Let there be light(box)

A light box has been on my to-do list for some time now. I've depended for a long time on good sunlight and comfortable weather to photograph items for my Etsy shop and with the recent downpouring of snow here in the Inland Northwest I have yet to photograph anything. With the shop makeover series on Etsy and Flickr this thought kept nagging at me, but the thing that really pushed me over the edge was a Taco Time commercial and an online tutorial. Don't laugh yet, just let me explain.
Light and Time Photograph by sevenbridges

Hubby and I were enjoying some time in front of the tube when this commercial comes on for Taco Time. They talk about how great of a deal this burrito is and when they finally show a shot of it you feel like you're playing a game of Where's Waldo. There is so much stuff in the shot that you hardly notice the tiny little burrito- the whole point of the commercial. This concept applies just as handily to Etsy. If I'm trying to sell something and I surround it with a bunch of other stuff that distracts people, how effective is my approach? Sometimes a background or artistic shot is great but it should enhance rather that detract from the item you're marketing.

Kitchen floors, bedsheets, or a computer desk piled with papers rarely accomplishes this, which is why a light box can be so handy. It not only produces nice photos, but it gives you a controlled background. You can use white or switch it up by placing colored or patterned paper inside as well. But these are expensive and bulky, right? Wrong. I went with this online tutorial because the cost was less than $10 and it flattens and tucks away easily!

Over the next couple of days I will be posting some info on using this handy little tool and giving some pointers on camera settings and technique. Until then I'll leave you with some photos showing the difference it made in my product photos for one of my journals. Enjoy.

Before:










After: