DIY easy and inexpensive softbox.

I met with a local model recently to discuss an upcoming photoshoot. I'm a natural light photographer, so normally I don't use or want studio lighting of any kind, but this shoot requires it. It's getting too cold out to hold a 3+ hour shoot outdoors. I didn't want to let this opportunity pass me by just because I don't own any professional lighting equipment. So what's a broke photog to do? Well, make your own softboxes, of course!

So I started searching online for a good DIY softbox tutorial and discovered that there's a lot of different ways to do it, 95% of which were confusing, took a lot of time to make and required materials that I didn't already have around the house. I knew there had to be an easier, cheaper way to do it. So here's my step-by-step guide to making your own softbox.

Materials:

1. large piece of heavy-duty cardboard. (Check out your local hardware/tool store. They usually have large boxes laying around that were used to ship big, heavy objects. I wouldn't recommend using an ordinary cardboard box because you'll be working with it a lot and the slightest bend or rip and your whole project is ruined.)
2. black duct tape
3. aluminum foil
4. glue stick (You'll be using this to stick your foil to the inside of the box. A glue stick works better than regular Elmer's glue. It provides a flatter, less messy finish.)
5. 100watt CFL light bulb
6. workshop clamp light (or some sort of lightbulb socket with cord and plug attached. I used a clamp light because I can remove the silver dish and use it later for a DIY beauty dish!)
7. self-stick velcro (You can find these at any craft store. They're less than $3.00 and come on a long roll.)
8. large piece of white cotton fabric. (I bought mine for less than $5.00 but you can use any semiopaque white fabric. A t-shirt or an old sheet would work fine.)
9. box cutter or scissors
10. ruler or measuring tape

Step 1:
Cut your cardboard box into a rectangular piece approximately 30"x25". My measurements yielded a finished box approximately 23"x25". You can adjust the size of your initial piece accordingly if you want a larger or smaller box.

Step 2:
Draw a rectangle in the center of the cardboard approximately 10"x8". The longer side of the inner rectangle should be parallel to the longer side of the cardboard.

Step 3:
Use your box cutter to create a perforation around the inner rectangle. This will make the folding process much easier. Do not cute all the way through!

Step 4:
Use your box cutter to cut diagonal lines from the corners of the inner rectangle to the corners of the cardboard, like this:

Step 5:
In order to fold the box up to resemble the softbox shape, you'll need to remove a triangle-shaped piece approximately 3 1/2 inches wide from both long sides, like this:

Step 6: Fold the box until the edges meet and secure with duct tape. Like this:

You'll notice a bit of overhang on the top and bottom. This has a purpose I'll show you later. Don't remove it.

Step 7: Cut a 1-2 inch X shape in the center of the inner rectangle. This will form the hole where you will secure the light fixture and bulb. I'm sure there's a much sturdier way to secure the light fixture but I was on a budget, so duct tape worked for me.

This is the view from the back of the box. You can see I positioned the fixture leaving the on/off switch easy to access.

Step 8: Cover the outside of the box with duct tape. This isn't a necessary step, but it does make the box more aesthetically pleasing and adds extra strength

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Step 9: Remember the extra cardboard that overlapped the top and bottom of the box? These will make your outer frame to hold the fabric. To finish the frame, use scrap cardboard and cut long pieces to fill in the missing side pieces. Use duct tape to secure.

Step 10: Crinkle up large pieces of aluminum foil and re-flatten. The crinkles work better at diffusing the light than flat foil. Secure to the box using the glue stick. Work in small sections at a time so your glue doesn't dry before you get the foil on.

Step 11: Clean up the edges with extra duct tape. Again, this isn't necessary but does make the whole thing look prettier.

Step 12: Cut 12 2-inch pieces of self-stick velcro. Place 3 on each side, evenly spaced, on the outside of the box frame. Placing them on the outside of the frame as opposed to the inside of the frame allows you to stretch the fabric. Placing them on the inside of the box would cause the fabric to sag.

Step 13: Cut a piece of your fabric 1 inch larger on all sides than your box. Place the box on top of the fabric as a guide when securing your velcro to the fabric. Like this:

Step 14: Stretch and secure the fabric to the box. You can clean up the edges of the fabric if you like using scissors or double-sided tape to "hem" the edges, but again, it's not a necessary step.

Voila! You're done! 

This whole project cost me less than $20. Had I already had a clamp light, light bulb and duct tape laying around the house, it would have been free! This was super easy to make and really opens up my photo possibilities. It was definitely worth the time and money spent.

Below are my initial test shots. 

This is my husband, who is incapable of  not making his "blue steel" face whenever  I have my camera pointed at him. I had the softbox about a foot away from him positioned above and to the left of the subject.  

I can't be too mad at him about the "blue steel" face because he's a chef and makes yummy things like this for me!  In this picture the softbox was about 2ft from the plate and only slightly to the left of the camera. You'll notice that moving the softbox back a foot created a softer, all-over light compared to the sharp shadows in the previous photo.

This softbox will work great for close-up portraits, product and food photography. It's a bit too dim for wide shots because it doesn't light much beyond 5ft. If you need a brighter light, I suggest having a look at this DIY Spiderlight. It's more than I care to tackle right now but worth a look if you have the patience and know-how.

I hope you find this article helpful! I'm hoping to start a few other DIY lighting projects soon, including a reflector and ring light. Feel free to share your DIY projects with me in a comment. Good luck!