Building a Basic Lightbox

I used the following items to build my lightbox:
- five sheets of 20"x30" foam core (white ffoam sheets - you can get them at an office store or a craft store) - you could also use a tri-fold presentation board (a la school science project)
- 2" wide masking tape
- four small sized clamp lights (purchased at a local hardware store)
- four lightbulbs (75 watts as per the insttructions on the insides of the lamps)
- a straight edge
- a utility knife

Here is an image of my materials as I collected them prior to beginning the building process. By the way, the funny looking thing sitting at the top left of the foam core is called a gorillapod which is a great kind of tripod that can be used in a huge variety of situations. Click on the word "gorillapod" above to see googled photos of what they look like and how they can be used. I love mine!

1) Attach the bottom of the box to the left & right vertical sides - I used masking tape to attach the edges. I started with the bottom piece and attached the left and right sides to it.

2) Attach the bottom/sides of the box to back portion. Again I used masking tape at the edges.

3) Line up the top of the box and tape it to the sides and the back. Yes, the left & right sides will be hanging out.

4) Use your straight edge to mark the overhang of the right and left side panels. Use the utility knife to cut the excess away. I found it was easiest to score the foam along both the front and back and then to break it.

This is how my box looked before I attached the lights.

5) Attach the lights to the sides of the box. You may need to adjust the lights as you place objects in the box.

I used the gorilla pod sometimes, and I'm sure that you could use any table-top tripod. But I also found that the lights were bright enough that I could handhold and get decent results. By the way, that's a Canon Digital Rebel (original model) and I've got a 50mm lens attached.

At the office supply store where I bought the foam core, I also picked up a few sheets of brightly colored poster paper. If you drape something across the back of the box, you can eliminate the line created by the bottom back corner. The colored post paper gives you the opportunity to create your own colorful background.