So you want to photograph your collection 2: The Reckoning

2:25 PM on 09.04.2008   |   Qais Fulton

While perusing The Tubes yesterday evening I happened across a post on Ikeahacker that made me wish "bright idea" lightbulbs actually existed, because at that moment mine would've been astounding. Apparently a few folks have had ideas similar to HappySoda's DIY figure photography, building their own photography tents out of household items.

I decided to try building one for myself and documented the process along the way for those of you that want to try it as well. Hit the jump for instructions on how to build your own and some tips for taking better pictures using your new light tent.

I really liked the look of the Jall Laundry Bag light tent set up, but unfortunately there isn't an Ikea within walking distance to me and I'm carless. However, there are a plethora of stores that carry this kind of thing, so it's not necessary to use exactly what was called for. I used a Whitmore Collapsible Laundry Hamper, which I bought at a local grocery megastore. Just look anywhere you can find housewares cheaply and you should find what you need. It is worth noting though, that the laundry hamper I bought cost $20 whereas the Ikea laundry hamper is only $4.

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You might notice here that the laundry bag is wrinkled. It really shouldn't be, but I'm the laziest person I know and so the bag was not ironed and is thus wrinkly. It's not totally necessary to iron the backdrop out as the wrinkles help to hide the seams of the bag, but it doesn't look quite as nice as it could. For this, it's ultimately up to you.

To hold the corners of the bag to the frame of the hamper I sewed on some quick loops and then tied the whole mess together using zip-ties.

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I had all of the materials on-hand, but in hindsight a better method would be to sew velcro straps to each corner for easy repositioning. It doesn't matter how you go about afixing the corners to the frame, so long as they're secure.

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And below, the finished product. I used a desk lamp I had lying around to light up the tent, but any light with a fairly good wattage should work well. I recommend experimenting with your lighting, as I can see this being an excellent tool to create some interesting effects. 

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As you can see, a single lamp lights up the tent fairly well. However the picture was taken with a fair amount of ambient light, so your results may vary depending on how much surrounding light there is.

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All in all this project only cost me $20 and a few hours of my time. Assuming you've got a car and an Ikea in your neighborhood you should be able to complete a similar set-up in half the time for much less money. But before you run off to buy something you may not even need, take a look at what you've already got at home. These builds are simple, and you might find you don't need to spend a dime to get great results the next time the shutterbug bites.