Monday, December 3, 2007

Light Box Building 101: A Tutorial

The key to taking great pictures when you live in a place that doesn't get much light (like my apartment, which is totally blocked by trees and doesn't get any natural light whatsoever) is using a light box.

It doesn't take much to build a good light box. Here is a list of all that you will need:

1 good sized packing box. We have moved so much that we have about thirty of them laying about (Actually, that's a lie. We have about thirty of them still filled with all the things we know we will never need, but I can't bear to throw away in the event that we do need it someday. Like miniature Gap jean jackets, which are too uncomfortable to stick a new born baby in, but too small to put a baby who is over 8 lbs in).

White tissue paper

Tape and a craft knife

White poster board

First, you will want to cut windows in three sides of the box. The box becomes very flimsy, so be careful!!

Next, chase your ten month old away several times and plead for your husband to take her so you can get your project finished.

Give up on chasing said ten month old, after she tries strangulating herself on one of the box sides.

Convince husband that building your light box is key to running a successful business, and that the only way to do that, is for him to physically hold ten month old until you are finished as she is known to never leave Mommy's side, especially when Mommy is doing something that does not involve her.

Next, begin taping the tissue paper to the sides and top of the box.

After successfully and painstakingly taping up two of the sides, begin chasing ten month old again, because husband has forgotten to watch her and is too engrossed in football to notice baby destroying project.



Give up.

What are you crazy? Who builds things out of flimsy cardboard boxes and tissue paper, anyway!!!


Okay, some people do. And for those of you who are interested in a working tutorial, check out this one by Strobist.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

7 comments:

Cathy said...

lol what a funny post! i have never attempted the building of a lightbox but i could relate to EVERYTHING - the cute but in the way toddler, the attempts to keep toddler from touching project, the pleading for husband to take toddler and the inability of husband to hold toddler because distracted by TV. This is my life!!! Oh, and I could also relate to the comment about the the baby jacket :)

Kimma said...

Haha- nick and i were just talking about this the other day- when we get haley's gifts she wont give a hoot she`ll be more interested in the boxes, so we might as well just give her bunches of boxes to make forts and such out of!

I am so scared about my quilt, i feel like if i screw up once it`ll be the end of the world, but we`ll see! So, you learned to sew in May and opened a month and a half later- that's nuts! where you self taught or did you take a class or whatever? I really want to be able to fix my own curtains and sew cute little embellishments onto haley`s tank tops and such when she gets older!

Blaze said...

Ha ha! Great post! :) The light box is a good idea! I didn't know that people made those! :) Thanks for sharing and for making me laugh! :)

gorgeousredhead said...

lol! that was such a funny post!! i literally laughed out loud. :) that is sooo cute, i used to love to play with boxes when i was little too!

Kelly Drill said...

This is the best tutorial ever!

Cindy Joy said...

OMG, I am laughing so hard on the inside. I have to keep it in or my 13 month old will wake up and come running to see if he can help me type! The last sewing I got done was with him actually sitting on my lap watching me stitch. Like cathy said - this tutorial is just like my life, except my husband gets distracted by World of Warcraft. Thank you for this highly life-like tutorial.

Chelsea Van Tol said...

LOL. I have a 10 month old too, I feel your pain.

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