Lightboxes

I recently discovered that a few of my friends and I are all interested in lightboxes.  We were admiring some fine SOTD photos at the time, and at least for me, my main interests are in quickly and easily getting good photos of SOTD ensembles and also of individual razor and brush size items.  Owner reviews suggest that ease of use, lumens, dimming, color temperature, size, build quality, and durability are all factors to consider.  However, it is still hard to know how important different features are, what's worth paying for, and whose products are either well liked or to be avoided.

So, for those of you who use a lightbox, would you please tell us what you've got, what you like about it, and what you wish was better?  If you would rather not discuss your own setup, your advice, recommendations, links, and so on would still be appreciated. 

For those of you who don't use a lightbox, are there anythings in particular that help you take a well lit photo without one, or things that you avoid?  [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][font=Verdana]Your trials and errors, [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][font=Verdana][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][font=Verdana]advice, and [/font][/font][/font]references would also still be appreciated.[/font][/font][/font]

Thanks in advance.




PS  If this post looks familiar, it is because I started a lightbox thread with a somewhat different title in the wrong forum a few days ago.  I am trying again here.

This is the one I've been considering:

https://www.amazon.com/Emart-Photography...B07922MDPG

Seems to be popular and mostly positive reviews.

Sure, we could all build one of these, but for $40 shipped it might just be easier/quicker to buy one.

Hi, Mike.
I don't have a proper lightbox, but I use a collapsible fascimile for some indoor photos, at times. It isn't very useful as I don't have any lighting for it, except for the sun and that can pose problems.
Personally, I much prefer taking outdoor photos as the natural light is the best thing to use. However, I rarely take outdoor photos on sunny days. Cloudy or overcast days I find to be the best as this seems to reduce shadowing or contrast between light and dark.
Please, understand that I have very limited knowledge as I am an amateur at this.
Hopefully, someone with more experience will offer their views.
Best of luck.

Lightboxes are great as they offer control over your light situation but, as celestino mentioned, indirect sunlight can really make the difference.

Consider backdrops, textures, and staging. Consider using a lamp you have that can be moved or adjusted to offer different light configurations.

Photography masters often considered the craft as the observation and capturing of the right light scenarios. The lightbox could help with that, but at the risk of limiting the possibilities. Some enjoy the adventure of chasing the light, others seek consistency. Take your pick!

Thanks to all you, Stubble Daddy , celestino,  and AQU for sharing these helpful ideas and information!

This is the one I've been considering:

https://www.amazon.com/Emart-Photography...B07922MDPG

Seems to be popular and mostly positive reviews.

Sure, we could all build one of these, but for $40 shipped it might just be easier/quicker to buy one.

Yes, $40 shipped sounds good.  What's more, it is #1 in Photo Background Shooting Tents, so a lot of Amazon shoppers must think it looks good too.  What strikes me is the price, simplicity, and modest footprint.

Hi, Mike.
I don't have a proper lightbox, but I use a collapsible fascimile for some indoor photos, at times. It isn't very useful as I don't have any lighting for it, except for the sun and that can pose problems.
Personally, I much prefer taking outdoor photos as the natural light is the best thing to use. However, I rarely take outdoor photos on sunny days. Cloudy or overcast days I find to be the best as this seems to reduce shadowing or contrast between light and dark.
Please, understand that I have very limited knowledge as I am an amateur at this.
Hopefully, someone with more experience will offer their views.
Best of luck. 

It is very interesting to read your take on things because your photos seem to be excellent as a matter of routine.  It is not my place to critique others, and I want to be careful about doing do, but I will allow myself to say - among other things - how effective I find your use of backdrops, textures, and staging (as AQU suggested).  As for [font=Verdana]outdoor photos, [/font]I do take [font=Verdana]them sometimes, with both successes and frustrations in bright sunlight.  It's good to know I am not alone in these frustrations.  I have thus far tried to shoot in the brightest light, thinking it was best, but I will now experiment more with cloud-lit photos.[/font]

Lightboxes are great as they offer control over your light situation but, as celestino mentioned, indirect sunlight can really make the difference.

Consider backdrops, textures, and staging. Consider using a lamp you have that can be moved or adjusted to offer different light configurations.

Photography masters often considered the craft as the observation and capturing of the right light scenarios. The lightbox could help with that, but at the risk of limiting the possibilities. Some enjoy the adventure of chasing the light, others seek consistency. Take your pick! 

I'm glad you suggested backdrops textures and staging.  I notice that a respectable number of member use them effectively, so I may have to step up my nick-nack shopping.  As far the the tradeoffs between lightboxing and chasing the light, I appreciate your pointing that out.  As to which pick to take, my own answer is an unequivocal "Both!" 

I've been using THIS ONE for a few months.  It's 16x16 which is ok for basic SOTD photos, but I wish I would have gotten one a bit bigger for my YouTube thumbnails.

You can check out my Instagram page to see what I'm able to do with it: 
https://www.instagram.com/theshavingdisciple/

I've been using THIS ONE for a few months.  It's 16x16 which is ok for basic SOTD photos, but I wish I would have gotten one a bit bigger for my YouTube thumbnails.

You can check out my Instagram page to see what I'm able to do with it: 
https://www.instagram.com/theshavingdisciple/

Lookin good on IG Garrett. How long have you had the SAMTIAN?

HighSpeed if you find yourself out on a bright day, you can always place you subject in the shade of a tree, house, or other object. It should be bright enough, but without the harshness of direct sunlight. 

When I worked as a wedding photographer, this saved my behind quite a few times.

I've been using THIS ONE for a few months.  It's 16x16 which is ok for basic SOTD photos, but I wish I would have gotten one a bit bigger for my YouTube thumbnails.

You can check out my Instagram page to see what I'm able to do with it: 
https://www.instagram.com/theshavingdisciple/

Lookin good on IG Garrett. How long have you had the SAMTIAN?

2 or 3 months. I have a spot in the bedroom where I just leave it up all the time, but it does collapse.

It is very interesting to read your take on things because your photos seem to be excellent as a matter of routine.  It is not my place to critique others, and I want to be careful about doing do, but I will allow myself to say - among other things - how effective I find your use of backdrops, textures, and staging (as AQU suggested).  As for [font=Verdana]outdoor photos, [/font]I do take [font=Verdana]them sometimes, with both successes and frustrations in bright sunlight.  It's good to know I am not alone in these frustrations.  I have thus far tried to shoot in the brightest light, thinking it was best, but I will now experiment more with cloud-lit photos.[/font]

Thank you for your kind words, but I really should learn how to improve my photos as I have never really researched or learned how to do so. I just do everything, intuitively.

By the way, I don't mind criticism as I am always willing to learn.