Showing posts with label photography 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography 101. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Photography 101: How to Make a Light Box I

Etsy seller Leanna of Seams Victorian was kind enough to provide me with instructions on how to construct a light box. Since I happen to like her product photographs, I thought it would be worth trying this out on my own product shots.

foam boards found at Michael's craft store
There are some items you will need before you begin so I'll go through the supply list today and give you the opportunity to gather your materials before I bore you to tears trying to spit this all out in one article.

um . . . I suppose the English side would have been nice
What you will need:

  • Foam core boards in a size that meets your subject height requirements
  • Transparent duct tape - my local Home Depot had never even heard of this. I actually found a roll at the Container Store - who knew!
  • Clip on lamp with reflector cup around the bulb. I have no idea what the reflector cup is but I imagine the lamp I found will work just fine
  • CFL daylight bulbs of the highest wattage you can find
  • Optional: mirror panels for reflecting light

daylight bulbs 27 watts but looks like 100
Home Depot had a display so that you could compare how your normal incandescent bulbs stack up against a daylight bulb. WOW! I had no idea just how much of a difference there is in the yellow cast factor of the former! (say that 3 times fast)
clip on lamp found at Home Depot
I'm not sure how well the lamp will work but that's the whole point of experimentation right? The next article will post Saturday where I will unveil the construction of my light box and expand on how I put it together. Happy shopping!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Introducing Photography 101

Since opening my Etsy store I've been beaten over the head with the importance of taking good photographs. Nobody wants to buy something that looks like complete crap right?

see Carnivale Venezia on Etsy
Since you may be interested in selling your work (emphasis on the YOUR part :) you could benefit from my vast photography wisdom. Haha! Well, not really. I'm a complete amateur but I'm getting better. It's all a process of trial and error.

see Audrey Hepburn free standing paper art doll on Etsy
If you missed my first post on photography you might want to start with the Photography Lighting Tutorial. Some parts of this work and some parts still need tweaking at least for me. You will need to discover what works best for you with the tools you have.