Camera Box Information

Probably the most major issue with taking digital pictures of beer cans (as well as pictures in general) is control of the light source. With the shiny metal of beer cans, flash photography is a definite no, requiring a controlled light source providing enough brightness for a clear picture, while attempting to avoid all glare and minimal bounce.

What follows is information on my current iteration of a "camera box" to control the light source. While the camera box may not be the most aesthetic, it does satisfy my three main requirements of 1) portable, 2) easy to assemble and disassemble, and 3) functional.

Portable

Fig 1: Packs flat to 19" x 14" x 5"
Fig 2: Components can be stacked together
 
As can be seen in Fig 1 and 2, the camera box consists of a handful of components which can be stacked flat, one on top of another. The final package is roughly 5 inches thick and approximately seven pounds, able to be packed in an airline carry on. A major priority is that the entire camera setup be portable such that able to travel to take pictures of various collections.
Dimensions of the box:
B = Bottom19" long, 14" wide. Made from 1/2" plywood
S = Sides19" long, 12" tall at the end, 9" tall at the front. The angle starts 11" from the end. Maybe 3/16" thick paneling
E = End12" wide, 12" tall. 3/16" thick paneling
T = Top14" wide, 11" deep. 1/2" plywood
 
Easy to assemble/disassemble

Fig 3: Shell goes together with four bolts
Fig 4: Grey foam board sets inside shell
 
The top(s) and bottom of the camera box are made out of 3/8" plywood, with the sides and back consisting of lightweight panneling. The sides attach to the bottom with four bolts/wing nuts, and the tops attach to the sides with five bolts/wing nuts. The pine blocks glued and stapled to the sides/tops/bottoms when bolted together make for a very sturdy but still portable and lightweight box.
 
The inside of the box is fully lined with grey foam board, including a rectangular section over the top (not shown in Fig 4). The back and front are scored and angled, providing for an almost complete surround of a given beer can. This provides for just enough light bounce as well as reasonable background to the images. Note the foam board pieces are simply set inside the box, not glued, allowing for easy replacement as well as stacking flat.
 
Functional

Fig 5: Flat top, sloped light source
Fig 6: Finished product (minus the camera on tripod)
 
As can be seen in Fig 5, the camera box has a solid flat section, useful for setting light source and/or cans when switching or rotating beer cans. The sloped section has a large rectangular opening, allowing for easy access to placing or rotating a beer can, without need to move the camera or foam front "shield". This rectangular opening is covered with a thin piece of flourescent light cover, and the light source is set on top of this cover.
 
The finished product has a standard utility light with 60 watt soft white bulb. Camera is mounted vertically on a tripod leveled to the camera box. Note that the opening of the front foam shield is larger than the camera lens, allowing raising and lowering of the camera depending on size of the can (e.g. 8 oz cans lower, 16 oz cans higher). Not shown in the pictures is an additional piece of foam board with circle cut to the size of the camera lens. This extra piece sets around the camera lens, and the end of the lens set just to the edge of the front foam shield.

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