Using a Light Tent
by A.B. Russell
eBay Staff Member

Not long ago, a reader wrote to ask about photographing very highly reflective subjects. While shooting silverware, he was seeing reflections of everything in the room. It appeared that he had a misconception about using a light tent, so I thought it was a subject worth writing about.

A light tent doesn't have to be a huge, floor-standing structure. You can, in fact, adapt a tent to be as large or small as you need it. Even better, you can also make it yourself at a very reasonable price.

The first thing to do is determine the size tent you'll need. For small items such as silverware, about 18 inches should be very adequate. Larger items will, of course, require larger tents. You can use any of a number of materials to build your tent. PVC tubing is inexpensive and easy to use, and it's also easy to find.

You can make the frame using three-way connectors to join the framework together. Simply cut your tubing into the desired lengths, and then plug the ends of the tubing into the connectors. It's up to you whether you want to put one across the bottom front - it may help with stability, but it could be in the way, too.

Once you've made your frame, just cover the outsides with tracing paper, butcher paper or cloth to diffuse the light. When you're making the cover over the side you'll shoot from, you can slit the paper or cloth, or cut a circle in it for your lens. If you prefer, you can make the opening for the lens larger, but you'll want to be certain that you don't leave it so wide open that it defeats the purpose.

There are other ways to go about getting a tent, too. There are several commercially made tents; some are available here on eBay. They are also available in a variety of sizes so that you can find one to fit your needs. They do cost more; the advantage I can see is with ease of setup and tear-down.

Lighting is the same as we've been discussing throughout my articles. You can place a light on one side or on both sides, depending on the amount of shadow you want (or don't want) in the image. You can place one light farther away from the tent to create a small amount of contrast. You can place the lights higher or lower in relation to the subject. You can even take it outside and use the sun as a light source. In fact, for some purposes this might even be the best alternative.

In summary, using a tent provides simplicity and flexibility. What more can you ask?