How to Make a Professional Photography Light
The purpose of a professional photography light is to control shadows on your subject. Using soft light will give a sharp picture of your subject without harsh shadows. A white background surrounding the subject and properly placed lights will make this possible. Make your own professional light to save money and create this desired effect.
Supplies needed:
- One large cardboard box.
- Pencil
- Two-sided tape
- Two clip on desk lamps with daylight bulbs
- Foam board or a white sheet
- Utility knife
- Scissors
- Ruler or yardstick depending on the size of your box
- Trace a square on each side of your box with your ruler and pencil making a two-inch frame on each side of the box.
- Cut out each side of the box with the utility knife following your pencil lines.
- Cut strips of the two-sided tape with your scissors to fit the inside frame and place the tape on each frame.
- Trace a circle on one piece of foam board, centering it horizontally and placing it in the bottom half of the board, using your camera lens for the correct size. For more versatility, use a piece of the sheet for this piece of the box.
- Cut the circle out of the board with your utility knife.
- Place the cut board in the front hole of your box securing it to the taped frame. The board will cover the entire frame.
- Place the remaining boards inside of the box making sure all inside areas are covered in white.
- Clip the lights to opposite sides of the box shining the light into the box. Cover them with a white sheet.
- To use a sheet instead of the foam board you would cut the pieces of sheet and follow the instructions substituting the sheet for the foam board in each step. Pillowcases are another option. Using woven materials creates softer light than the foam board does.
You now have a versatile, homemade professional light box. Set your camera on your tripod and position it to fit in the hole on the side of the box. Now you are ready to shoot some awesome shadow free shots.