I finally made myself a light box (also known as a light tent) for taking some better photos of small objects, particularly watches. I would rather spend money on watches than photographic equipment, so I followed these instructions.
So, I finally took some photos of my setup. I have the light box, a swing arm lamp and my camera on a tripod. If you ever want to take really sharp photos, you really have to have a tripod AND a remote shutter release. Why a remote shutter release? Even the act of pressing the shutter button sets up vibrations in the camera which can last a second or two. This is just long enough to mess up your photos. The total cost of the setup is follows:
Florescent swing arm lamp, Ikea: $19.99
Box: Free
Paper: $0.25
Velbon T-3500 Tripod: $25
So, overall less than $50 without the camera. Considering most people already have these items, the cost is almost nil.
The results, however, are pretty amazing. You can take photos of small objects and get very professional looking results.
Everything is very evenly lit and glare can be controlled easily. Considering a professional light tent can cost well into the $100’s, this jury rigged setup works just fine for me.
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