box to get that consistent lighting.

So I made my Own DIY light box using items which are available at my home.





Here are the sample Photos:






What I have learned
Making a DIY lightbox at home is a fun and it provided me a valuable hands on experience in understanding how lighting affects product photography. The key learning outcomes include gaining practical knowledge about light diffusion, shadow control, and how to create a clean, consistent backdrop for small objects.
However, there are areas for improvement, such as achieving perfectly even lighting, maintaining color accuracy, and managing reflections especially when working with glossy or metallic objects. Post-processing tools like Adobe Lightroom can help overcome these challenges by allowing  to fine-tune exposure, adjust white balance and enhance colors.

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