
Setting Up a Home Macro Photography Studio
In areas with a harsh winter climate, it is often difficult to get outside to take photos. With a home macro photography studio, you can photograph flowers and other small items in the comfort of your house. A macro photography studio also allows you to better control the lighting and set up of your subject or still life arrangement.
For a home macro studio, you can either buy an inexpensive light tent such as the Cowboy Studio Light Tent or build your own. I decided to build my own studio to save the set up and tear down time of the cowboy studio. I keep my studio set up all the time in my basement. Also keeping the studio set up all the time helps to keep the backdrop from getting wrinkled.
Building your own studio doesn’t have to be elaborate, it can consist of a table with a background thrown over it. I built my home macro photography studio in an afternoon.

Here is what I used to create my home macro photography studio.
- ¾ inch plywood (36 x 36 inches) for the base
- 1 x 3 inch pine boards were screwed to the plywood for raised sides to support the clamping of lights, reflectors and defusers. I did not use the raised sides on the front of the plywood as it could obstruct the photographs.
- A raised frame (25 inches tall) made from 1 x 2 inch pine was attached to the back of the plywood as a stand to clamp the backdrop to the studio.
- For a stand, I set the plywood on top of three layers of moving boxes.
- I used black velvet as the backdrop and clamped it to the elevated frame at the back of the unit.
- The macro photography studio is covered with a plastic drop cloth when not in use to keep dust off of the black velvet.
That’s all it took to build a home macro photography studio. In part two of this blog, I will focus on the other gear needed for a home macro photography studio.
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