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Pin Test Tuesday #2: DIY Light Box

July 21, 2015 by Rachael 7 Comments

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This Pin Test review of a light box shows whether or not it can really help you take better pictures

Pin Test Tuesday: DIY Light Box

Today’s Pin Test is perfect for bloggers or anyone who wants to take great pictures of smaller objects.

The first time I heard about a light box was when I saw a pin that said “How to make a light box to help you take better pictures!” The take better pictures part jumped out at me. Beautiful pictures have a way of making a blog post, or a Pinterest image, stand out. When a recipe has a grainy or discolored picture, it just doesn’t draw me in like ones with great lighting and color. So, I’ve been working hard to try to take nice pictures of the food and crafts that I blog about. I use my iPhone’s camera for almost all of my pictures. While it’s not a bad camera, it’s not really made for high quality photography, so I jumped at the chance to improve my pictures.

This Pin Test review of a light box shows whether or not it can really help you take better pictures

As I read housefulofhandmade.com/’s post about how to make a light box to help take better pictures, I was surprised to find that she uses her iPhone for all of her pictures too! The box required just a few supplies, most of which you probably have on hand. We recycled all of our cardboard boxes after our move in December, so I did have have to pick one up on my next trip to Walmart, along with a piece of white poster board. Both are extremely cheap though, so it took less than $3 to make my light box.

To see step by step instructions on how to make one, see this post at housefullofhandmade.com. Gary helped cut the cardboard while I was putting mine together and I did the rest. It took less than 20 minutes to complete.

As soon as it was assembled, I stuck the first items I came across inside to test it out. I photographed the scissors I used to make the light box, and a baby toy that was lying nearby.

This Pin Test review of a light box shows whether or not it can really help you take better pictures

This Pin Test review of a light box shows whether or not it can really help you take better pictures

I loved that it allowed me to easily photograph them on a white background. I took these pictures at night, using a lamp for light. The light box helped protect the objects from the glare of the lamp.

One of the first recipes I used my light box to photograph was my Peanut Butter and Jelly Oat Bars. Here was my first attempt at photographing these, before I created my light box:

taken without the light box

Taken without the light box. It was difficult to get a picture without a glare on the plate as you can see here. Believe it or not, this is one of the best shots I got.

Once I made the light box, I baked another batch of these bars and re-shot the photos:

With just 7 ingredients, these vegan oat bars are simple and healthy. Perfect for a quick snack or breakfast on the go!

With the light box. I placed the plate and cup on a wooden cutting board and stuck it all into the light box and the glare was gone!

 

Pass or Fail?

As you can see from my pictures, this definitely passed the Pin Test! Not only was it a thrifty and simple to make DIY project, it totally worked to improve my pictures! While there are a few things I photograph that won’t fit in the light box (like Baby G in her DIY 2 Minute Baby Headband, I’ve used it for most of my recipe posts, and even used it to take a picture of my DIY Heart Garland.

 

DIY 2 Minute Baby & Toddler Headband with Video Instructions. This DIY baby headband is thrifty and simple to make!

No light box for this post.

DIY Heart Garland with Video Instructions: This craft is simple and inexpensive! Some paper, string, scissors, a ruler and a stapler all you need.

I was able to use the light box to get a photo of the heart garland on a clean background.

Know of any other ways to improve pictures? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

And don’t forget to check out housefullofhandmade.com to learn how to make your own light box!

 

Filed Under: DIY/Crafts, Pin Test Tuesday Tagged With: Pin Test Tuesday

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Treat and Trick

    July 26, 2015 at 4:53 am

    Much improved and better pictures! I want to make one…

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      August 17, 2015 at 4:38 pm

      Thanks. They are so easy to make!

      Reply
  2. Sherry

    July 26, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    What a great review. I thought about making this light box, too. I can not take a decent picture to save my life! Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Please join us again this week.

    Reply
  3. Marie - Family and the Lake House

    July 29, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    Wow! That really made a difference! Thanks soooo much for sharing.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      August 17, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      It really does, and it was so easy to make!

      Reply
  4. Nikki Frank-Hamilton

    August 9, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    I love, love, love my lightbox, it’s similar to yours and I believe that it has helped my photos a lot. Of course there are things that I can’t photo in the box, but it’s great for small items, recipes etc. And I can take pics at night without the yellow tint!

    Reply
    • Avatar photoRachael

      August 10, 2015 at 3:41 pm

      Yes, I love that the colors look brighter with the light box!

      Reply

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I'm Rachael: wife, mom, homemaker, Christ follower, and former teacher with a passion for saving money, simple, healthy, and affordable recipes and tips for daily life. Learn more about me.

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