Indoor Light Box Jewelry Photography 101 - Road Gets Easier for Lyn

So I moved my handmade light box to the dining room above my computer. It was the right thing to do. It's on a shelf above my computer monitor which turns out to be eye-level. Eye-level is a really good thing.

Photographing jewelry in a light box has a very steep learning curve - at least for me. And quite naturally, I've taken the longest route to finally mastering it. If there were a longer route, I would have taken it! I always take the long way.

I made my lightbox out of foam board. I have two shop lights with day-light CFL bulbs in them. Those are the curly cue bulbs that will last for years as long as you don't break them - yeah, I've done that. I can move the lights to any position with the squeezy clamps on them.

The big breakthrough here is that I lined the box with a big piece of white felt. It's really WHITE in the light box, really, really white! And it really works!

So, if you have trouble with photographing your etsy wares, here's all you need to do.
1. Make a box out of foam board.
2. Line it with white felt.
3. Turn on the shop lights and aim them right in the box.
4. Set something in there to display your item.
5. Lay your creation out attractively.
6. Get out your camera and turn it on.
7. Turn OFF the flash
8. Turn ON the Macro Setting.
9. Keep shadows out of your picture.
10. Get your camera to within eight to ten inches.
11. Use a tri-pod if you must.
12. Snap away!

Oh, and use Picasa to do the cropping and adjust the lighting.

Happy Snapping!