Light boxes surround objects in a uniform light source, helping bring out detail and produces pleasing highlights in photographs. Professional-grade and pre-made light boxes are readily available in camera supply shops, but building your own light box for small-object photography takes approximately 30 minutes, involves minimal expense for materials and yields impressive results.

Materials

To construct the light box, you will need five standard size (20-by-30 inch) pieces of white foam board (also called "foam core" or "foam poster board"); white masking tape; shop light bulbs (such as Sylvania 100 watt daylight bulbs); a razor or X-acto knife; and a straight edge.

Constructing a Basic Light Box

Using the five pieces of foam board, construct a five-sided box. Secure the seams with tape. Essentially, the light box should look like a regular carton or box but with one side open or missing. Since the sheets of foam board are rectangular, rather than square, there will be some overhang. Trim down the overhang with scissors, so that the sides are all flush with one another. The shop lights can then be clipped to the edges of the box or mounted on stands outside the box--whichever method works best to illuminate the inner walls. Alternatively, you can also mount a flash directed toward the top of the box. If you would prefer to construct a light box from a cardboard box you already have, this is also perfectly feasible. All you will need to do is make sure one side of the box is open; if the cardboard on the inside of the box is not white, line it with white paper. This light box might not yield the same clean look as the box constructed from foam board, but it is extremely cheap and quick to make.

Optional Extras

An optional technique is to cut notches into the edge of the light box; use the notches to secure the shop lights. This will ensure the light floods as deeply into the box as possible. If in doubt, construct the box without notches, then try shooting photos using the box as-is. If you find that the light level is not high enough, you can cut notches later. You may also want to seal the inside bottom seam with white masking tape, so that no line of demarcation appears in the photographs. The masking tape seam seal provides a smooth visual transition between the two perpendicular surfaces.

Source:

JYoseph

Digital Photography School

More Information:

YouTube: DIY Light Box