Make Your Own Light Box

Suddenly I am struck with an urge to dig into food photography.  I have always been obsessed with food, so why not with taking beautiful photos of it?

Stir fry is one of those things I am still trying to master photographing.  This is a picture of crock pot orange chicken that I made a few weeks ago.  It was pretty tasty, but I am not sure if you get that for this shot.  The point is, the light box made this photo look a thousand times better.

Here is a sample of what my photos used to look like.  Lots of clutter, weird lighting, and unappetizing photos of delicious food.  ENTER: light box 

Instant improvement.  I wish I would have started using one of these the day I bought my DSLR.  Bummer.  Not to dwell on the past though, we have a bright future together, the light box and me.

Here is a completely un-edited shot to give you an idea of what it looks like.  If you use your camera's manual mode to adjust the shot to your liking, you really only have to crop.  Which makes for quick work and simple photography.  I am in love.  Of course you can bust out an awesome program like Lightroom and do some minor adjustments, but we can talk about that another time.  Right now we are talking about the simple, cheap fix called a light box.

Want to make one?

COST: Under $5

TIME: 20 minutes

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Large cardboard box ( I used a diaper box)

Box cutter

Tape

Tissue Paper

Poster board

Cut 3 large windows out of 3 sides out of your cardboard box.  Next, cover them in tissue paper, this will diffuse the light and create soft lighting for your photos.  Then tape a piece of poster board into the bottom and up the back of the box.  This creates a seamless backdrop.  DONE.  Super easy and quick.  Now place your box in front of a window and angle it to get nice soft light for your food or product photography.

Want to know more? Here is a great article  that breaks it down really well and also has lots of tips on lighting and photography.

Desk Organizer Makeover

I went to Savers today and found this shabby plain desk organizer.  I was in the market for one, so I thought about it and decided to give it a makeover.  I got it for $3.99.  Then I went to Michael's and got some sky blue paint for 1.19.  Then I got some stickers from K&C Company that were fake hardware stickers.  They work great and look like the real thing.  I also got a sponge brush for .39.  Total cost: under $6.00 with tax.

Here it is all laid out on an extra piece of cardboard from an Ikea box.  First I sanded everything I could get to.

Then I painted it with 2 coats of the sky blue paint.  After it dried, I put on the hardware stickers.  They look great and are actually pretty sturdy.

Then I made labels to fit inside of the stickers by hand stamping them.  I really like how it looks with my milk glass planter.  ICE BLUE is my new favorite color...

What do you think?  I found other desk organizers that were remotely stylish for over $25.00.  I would say this is a SUCCESS!