DIY: Photo Light Box

So I was reading online that you can make your own photo light box at home without spending a ton of money.  I went to Walmart this week and picked up a few items to make a budget photo light box for still life photography.  I intend to shoot things in the photo box and then paint them if I like the results. Here is what I used to make the photo box:

1.  Large box from Walmart
2.  1 yard of black fabric from Walmart
3.  An x-acto knife
4.  A piece of black poster board from Walmart
5. A desk lamp
6.  A small folding table
7.  A wood box of some to use as a pedestal for your subject matter

All you have to do is cut a hole in the side of the box, put some black paper inside the box (or another color if you'd like) and set up a pedestal inside the box with your subject matter.  (no picture of this step - sorry!)  Then position the desk lamp so it shines through the hole.  I also experimented by holding the light source in different positions.  If you have questions about this set up, please let me know!    

How To: Create a Photo Mosaic

I have been admiring the photo collages and mosaics posted around the blogosphere so I decided to ask google how to make one.  I found a simple way to make a photo mosaic on http://bighugelabs.com/.   I am sure there are more advanced techniques, especially if you have Photoshop, but seeing that I am a rookie, this worked fine!

Here are the steps to take to get a mosaic like the one below:

1.  Upload a group of photos to Flickr as a set.  It can be as few as 2 or as many as 36.
2.  Go to www.bighugelabs.com and click on the Mosaic Maker on the home page.
3.  Follow the steps in the Mosaic Maker.  You can upload from flickr by the set, or by individual photos.  I think uploading a set is the quickest way to go.  You may have to crop some of the photos and play around until you get it right for the size of the mosaic tiles.  
4.  Save the new Mosaic Image as a file on your computer.
5.  Upload the image in your blog post and VOILA:

Torrey Pines State Reserve, March 14th 2010