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Backlit Macro Project
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About This Project
I have been planning this project for a long time. The idea is pretty
simple. To be able to shoot a backlit subject with a macro lens you
either have to wait for the sun to be juuust right or you need a
light box that can illuminate a subject from beneath that subject.
Light boxes are available for sale of course but part of the fun of a
project like this is to build the equipment you need rather than buying it
off the shelf. The key to a light box is even illumination across as
much of the imaging area as possible. That's harder than you might
think. Any light source within the light box will be more concentrated
nearer the light source than away from it. So the key is to reflect
that light off the interior of the light box to even out the light.
For my version I used 4 florescent fixtures angled to the opposite corners
to reflect the light off of two surfaces. The interior of the light
box is flat white and there are no sharp corners. There is also an
additional diffuser, a white piece of plexi-glass followed by the top plexi-glass
that further diffuses the light.
For most applications this even illumination is not that critical. But
I had a secondary goal with this light box. Not only did I want to use
it for this project but also as an evenly illuminated light source for flat
frame normalization of frames in my astrophotography. I determined
that this light box, which is 20" x 20" has an adequately even illumination
for a telescope of up to 18" of aperture.
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