Building a DIY macro/product studio is really easy and really cheap. Using it is a lot of fun. I put mine together in under 30 minutes and spent an hour or so playing the other night. My subjects were colorful toys from my son’s collection. I’m so stoked by the results that I am thinking up all kinds of subjects to shoot, especially my watches.
Materials List (I’m including this only to show it’s exceedingly easy to find the materials and you do NOT have to go crazy with this)
- Cardboard box for the frame – any old square or close-to-square box will do. My choice was a 14″x14″x14″.
Suggested sources – Any office supply store, your basement or attic - Tissue paper or tracing paper for the diffusing windows – I went cheap with tissue paper.
Suggested sources – Any craft or card store - Gaffer’s tape – LOVE this stuff. Not a cheap item but well worth it. You’ll use it for all kinds of things.
Suggested source – Midwest Photo Exchange. Get the 2″ wide black Permacell. - Posterboard for the seamless background – this is cheap too. I went with a sheet of white and a sheet of black.
Suggested sources – Any office supply or craft store
Then just follow the pictures on this Strobist post and you are all set to have some fun. I chose some of my son’s colorful toys and did some tests. Here’s a few shots to illustrate how simple this is to setup and the great results you can get. Keep in mind, I am very green with off-camera flash still, so if my results are good, think of what you can do if you have some established skillz.
The ever so sophisticated setup. Single flash to camera right, perpendicular to diffusing window.
Test shot with bugs
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| Test shot with octagon blocks | Test shot with circular blocks |
Check out the Strobist Flickr group for more great examples and inspiration.
