DIY Mini Photo Studio

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Our household is spawning blogs like bunnies. Since I need all the help I could get, I thought it would be good to up my photo game. We’ve been using a bay window to take some of our pictures. So I started researching a mini photo studio solution.

The goal was to combine a light tent and an infinity wall all in a desktop model. I started by mocking it up in Sketch-up.

All the wood was cut at i3 Detroit, my local hackerspace and brought home for assembly.

The hardest part was figuring out the curve. Sketch-up was a huge help and with little math I figured out the length while leaving a gap to wiggle it in. I used hardboard as it had the most flex and kept me from having to kerf plywood.

A few coats of flat white paint and some lights from the hardware store and this is starting to look like a little studio.

Cover the walls in ripstop nylon from the fabric store and you are all set.

Check out some more pictures here as well as the sketch-up files (right click save as).

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About the
Nick is a cocktail enthusiast from Royal Oak, Michigan. His passion started in college by converting his loft into a tiki bar and equipping it with a selection of tools, glassware and liquors that rivaled most local bars. He currently spends his time researching uncommon and forgotten drinks, reading bartending books and building his ever expanding selection of bitters.
30 Comments

  2. […] totally need to build one of these! Nick Britsky of i3 Detroit designed his mini photo studio in Sketchup and cut the wood at the hackerspace for home assembly. Share this: Pin ItMoreEmailShare […]

  3. I’m going to check out the Sketchup files. I’ve been thinking about building a light tent for my woodworking business.

    Thanks for posting.

    Luke

  5. Instead of hardboard or plywood you could have used some white Formica from your local big-box home improvement store. Already white (flat white, actually, which is good), durable, waterproof and bends pretty well. To save space I have the Formica sheet tacked to the wall and when I need to set up for photography I pull the bottom out and clamp it to a bit of plywood on top of a pair of sawhorses. The drawback there is that there isn’t the built-in mount/support for the scrim and lights that your setup has.

    1. Great idea. As long as it has a matte finish, which it looks like yours has, then you should be good. Sounds like your idea saves a lot of space too.

  6. This is awesome. Is the back curve just a quarter circle, or is that some sort of parabolic thing going on?

    1. Yeah. Just a quarter circle which is about as much math and woodworking I wanted to mix. A parabolic thing would be cool.

  7. Ohh that’s fantastic! Reminds me of a skateboard ramp. I should have built myself one of these when I was taking pictures of all the drinks for my iphone app. Would have saved a ton of photoshop work. Do you have any tips for reducing pesky reflections off cocktail glasses?

    1. What are you shooting with? You could try a polarizing filter.

  8. Hello!
    Can you please tell the dimensions of your mini-studio?

    Thanks!

    1. The exact dimensions are in the Sketchup file. I think it was 60″ x 40″ x 40″. The height is based on the ceiling in my basement and you could scale it up or down. I would highly recommend learning Sketchup it’s free and there are many videos on it. I was using it after about 30 min of videos.

    1. It’s really good for anything. It is a DIY version especially for the lighting so if you up the game on that a bit, it would be better. I’m using it for cocktails (similar to food), my fiance is using it for craft projects and my father is using it for HO trains.

  12. Just wondering , is it possible , (for the really lazy people like me) to get sketch up to print out all the pieces you need annd then just take that list to the hardwood store ? or can I get a ” parts list” some other way ? Basicly I need to just get all the wood cut to the right sizes and so forth

    1. No problem. I was asked to do a step by step which would include a cut list. Give me a week or two and you’ll have your wish.

      1. Hi! Love this! I was wondering if you did post a step by step and cut list? I would love to attack a project like this!

      1. And the light tent that you have linked to, is not the equivalent of the light table that was built here. Two different products, two different uses.

  15. If you’ve gone this far, you might as well go the next step and get yourself some real lights. A couple of used manual speedlights and a sync cord would do you good.

    1. Totally. That is the next step. I’m also using a really basic camera so that purchase will come too.

      1. Speedlites(lights) are nice, but I think you could do just fine with the nylon diffusers and cheap work lights you’ve got (certainly makes all your lights one color temp, which is good).

        Looking at the images I think the next big improvement would be a better lens. A “nifty-fifty”, 50mm f/1.8, lens on just about any used entry-level dSLR would cost only a few hundred bucks and enable you to really adjust the depth of field and get very sharp images for web use.

        To answer the question on why not just buy one of the ready-made “light tents” (other than the DIY!), those things are a bitch to clean and you better not spill liquids on them. Your mini-cyc wall will be much more durable.

        Cool project.

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