It's been awhile since I last blogged about setting up a DIY studio so I got inspired while reading DPS' article on How to Make an Inexpensive Light Tent. I instantly cut out a recycled Amazon box and old poster, used a TV foam packaging as diffuser, and made a trip to the Home Depot to buy two 65 watt daylight bulbs and two clamp lights (medium size). I also scoured for a box cutter, tape and scissors.

This is my first time shooting with a DIY tent but have shot some on a professional tent before. What do you think of the results in my DIY tent? I adjusted the white levels of the raw file to get a crisp white background.

The subject, a pint of ice cream tub, was also a project I collaborated with DeLise. If you notice, the printing company didn't do a very good job on the colors since this was meant to be a sample.

I wrote the message on the back of the tub. My food writing class came into play here. And yes, I am a jack of all trades when it comes to food- from designing, photographing and writing (and blogging, of course). I might as well open a full service food consulting firm! Ha!

I positioned the two clamp lights on each side and then adjusted the height and angle depending on where the shadows are and what I wanted to highlight/focus on the photo. Overall, my DIY project cost me less than $30, and I've been reusing the same setup for other shoots. This is how you can also obtain high quality photos for ebay, etsy, etc. with a clean white background. Have fun and don't cut yourself while at it!