I've been taking pictures the same way for a while now. I'll drape a cloth over a chair, turn off all the lights, use one pose able lamp, and a hand held digital camera with no tripod.

They all end up looking like this:



Now I know it's really moody and gives off a great vibe and a sense of style, but they look more artsy than professional. When I decided to put stuff up on Ebay, I knew I needed to take different kinds of pictures to show off more detail and be more professional. I'm always gonna take moody pics of any custom I make, and I'm also going to do it this other way.


You can go out and buy a light tent or diffusion box, and both will work great, but they can be pricey. So I looked around for some Do it Yourself light boxes and I think this one is perfect if money is a problem or you're just cheap.

Here's one
http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/458

Now this guy made his collapseable and used coat hangers. I didn't think that was necessary so I found another guy who used a cardboard box instead.

Here it is with instructions. I based mine off this one.
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/scann...lightbox_3.htm

So I took some stuff from both and made this one.










It looks like crap I know, but it actually works pretty well. Any kind of poseable table lamp will do and I recommend having the non-lamp side facing a window for more light to enter. Two lamps would be better but I only have one. Then all you need is a piece of construction paper in the middle and a camera(which I won't even go into) and you're all set.

Here are some pics using the light box.





Hope this was helpful.