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You are here: Home / Food Photography Tips / How to build a Light box for Food Photography

How to build a Light box for Food Photography

September 25, 2020 47 Comments

After many months of thinking about it, I finally did it – A light box for food photography! It really is as easy as they say in many sites and blogs around but before you jump ahead, I would ask you to consider a few things, based on my experience.
– Do you really need one? Although a light box gives you the flexibility to click pictures of your food whenever you’d like, nothing can beat natural light when it comes to food photography. Let me repeat that – nothing. A lot of professional food photographers may go for fancy studio equipment but the beauty of food blogging from our homes and kitchens is, this is what we make for our family meals, we are sharing our recipes and what we cook on a day-to-day basis. I wouldn’t compare that to commercial food photography any day.
Another thing to consider is, do you usually plan before you cook for the blog or do you cook something and then decide you want to blog about it. If you find yourself doing more of the latter, then a light box may be a good idea because half the time I think that way, its night time on a week day when I am at work all day.
– Do you have the space for it? You can always dismantle your light box and set it up only when you need it but trust me, that won’t happen often. So you will end up building it but hardly ever using it if you don’t have a fixed spot for it in your house. We recently moved into a three bedroom apartment and I am using the third bedroom as my studio. The wardrobe is where I keep my photography accessories and the light box sits to one side of the room. I don’t intend to move it from there or dismantle it.
So here it is, my very own light box!

lightbox pic

I pretty much followed the instructions on RV’s site. The few differences I made are:
– I used a smaller box
– I used tracing paper instead of fabric to cover the slots through which light enters the box
– I used 18W daylight bulbs that give a 100W output
A few initial shots with varying light input – both Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC) and edited.

lightbox pic

This is the first picture I took, without bothering with a background sweep or anything. I was super eager to see the results. Remember, this was taken in the night, at around 8:00pm. Taken with one light – SOOC.

lightbox pic

Another macro shot, taken with one light – SOOC.

green mor kozhambu

The first food shot, taken with one overhead lamp – SOOC except for watermark and straightening. I didn’t have the other two lights set up when I took this so I had to depend on editing to make it look better.

5310998967_dfae8bb4c5_z

Same picture, after editing.

lightbox pic

Enter three lamps – first food picture with all three lamps as shown in the light box picture above. No editing done – SOOC.

DSC_0746-ed

One of my favourite light box pictures to date (I haven’t taken that many yet, I always turn to natural light if I can help it). This is a very lightly edited picture taken in the light box, again, in the night.

I have taken a few more and recipes are coming up soon for this dishes. Going forward, I will clearly mark the picture setting when posting pictures because I expect a good mix of both kinds of pictures in future posts.

Other sites you can refer for building your own light box:
Digital Photography School
Jugalbandi

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By nags Filed Under: Food Photography Tips, Uncategorized

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Comments

  1. Cookilicious

    December 26, 2015 at 7:47 am

    nice article..i myself have been contemplating on whether I need a light box or not. I too love natural light and plan my cooking accordingly. After reading your post, I think I am going to give it a pass for now and stick to my way like you said. Thanks, your article set my perspective right. 🙂

    Reply
    • nags

      December 26, 2015 at 9:21 am

      glad it helped!

      Reply
  2. Pia

    December 4, 2012 at 10:42 pm

    Super post, Nags. And a gorgeous blog 🙂 I've never considered a lightbox – though with the temperamental sun in my part of the world, I should.

    Reply
  3. Jean Nicol

    February 21, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    I have to take photos of foods and then use photoshop to create a transparent background. What kind of plates/bowls/glassware will be the best to use so that I get a nice clean edge on the dinnerware. When taking photos of uncooked fruit and vegetables is a white background the best? This will also have to become transparent. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagalakshmi V

      February 26, 2012 at 2:00 am

      I am not an expert on that technique in photoshop so not sure what sort of bowls would work best. Maybe solid colours?

      Reply
  4. Laura @ Hip Pressure Cooking

    January 22, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    How much are you using the light box, now? I wonder if you have any tips for supplementing daylight with artificial lights!

    Thanks

    L

    Reply
  5. Narayan.

    August 3, 2011 at 11:29 am

    Thats what I was lookin for! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Heguiberto

    January 27, 2011 at 12:32 am

    wow Nags what a great idea. To me thee only problem is that by the time I finish cooking I just want to eat the food while it's still fresh but maybe if I leave to box standing somewhere in the kitchen taking the shots shouldn't be a problem. Beautiful pics. I adore pesto! I could eat it almost every day and would be happy.
    Cheers!
    Heg

    Reply
  7. Plateful

    January 26, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    That's such a cool trick, Nags. Thanks for the education. Wish I could create a light box to take pictures of my dinner recipes and blog about it, ah!

    Again, you are doing an absolutely great job. Keep going! Looking forward to more info on food photography. Thank you.

    Reply
  8. meeso

    January 23, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    Wow, thanks for sharing this! I really need to build one of these. Lighting is the hardest thing for me.

    Reply
  9. Kankana

    January 19, 2011 at 1:51 am

    This is superb !! I recently started my food blog and my hubby is clicking most of the photographs .. but we both felt that we have to do something to make them better .. I have to try this 🙂

    Reply
  10. Harry Hilders

    January 18, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    The edited cookingandme photo looks great.

    Reply
  11. Sanjeeta kk

    January 15, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    I love the rectangle light box! You made the job much simpler and easy, Nags. The small box will surely make the cutting work easy.

    Reply
  12. Nags

    January 15, 2011 at 10:33 am

    So good to hear from you Michele 🙂

    Reply
  13. Michele @ Healthy Cultivations

    January 15, 2011 at 3:20 am

    I'm thrilled to find your blog this evening. I was searching for easy light boxes with examples of what it can do, and this is so perfect… not to mention that your blog is a great find!

    Looking forward to reading more.

    Reply
  14. Rajani

    January 14, 2011 at 4:36 am

    Nags,first time here, and I am so impressed and grateful to have found you!I like-your communication skills,your presentation,and most of all,you tips on good food photography.Keep up the good work and keep helping souls like me!!!

    Reply
  15. Kamana

    January 14, 2011 at 2:13 am

    excellent! i so much prefer natural light, but this is a great idea.

    Reply
  16. Manasi

    January 13, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    What a delightful idea! one of these days I will try this.. of course after artfully dodging my toddler's SHARP eyes and inquisitiveness!

    Reply
  17. Anu Nandu

    January 13, 2011 at 8:19 pm

    Nice informative post. I do get enough sunshine here – that's actually what we get all the time!

    I think the little editing adds a whole lot of oomph to the pictures – love how the colors just turn up a notch.

    Reply
  18. Gayathri's Cook Spot

    January 13, 2011 at 4:12 am

    Thank you so much Nags for such a wonderful tutorial.

    Reply
  19. Fathima

    January 13, 2011 at 3:16 am

    love this… As Sig said, I live in Seattle and have no light most of the time these days that I find it hard to post in my blog… I should try these out!

    Reply
  20. Kanchan

    January 13, 2011 at 1:39 am

    Very Informative post , loved the details. I've been using only daylight and trust it, but would love to click @ night. Now this is a TO DO for me 🙂

    Reply
  21. Jayasri Ravi

    January 12, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    Good job but I think you get more natural light :), for me this is a necessary!, I saw this kind of box some time back in Food for 7 stages of life, I had planned to do this then but still I haven't done it, I do not have a camera, I take my photos from my mobile and usually I take them during night (as I cook only during night during the week!), Hope to buy a camera this year, I checked your Nikon it's (£750 in Amazon), Mmm.., that's going to be too expensive for me :(, may be some day, I was just showing my son your box and asked him to build me one!, thought that I can make him stop playing games and sitting on comp watching cricket!, he is already interested, I always click on my kitchen table top a very very small space that's the only place I have tubelight which seems to work well than anywhere else, sorry for this long comment, reading your post I just thought of talking to you, O' I loved the last shot and of course the leaves one and the mixture cup one!, all the three are really good…

    Reply
  22. Nithya

    January 12, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    Wow.. awesome job 🙂

    I made one almost a year back and just used it twice if I remember.. The story of the light box had a sad ending when my little niece sat over the box which was neatly covered with a cloth 🙁 I am still lazy to make one more. But your post is motivating me to get it done again 🙂

    Reply
  23. Harini

    January 12, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    I got some direction as to what to do to take pics at night! Was too lazy to google! Thanks for the post

    Reply
  24. Usha

    January 12, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Nice post Nags! I was thinking of doing something about the light. I usually cook in the evenings and I don't take pictures after sunset. I will try building the light box. I think it might be useful at least in the winters.

    Reply
  25. RAKS KITCHEN

    January 13, 2011 at 12:23 am

    Wonderful,I too love the last picture very much!It will be useful for night time clicking!

    Reply
  26. Paaka Shaale

    January 12, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Lovely post nags!!! Thanks soooo much for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  27. ?

    January 12, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    Agree with you on the natural light. Almost all of my photos were taken in natural light; and yes, sometimes when you finally decide to blog about a dish, you find that the 'light' is gone! Have seen RV's post and your box looks compact and neat.

    Reply
  28. Miri

    January 12, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    I have often thought of how helpful this would be since a lot of my pics for recent posts have been spoilt by the fact that they were taken in yellow light in the evening – part laziness, but mostly because if I cook before we eat there is not time to set up white light etc etc. The light box would be great to have. Thanks for this demo and ideas 🙂

    Reply
  29. Radhika

    January 12, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Nags, what a great job. The last click steals the show though.

    Reply
  30. Taste Junction

    January 12, 2011 at 11:25 am

    Wow..another addition to your wonderful knowledge sharing series on food photography for new bloggers like me. Congrats on your spacious new 3BHK…your camera is really lucky to have its own room!! Love the composite shot with 3 lamps..it looks almost like a daylight shot.
    Anamika

    Reply
  31. callezee

    January 12, 2011 at 11:24 am

    You revealed a Big Secret but this trick is really mind blowing

    Reply
  32. Indrani

    January 12, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Very useful+helpful post, nags..hope I'll get courage one day to try out making a lightbox, that day I'll use this post, bookmarking it

    Reply
  33. notyet100

    January 12, 2011 at 10:32 am

    thanks for this,..;-)

    Reply
  34. Kurinji

    January 12, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Very useful post n thanks for sharing…

    Kurinji kathambam

    Reply
  35. Priya

    January 12, 2011 at 9:51 am

    Thats a useful post for many of us, thanks Nags, gonna make soon a light box, since its getting too dark earlier here..

    Reply
  36. rekhas kitchen

    January 12, 2011 at 8:46 am

    clap..clap…clap Thank u so much for this idea nags this healps me a lot… have to bye lights now i think…

    Reply
  37. Divya Vikram

    January 12, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Great work Nags. And the pictures have turned out beautifully!

    Reply
  38. shifa firoz

    January 12, 2011 at 8:31 am

    very nformative, great job Nags.

    Reply
  39. Happy Cook

    January 12, 2011 at 8:30 am

    And I love that last pic without even editting it looks so so good,

    Reply
  40. Happy Cook

    January 12, 2011 at 8:30 am

    Wowo looks so good the pictures, I made a light box from jugalbandi they are good but have not used it that much, but i think my WB setting in camera is not orrecct as it ia always having a slight dull color. When i edit in photoshop it gets better though. The first and the lst picture in my latest post is taken with light box.
    I see you also used daylight lamp i have been looking for that here and have not got it, will still search for the lights .

    Reply
  41. Anonymous

    January 12, 2011 at 8:23 am

    Great work. I never realised making a lightbox was so easy. Thankfully, I get glorious natural light most days of the year, so I haven't felt the need for one. But like you rightly pointed out, I do want to photograph some dishes cooked at night. Will try my hand at this when I can. Thanks for the post.

    – Gowri

    Reply
  42. Sig

    January 12, 2011 at 8:13 am

    *turned

    Reply
  43. Sig

    January 12, 2011 at 8:13 am

    Great job Nags! Love the way the pics have turn out! If you live in a place like Seattle, you don't have a choice but to rely on studio lights, 9 months out of a year. :). I bought a lightbox, was too lazy to build one, but now I am too lazy to use it. I just use the lights directly with the diffusers 🙂

    Reply
  44. Sharmilee! :)

    January 12, 2011 at 11:52 am

    The last pic gives the best justification for all the efforts put in, nice post too. Thanks for it!

    Reply
  45. Nags

    January 12, 2011 at 8:27 am

    Hope you try the light box for your food photography, Gowri 🙂

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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