DIY Lightbox - Plus a few questions for you

[brianwahl]

I had a few spare hours today, so I figured I would give this DIY lightbox a try. The instructions on that site are very easy to follow, and this was a really inexpensive project.

So, here is a shot of my finished setup:



One thing to note - this thing is HUGE, haha. I have no idea where I'm going to store it. Big enough to get a football helmet in, as you'll see... (click the pics for a bigger view)







So here are my questions:

1. What is the best way to get a seemless background? This doesn't pertain to the turtle shot (or anything small), but bigger things like the helmet show the seam in the back on the bottom. Should I tape white sheets of paper across the bottom seam? Just use white tape? What are your suggestions?

2. With reflective surfaces (like the helmet), you can see a reflection of what's in front of the item - basically the edges of the box, which isn't attractive. Any advice to get around this?

Thanks so much for looking, and thanks in advance for your advice!

[thegunshow]

I posted a lightbox thread a while ago. The way I got a seamless BG was to use a white matte board (very flexible) and put it in the back so it makes a curve instead of an edge.
hard to explain, let me know if you need more help

[natek313]

I made a lightbox by loosely following this tutorial.

The seamless white background is achieved by a heavy, white paper stock like you see in the photo in that tutorial.

[brianwahl]

Thanks for the replies! The seamless BG thing makes perfect sense. I'll have to try it. I might think I like that lightbox method via strobist a bit better - seems a bit smaller as well. I'll have to give it a shot.

[douglas]

In my lightbox, I use card stock and put a gradual bend in it...so no seam. Mine is quite small, but could easily be enlarged.

[ts10873]

Great idea, I'll have to give it a try.

[brianwahl]

Played with it a bit more today - I really like this shot:

[tchudson]

I'm normally more focused on landscapes and nature, but I may have to try building a small light box to shoot mugs and such for my site.