Making a light box for fly photography

[ghostdncr]

There's never enough light. At least that's how it seems whenever I try taking pictures of my flies. I decide to build a light box just for fly photography, and I set out to do it for around $10. I'm hopeful the following will prove useful if you're faced with a similar situation. I'm already considering improvements, though.

First, find a suitable cardboard box, some duct tape, white paper, white plastic grocery sacks, and lights. I picked up these little AA-powered headlamps at Harbor Freight for $4.99 each.



Using a utility knife, cut the flaps off the box and set aside:



Next, cut openings in the sides of your box. This is roughly what you're trying to achieve:



Cut to size and install the white paper to the remaining sides of the box.



Cut the grocery bags into squares slightly larger than the openings you cut in the box's sides. I settled on using three layers, as that gave the best combination of diffusion and penetration. Secure with a piece of duct tape across one edge, then install tightly across the openings in the box's sides.



Test your light source to see if you have good diffusion and plenty of brightness. I don't, but will be changing to a more powerful light later in the week. I couldn't find the lights I was looking for, so went with these as a temporary solution.



I'm affixing this box semi-permanently to a shelving unit in my closet, which will serve as a photo station for fly photography. I'll attach its top to the underside of the wire shelving using heavy pipe cleaners and notching the bottom so my vise merely slides into place when I'm ready for a pic.



Here it is set up and ready to use.



And here's one of a size 14 Stimulator taken inside my new light box. Please overlook the obvious need for a better camera and the insufficient light offered by the headlamps. Both issues will soon be addressed.



A little creativity can go a long way toward making better photographs of your flies and as you can see, it doesn't take much money or effort to construct a working light box.

[Hardyreels]

Man! You guys never cease to amaze me with the ways you figure out to do things. I realize that I am so crude when I look at the things that others build! That is slick John, I will not describe how I take a picture of a fly but it's a wonder they come out at all I guess. I may have to up scale my operation someday.

Nice work and great results,

Ard

[HuronRiverDan]

Nice job on the light box, and the step by step...

Thanks,

Dan

[stl_geoff]

Those fold out/pop up small sized laundry hampers also make excellent light boxes. They can be had for cheap, look in dorm room furniture.

[kelkay]

Now that whole idea is ingenious, I love it!

[ghostdncr]

After deepening the vise notch and playing around with the lighting, I managed these shots. Two of a Polar Shrimp variant and one of a size 24 midge common to the Cumberland River area. The midge really should've been photographed from overhead or beneath, as it doesn't look like much at all from the side. Also, please remember these were taken with a $100 Kodak point and shoot camera so let's focus on the lighting and not the poor image quality. :P