DIY Photography Light Box for Jewelry

Taking photos of jewelry items can be challenging because of their small size and often reflective property, which affects the overall quality of the photos. Being significantly smaller than people and landscapes, shooting jewelry requires better lighting sources to fit their small size and make them properly exposed on camera. Lighting them also becomes another challenge because most of them reflect the camera and lights on their shiny surfaces. Using a light box when shooting is one of the most accessible solutions to avoid these concerns.

Instructions

Cut five equal squares from the white cardboard and tape them together into a cube with one open side. Or, if working with a premade box, remove any lid or cut away any top flaps. Tip the cube or box on one side, leaving the open side facing you similar to a diorama or dollhouse; through the open side is where you will place your jewelry and take the photos.

Cut a large hole measuring 5 by 5 inches on the top surface of your box. The hole may be larger if you prefer to make or use a box more than 2 by 2 feet in size.

Cover the top hole with at least two layers of tissue paper. Stretch out the pieces to make them flat and layered on top of each other. These serve as diffusers of the light that passes through the top of the box. Softer lights help minimize deep shadows on the jewelry being shot.

Although you can secure the layers of tissue paper on top of the hole, you can make them temporary attachments for your box. This way, you can actually replace them with red or blue gels that can serve as colored filters for your other photos. In some cases, you may also want to leave the hole uncovered or have it covered it with thicker layers of tissue paper or other possible covers that can completely stop the light from passing through it.

Place your lighting equipment in specific areas where they make your jewelry look good. These can include professional lighting equipment or practical options like ordinary light bulbs, LED lights, or even study lamps.

There may be varying possibilities when it comes to lighting a particular photography subject, but as a basic guide, use one main source of light called the key light and a supporting light called the fill light. This requires placing the key light in front of the box, but either on its left or right side. You can place it on the upper or lower part of the box or just focused on the middle. The fill light is usually a softer or more diffused light typically placed opposite the direction of the key light. You can also position your fill light or add another fill light on top of the box to help further illuminate your jewelry subject.

Place the jewelry you want to shoot inside the light box. Adjust it and/or the lighting set up to favor your preferred look for your subject, then begin the photo shoot.

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