# My DIY soft box project and Herc Photos.



## Legmaker72 (Aug 16, 2006)

So yesterday I went to Target and picked up a few things to make a homemade soft box to try and take some better watch photos. 
The list of items I picked up:
1) An Itso storage cube (plastic)
2) A package of Classic home Napkins (4pack)
3) 2 Adjustable desk lamps
4) 2 Daylight 6500K bulbs
5) 1 multiple outlet power cord (3 outlets into one)
6) 1 Targus travel tripod (need a better one)
Then from the local Hobbie Lobby I picked up some 12"x12" background cards
Other items used in fabrication were a razor knife and zip-ties.
I cut out the inner framing of both sides and the top of the storage cube. This left me with a pretty good skeletal structure to attach the Napkins to. On the side of the cube were holes already punched through the plastic in the corners, so this made it easy for me to make some small cuts in the napkins and zip-tie them snug, and that's it! 
So here are some of the shots I took last night. I really didn't play with the lighting too much last night, I just really wanted to see how well the box would work. And none of these were post processed as well. Not bad for a late night project!
Photos were taken with a Canon G7. It would be much better if the tripod were of better quality and I had a cable release (I used the 2 sec delay)
*The BOX!*
















*THE HERC !*


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## GuySie (Jan 14, 2008)

Very nice! What are you using as a background, I like the wet-look effect?


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## Legmaker72 (Aug 16, 2006)

GuySie said:


> Very nice! What are you using as a background, I like the wet-look effect?


It is one of the 12" x 12" cards that I got from a local hobby shop. They have them in all textures (ridged, felt, etc..) and this one was a mat black with what appears to be drops of some sort of rubber cement on there to make it look like it's wet. They were like 4 for a $1.00


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## JohnF (Feb 11, 2006)

Hi -

Very nice!

You may want to think about replacing the napkins with either a thin frosted plastic or, alternatively, tracing paper to boost the light throughput. The base cards are a good idea, but also take a look at professional art paper from your local art supply shop, which can also give you a curved backdrop for larger items.

And a good tripod is really, really important. I've got a heavy-duty Gitzo from my medium format days, but if you are looking for a excellent tripod that will do yeoman duty without breaking the bank, take a look at the Tilt-All tripod. US made, aluminium, and extremely well built. I gave away mine after 20 years of service (it wasn't heavy duty enough for a Pentax 67 with a 300mm lens + extender, something like 15 pounds) and it is still in use 10 years later. You can get them from B+H online for around $100.

JohnF


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## gpjoe (May 21, 2008)

I use a cheap tabletop tripod. Cost me $10, works great with a light box, and I find it infinitely easier to position when compared to my full-sized tripod, which seems much more cumbersome. I do, however, use the camera's self-timer to allow for any camera movement when depressing the shutter button. It seems to work fine for me but I am a total beginner at macro photography, so take my advice for what it's worth.

Regardless, your pictures look fantastic. I really like the background, especially at the price you paid. I actually looked at storage cubes to make a light box and was going to cut out the sides and top as you did. I ended up getting a 16" nylon light cube off the 'bay for 20 bucks but I still appreciate the clever methods you guys use to fabricate your own.

Well done.


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## GuySie (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks Legmaker, I'll go check out the local art shop here for something similar. I need more diverse props and backgrounds for in my lightbox


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## Legmaker72 (Aug 16, 2006)

This was half just for fun project and half a hopefully functional project. 
A few years back I solf all of my photography gear...basically to fund another hobby.
So, I sold my DSLR with 100mm Macro, ring lights, cables releases, bogen tripods, etc, etc,...
Since then had bought a G7 to go the more compact route, but I still wanted some control in the manual functions. I tell you...it will do, but it's not the same!
I'll play around with some different things now...it's stirred up the photo bug in me again! Maybe I can combine two hobby's into one.


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## om-4 (Dec 5, 2007)

Great results! I really like that wet look without actual water.


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## kiwidj (Sep 24, 2007)

Nice set-up and shots! Well done...:-!


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## Guz (May 16, 2008)

Great stuff...another one I actually think I'll have a go at :-!


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## AlbertaTime (Dec 27, 2008)

Way to go!!

Excellent box project and _wonderful_ photos!!


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