Portable Light Boxes?

[jkim]

Anybody have any experience using those portable light boxes? Widely available on Amazon and Ebay for less than $100. Looking at 24 inch size to shoot my models. More for sprue and parts shots and in-progress photos but maybe for final finished photos as well.

[KSaarni]

Following!

- Kari

[speedgraflex]

Yes. If you want to photograph your work with a seamless effect, go for it! I could tell you were not very happy with the last batch of aircraft shots but I personally feel your combinations of work bench shots and final outdoor finish shots are quite the bee’s knees. They are you, John. They tell a story. I dig the individual approach. Photographing in a product manner will create a different look but it is a common look. Not to degrade any experiments on your part. If you are going to be professional and want the elegance and repeatability of a studio product, then yes, this will help you achieve that, and I fully support your decision.

Bigger, better, perhaps—I worry that 24 inches is not enough room.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-EP5 ... B01GIL6EU4

[mostrich]

Got me this one a few years ago from Amazon.


Didn't have the space to keep it build up permanently. So no WIP shots. I've tried a few setups with lamps but learned that I'd have to invest a lot of money to get good results. So sunlight is my friend since. The box scatters the light and as long as I keep the back of the box towards the sun I totally can avoid hard shadows. This only works outside your house, of course. A professinally lit box can lead to better results , but with my low cost setup I'm satisfied so far.

Edit: Found this and ordered it immediately. Having an illuminated floor and background was always my goal in model photography. But those setups where quite expensive. Now this is dirt cheap:
https://www.amazon.de/ST60100-faltbarer ... =fototisch

[jkim]

So how do you use those "light tables" that look like chairs? Almost mimics setup for my final shots, which is to drape a piece of white poster paper over a wooden bench in my courtyard. Without the see-through material as the bench is wood.

The light box I'm thinking of would be more for in-progress shots. I'd like to get better and more consistent quality on those as well as sprue shots. And maybe toy around with for completed model shots. But you're right Bruce... I like the results that I get with ambient sunlight in my courtyard. My dissatisfaction with the last shots were due to the white poster board having gotten too dirty and the cloudy conditions of the day.

[speedgraflex]

My thought is buy a roll of seamless in white and cut sections as necessary. That is my approach. Most of the issue will be lighting anyway, but I guess you could use the light box in addition to your bench photography. I could see a use for the light box for sprue shots and featured details. Is that how you plan to use it?

[jkim]

That was the thought... the light box would be used for my work bench photographs primarily. I'd have to work out a convenient location. To have the light box next to my work space so that I could easily throw parts in there and take some snaps without interrupting my work flow too much. My work space is in SERIOUS need of a makeover. The kid's desk is way too small. I want enough table top surface for modeling, a laptop + the Portrait mask cutter and the light box. Maybe an "L" shape in the corner.

Where is a good place to get a "roll of white seamless"? Paper, I assume. I'd also like to get some in blue.

[speedgraflex]

Adorama ships seamless through Amazon. I’m not sure if shipping is covered by Prime. Min width is 26 inches - length maybe 10 yards. I always cut off a section to test how the paper behaves and how best to work with it. I use gaffe tape but Gorilla tape works well, too. Most of the time a photo shoot is mostly about building on the fly, but seamless is the foundation for almost all studio backgrounds. I was going to suggest you create a floor plan drawing earlier because this helps to solidify studio space, and consider a rolling utility cart with locking wheels which is also a platform for shooting your inserts. That way when you are done, you can roll it into a corner and it is out of your way. Most food shoots use a version of this system.

[BorgR3mc0]

I have bought this lighting box for my wife for her jewellery business. But it it is a good size for my models to. I went to the local photo shop ( we still have one!) and it “only” costed me €39,-.

[jkim]

I guess there are a couple of approaches to this. One is a transparent light diffusing box that you can shine a light through (either sun or artificial). The other is a solid walled box with built-in lighting and reflective walls. I think I'm leaning more towards the latter. I'm pretty satisfied with my setup outdoors but am looking to improve the quality of my shots when I'm inside the modeling room.

The seamless paper looks to be thirty something bucks for a 26"x30 feet wide roll of paper... does that sound about right? If I go the lightbox route, I may be able to use the included backgrounds for outdoor use on my bench, which increases the utility of the purchase a bit.