Introduction: Photo Box: a Portable Product Photography Booth With RGB Lighting

I am a student of product design and I love making things,

but most of the time I end up not documenting any of it. This was mainly because I lacked proper equipment and space to click photographs in.

So, I decided to make a portable photobooth for my studio, and also decided to incorporate RGB lighting and different coloured backgrounds into it.

This instructable is about how I built my photobooth.

I hope the instructable will be informative enough and will help you guys.

Step 1: Materials Required

· 3 x LED board

· White wire

· 12 V adapter

· Female adaptor jack

· MDF board (12mm) (2ft x 4ft) x 2

· MDF board (25mm) (2ft x 2ft) x 1

· White milky acrylic (900mm x 600mm)

· Red, Blue, Green transparent acrylic (900mm x 300mm)

· Screws

· 3mm MS (mild steel) rod

· 1.5-inch PVC foot pegs

· Wire shrink wrap 1 m

Step 2: Tools Required

· Variable speed plunge router

· Table saw

· Drill

· Soldering iron

· Soldering alloy

· Hammer

· Glue gun

· Screwdriver

· Files

Step 3: Cutting the Panels

The enclosure panels are cut out of 12mm thick MDF board,

and base made from 25 mm MDF board (you can also use 12 mm)

Dimensions for each panel is given in the images above. All dimensions are in centimetre (cm). Top, bottom, left and right panels have rabbet joinery.

http://www.table-saw-guide.com/rabbet-joint.html

I used a table saw to cut the outer dimensions of the panels. Then used a wood router to cut the rabbets.

I've attached the panel CAD and 3-D files.

Step 4: Routing Out the Slots

Measure your led board and make the slot on the side and top

boards to fit the board into

I used a bosch variable plunge router to make 6mm deep slots.

Also make slots connecting all 3 slots so that the wires can be placed.

Step 5: Assembling the Box

Assemble the box according to the numbering, apply wood glue

on the rabbets first and then fasten them with nails.

Leave the box for a day to let the wood glue dry.

Step 6: Sanding the Box

Sand the box with a sander to make the rabbet joints nice and flushed

Step 7: Attaching the Foot-pegs

When drilling holes for the screws make sure you drill holes

that are 1-1.5 mm less in diameter than the screw you have selected.

Make sure you don’t drill a through and through hole.

Make sure that there is a snug fit between the board your PVC foot-pegs and the screws that you use.

Step 8: Making the Circuit

Making the circuit is pretty simple.

All the three led panels are connected in parallel.

The parallel connections made then go to the female adapter

Check the +ve and -ve terminals on the female adapter (the female adapter has 3 ports being +ve,

-ve, and ground)

Solder all the connections properly.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-solder-through-hole-soldering

calculate the length of wire for each led panel carefully as the wires have to travel in the groves connecting all three sides of the box.

Stick the led panels in the groves using the glue gun, stick the wires into the groves made.

Make hole in one of the groves, to insert the female adapter port.

Step 9: Laser Cutting the Acrylic ( Complete Steps 7-10 Before Assembling the Box to Make Drilling Holes Easy.)

Cut the white acrylic in a size so that it completely covers

the led panels.

I cut the white acrylic (2mm thick) into 250mm x 250mm squares with rounded corners.

Cut the coloured acrylic squares (2mm thick) slightly bigger than the white ones.

I cut the coloured acrylic into 300mm x 300mm.

I used a laser cutter with a 900mm x 600mm cutting area so I had to cut the acrylic sheets into the size acceptable in the laser cutter.

I've attached the panel and laser cut CAD files. I used 2 mm acrylic for laser cutting. You can change the size of the panels according the shape and size of the box you are making.

Step 10: Assembling the Panels.

Drill holes on the side panels around the slots for led

depending on the size of your white acrylic panels.

I will suggest that you align the white acrylic panels at the canter of the MDF panels stick them in place with masking tape, and then drill holes around the corners (four for each, one in every corner).

Tighten the panels with screws.

Step 11: Making Hooks for the Acrylic Panels to Slide Into.

Cut the 3mm thick rod into 5cm long segments (16 of them).

Bend them into 90 degrees, in the centre.

Cover the hooks with electrical shrink wrap, so that it would not scratch the acrylic .

Step 12: Attaching the Hooks for the Coloured Screens.

Drill holes in the MDF panels keeping in mind the dimensions

of the coloured acrylic panels.

The drill holes should be 1 cm deep, the hooks should stick out at least 1 cm out of the MDF.

Don’t apply the electrical shrink wrap on the side that is going into the holes in the MDF.

May be apply some glue before putting the hooks into the holes.

Step 13: Attaching Hooks for the Paper Backgrounds.

Attach couple of hooks 1-2-inches inwards on the base MDF panel,

facing inwards.

Attach couple of hooks 1-2 inches from the top on the back MDF panel, facing downward.

Step 14: Cutting Papers for Backgrounds

Calculate the distance between the two groups of hooks on

the base and the back MDF panels as shown in the video.

Cut the paper either in a laser cutter or do it by hand.

Step 15: Using Your Photobooth.

1. Choose the background color that you want for your product shoot and place the colored paper in the assigned hooks

2. Select the type of lighting you want and then slide the screens into place accordingly.

3. Switch on the led and adjust lighting

4. enjoy