Soft boxes are a great way to make photography, especially if you need soft light to avoid sharp shadows around the objects being photographed. I recently got a professional camera and so I started reading photography books so that to build my own photography studio. For my studio (which, of course, will need a softbox) I started making this project out of cardboard, a lamp with a lamp housing, tape, some white fabric and some hot glue.

For this project you will need:

-A lot of cardboard
-Hot glue (with hot glue sticks)
-A metal lid
-Fluorescent bulb (an incandescent bulb will not probably be a good idea as it will heat up the box from inside)

-Tape
-A nut that will fit the tripod`s bolt
-Bulb housing (I used the one from the table lamp)
-Fabric
-Pins
-Tripod
-Some aluminum foil
-Scissors

Step 1:

Cut out the cardboard to the dimensions you deem fit.

Step 2:

Once you have cut out the cardboard, tape the sides of the pyramid as shown on the picture (mine was not exactly a pyramid but it worked just fine as well).

Step 3:

After taping, the box will look very unsteady, but hold on! Add 4 supporters to the end of the sides of the pyramid, then add the support on top (as shown in the picture) . To make the supports, bend the cardboard over the corners, then trace and cut them out. To make the top support, do just the same, but this time cut out the hole for the lamp housing and glue everything in place (glue the corner supports too, of course!). Test whether the lamp housing fits into the hole.

Step 4:

After adding the supports, glue the sides, and the lamp housing in place using hot glue.

Step 5:

Next, drill a hole in the metal lid and in the cardboard. Then secure the nut in place using hot glue (make sure that the nut is exactly in the right place by sticking something through it. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SCREW THE LAMP IN TO THE SOFTBOX BEFORE PUTING THE FABRIC ON!! After screwing the lamp in, line the inside of the box with aluminum foil and secure it in place using hot glue.

Step 6:

Now after you are done making the box itself, let's make the diffusing panel.

To make it, simply measure the diameter of the box and cut the fabric to the needed size (I didn't have fabric so I used paper taped together to make the diffusing panel, but soon I might get a piece of fabric) secure the fabric in place using hot glue, tape or pins.