My set up for indoor projects photos

So you can buy these cool kits to take photos of small items indoors, like for ebay or similar. But they can be a bit pricey. So I made up my own little system.

You need Ott light/craft light to get good lighting and color. I bought the knock off brand of light at J's on sale.



Then I put a foam core board for my back drop. I did a bad job cutting the sides so they are uneven! lol Scoring and folding the board will give you little "wings" on the side so you can do shots from the side of your project if you want.



I had a box (the one my lamp came in) underneath as my work surface. I chose to use a piece of white foam (that stuff for kids, in the kid section at J's or M's) to cover the box because it won't get wrinkled so it holds up better to wear and tear.



So a bad shot of the whole thing:


Works great for small projects (obviously I would get in closer for the real project shot, just showing how it looks from a distance)



And I tried an easel for pages but realized I don't need it. I lean the page against the back for the normal shots:



And for macro detail shots, I lay it down



the only thing to decide is where to put the light and what angle you want it to hit the project.

Light placed in front of the project:


Above project:


On the side:

You're my queen of the tips!

Hey Bree-
I use two lights, one to each side, to eliminate shadows.

Love it!

thanks for the tips
right now I scan everything, but hopefully I'll be brave enough to try this soon

I keep forgetting to pick up the foamboard when i'm at the art store

I need a new one... my old one has gotten beat up since I have had it for over a year.

thanks for posting this Bree, I need to make a photo box!

You're welcome! I love my set up. It has made my life SO much easier. I no longer have to wait for sunlight.