Tutorial Tuesdays: Fabulous Photos!

This little guy is just so photogenic. Find him at my shop!

So I thought I would start a weekly feature called Tutorial Tuesdays. This might include patterns, tips, tricks, or other useful info. This week, I'll be going over a cheap and easy technique for creating fabulous photos of your crafts! Yes, I will take requests!

I will be the first to admit--I bought my digital camera because it was on sale and it was pink. It's a Canon Powershot Elph 100 HS which shoots at 12.1 megapixels. Not many bells and whistles, and I think I paid just over $100 for it. By creating the right environment in which to take your photos, you don't need a fancy camera!

What's the right environment? A lightbox! I made my lightbox for around $6 and it only took me about an hour. Let me say: WORTH IT!!

Here's what you'll need:

• A shipping box (I used 14"x14"x14" which is a little small for some of my amigurumis, but it's manageable to store in my apartment)
• A box cutter
• A ruler or tape measure
• Two pieces of white tagboard
• Packing tape
• About 1.5 yards of white cloth (I used plain old broadcloth from my local craft store--a white t-shirt might also work)

Here's what to do:
1. BEFORE you tape the box together, mark a square 2" smaller than the side of your box on three of the sides (top, left, right) as shown below.

 

2. Use your box cutter to cut out the squares you marked, as well as cutting the flaps of one side (let's call it the "front") down so they are 2" as well.

3. Tape together the bottom of the box as usual, tape the 2" flaps together so you have another square window (see photo after step 5 if you're confused about the flaps)

4. Cut 2" strips of tag board and use rolls of tape (or glue, if you prefer) to adhere them to the inside edges of the square "windows" you cut out, lay a long piece of tagboard along the back and bottom so it bends softly at the back of the box.

5. Tape fabric around box so it covers the top, left, and right windows.

 DONE! Now you're ready to light up your box and take some amazing photos!

Hit the jump for some BONUS tips on lighting


I recommend good old-fashioned (free!) daylight for your photos. I place my box in front of a sunny window to take all my pics (like the one at the top of the post).

 If you're low on sun or windows, you can use three desk lamps to light your photos. The example below shows how the top photo would look with artificial instead of natural light. Perhaps if I had a fancier camera or better bulbs, I could correct for the white balance, but I prefer the cheaper option!

Compare this photo to the one at the top of the post.

It was taken using 100w GE Reveal bulbs.