One genius thing that I saw at the Maker Faire was at a booth describing digital photography hacks. They had set up a cooler-- the kind you store your picnic beers and sandwiches in, and put a clip-on light (the kind you get from a hardware store) and voila! Instant, cheapo lightbox! I tried it out when we got home and took a photo of one of my favorite Jeanine Payer necklaces, the Mizu, in sterling silver. I used a flourescent bulb, daylight kind. The same one I use to expose my silkscreen photo emulsions. The very first try was not bad, although I had to Picasa it a bit.