Friday Fun: Recycled Seamless Lightbox

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I take an inordinate amount of joy in reusing projects in new and different ways. Way back in the winter, I built parallel light arrays for an indoor greenhouse. Obviously at the height of summer, such a device isn’t necessary. So what can you do with a little indoor greenhouse to make use of it?

The answer: a seamless lightbox for macro/closeup photography!

Parts

1 sheet of poster board
2-4 clothespins
Indoor greenhouse
2 LED light ballasts
30 feet of 1/2” or 3/4” PVC
4 corner joints
8 T joints
2 plain white bed sheets

Tools

Power drill with 1/8” bit
Patience

Directions

Assemble a standing rig for the light array as shown below:

The yellow represents the LED light ballast. The black are PVC pipes. The red are the intersections where you place corner or T joints.

Once you have one, build a second.

After you have both, set them up on opposite sides of the greenhouse.

In the greenhouse, lay the poster board down on a middle shelf, then bend it slightly (without creasing it) to clip the top to the adjacent shelf.

Finally, clip the sheets on the sides of the greenhouse.

When done, you should have a seamless backdrop, side-lit to showcase items for sale on sites like Etsy and eBay, or just a way to photograph objects close up: