Ever wonder how photographers are able to get objects on a perfectly white background? A light box has a lot to do with. Light boxes are designed to take bright sources of lights and diffuse it over a broad area to eliminate shadows. When you stick a small object inside - coins, shoes, jewelry, for example - and set the proper exposure settings, the background will be a pure white and your object will be isolated against it.

There are professional examples galore, but a light box is one of the easiest things to replicate yourself. I’m going to guide you through an easy method of making your own light box, which perfect for product shots, auctions or any other type of macro photography you can imagine. If you want it on white, a light box can do the trick.

The design for the light box is inspired by part by a thread at the excellent Photography-On-The.net. But that light box discussion is fast approaching 67 pages, and there are now several competing light box designs. This is my combination, which I think is a good mix of some of the best ideas in the thread. But if you want to try something slightly different - or just need reading material for the day - the full light box thread is certainly worth a look.

My do-it-yourself light box is built on a PVC frame with diffusing material typically used to cover florescent lights. The “light” for the light box is provied by two common work lamps. Everything is available from a Home Depot or Lowes, and the whole light box should cost you under $30.

Here’s your light box shopping list:

• Two lengths of 1/2″ PVC piping. These typically come in 10′ lengths, which should be more than enough to build the light box frame.
• Four 1/2″ PVC 90 degree elbows. To connect parts of the light box frame. Click here if you are unsure what they look like.
• Four 1/2″ PVC elbows w/ side inlet. To ensure the light box frame is a single piece. Click here if you are unsure what it looks like.
• Four 1/2″ PVC male adapters. This converts the side inlet so you can insert a PVC tube to complete the light box frame. Click here if you are unsure what it looks like.
• One 2′ x 4′ Cracked Ice light panel. These will serve as our diffusing panels on the light box, and they do a fantastic job. I’ve seen them in stock at both Home Depot and Lowes, but they are also available online here. This is the most important part of the light box, and I’ve found the Cracked Ice does the best job. But other light box designs use different material, so do not be afraid to experiment.
• Two work lamps of some sort. These provide the lighting for the light box. Go with what’s cheap. Five-hundred watt lamps work about perfectly for this light box, but go for more power if you want. Typically, you can snag these for about $10 each.
• Duct tape or (even better) gaffer’s tape. Used to secure the diffusion panels to the side of the light box.
• A piece of poster board. This will be used as the backdrop of the light box. This article is written with the assumption that you are trying to use your light box to put objects on a white background, but the light box is equally useful for any type of light box.

That’s it. Easy enough, right? Now let’s the light box together. Below is a picture of the light box to guide you as you go.

The final light box. It may not be the prettiest thing in the world by itself, but the results look great.

You’re going to be building half of a cube to form the armature for the light box. Start by measuring out three equal portions of the Cracked Ice diffuser. At its largest, the sheet you bought can support three sections measuring 24″ x 16″, but if you want to make the light box out of square rather than rectangle frames - or if you are concerned about the size of the final light box - feel free to alter the dimensions. The instructions that come with the diffusion panel suggest using an ExactoKnife to score the panel before breaking it, but I found a sharp pair of scissors work just fine. You don’t need surgical precision for this light box.

After that is done, attach the PVC male adapters into the side outlets of the 90 degree elbows. This converts the threaded mounts into something you can stick the PVC pipe directly into, which is what you need to make sure the light box frame is all one piece.

The male adapter screws into the elbow like this, allowing you to construct the cube’s frame all in one piece.

Next, cut the PVC piping to make a frame to contain the diffusion panels you made. You’ll need to cut ten lengths total since there will be a few shared sides in the final light box. Keep in mind that the PVC elbows add a little length - I cut the PVC pipe length about two inches shorter than the length I made the diffusion panel. The length of pipe that attaches into the adapters may need to be even a little bit shorter, as the adapter adds a bit more length. Doing this allows the Cracked Ice to be taped directly over the light box’s PVC frame comfortably.

Attach the Cracked Ice panels to the PVC frame. I used the (somewhat inelegant) way of taping each panel to the PVC frame. Be careful to avoid taping too far to the interior of each panel - keep the tape around the pipe. That’s just extra light you are blocking.

Assemble the light box cube. This should be fairly intuitive. Construct the top of the light box using PVC pipe connected by your elbows with side outlets, and then construct two frames going down on either side. The result should be half of a cube, which can sit stably on the ground.

Now, the backside of the light box is left open. We’re going to fill this with the paperboard we bought. Trim it so it fits inside the opening left at the back of the light box, and situate it so it slopes gently downward. The slope is very important, as too sharp of an angle will ruin the isolation we’re trying to achieve. I taped the paperboard to the pipe, but a better solution would be to drill a few screws into the pipe and hole punch the poster board to hang from the screws.

That’s really about it - you’ve made your light box. Set a work lamp on either side and turn on the lights. Don’t bother attaching the protective cage to the front of each of the lamps - that will only block light. Stick an object inside the light box and start shooting. The Cracked Ice converts the rather direct light sources into gorgeous, soft lighting that eliminates shadow. The light box should support apertures and shutter speeds low enough to shoot handheld, even at low ISOs. I’ve found that knocking exposure compensation up a few stops helps make the background a pure white as well.

There are a few modifications you can make. Some people have used an external flash to gain a bit more control over the lighting or to increase shutter speeds even further. That’s fine - shooting the flash through the Cracked Ice panels should produce nice, even lighting. Just don’t forget to gel the flash to match the halogen lighting.

Adding a piece of glass on top of the poster board inside the ligh box can create a cool effect as well, as your object will have a slight reflection.

Now, there may be some shots where - try as you might - the background still has a slight tone to it. That’s OK. The light box will almost always get you at least 90 percent of the way there, and then it’s a much quicker fix in Photoshop. For an easy way to ensure that background is completely, 100 percent white, click here for a tutorial.

Here are a few shots of my own that the light box has produced. They are either straight from the camera or required less than 30 seconds worth of post-processing.

Canon 200mm F2.8 Lens and Filters. No post-processing.

Roscolux Filter Sample Pack. Ten-second curves tweak in Photoshop.

Photos like these will really enhance your website, advertisements or online auctions, and the light box didn’t cost much to do. I’d love to see what you are using your light box full. Either add photos to our new Flickr group, or post a link in the comments. Have fun!

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