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I'm curious what peoples' reasonings are when they make and build their little lightboxes and such for snapping photos of their minis.

Well, a pure white background allows the camera to properly colour-correct.
It might be a bit harsh though, so a nice sky-blue or light grey with a gradient is a bit more easy on the eyes.

A light background also reflects light better allowing for more light to actually hit the model.

People who think that their ratty cutting mat, their computer monitor, a pile of paint-pots and a few other projects in various states of completion is a good back-drop are simply idiots.

It gives a **more true** representation of what your model would look like in person.

Given, that's all assuming the camera that these individuals are using is a better-than-average camera.

Ultimately, it depends on what you're trying to show with your picture. If you want people to see details and color fades you'll want to use a light box. If you just want people to critique/comment on the conversion you did, the general color scheme, etc. you won't necessarily need one.

I haven't got a lightbox yet; at least, until my Foldio arrives.

A mate of mine suggested covering my daylight lamp with a translucent plastic bag, to help light diffusion.

Worked a treat. I can now get decent photos with my miserable Galaxy Note camera.

Steelmage99 wrote:
People who think that their ratty cutting mat, their computer monitor, a pile of paint-pots and a few other projects in various states of completion is a good back-drop are simply idiots.

Yeah, or they might not know any better because of lack of photography experience.

I used to use a solid black backdrop in my lightbox, but I didn't really like it so I switched to these that I printed on 11"x17" paper. Depending on the color you use it can totally change the picture of your miniature. I also do some basic editing to my photos, primarily adjusting color levels to make the photo resemble the model more closely.

I think you want something of similar brightness to your model. Often you see people use white backgrounds and model looks dark and underexposed while the background is bright and over exposed.