Step 2.  eBay, or Home Depot or anywhere they are affordable,  will have clip on industrial hallogen lights which should cost you no more than $10 each and two are about right.  They do get very hot so be sure to get the box large enough to work with hot lights. With clamps one can adjust the light to the sides, front, or where ever the best angle for photos is located. The lights come with excellent mobility in the large thumb screws and  wing nuts so any angle of lighting can be achieved very handily.

Step 3. Line the box with non light reflective cloth, a black or dark blue bath towel works, as does any old discarded black cotton dress from a thrift shop. Try to have fun and don't spend a lot of money. Yellow, green, dull red work but my favorite is black. Attach the cloth with the metal office clips used to hold stacks of paper.   I often use a black hand towel on the sides and a black cotton handkerchief on the bottom.
Step 4.  Under the bottom cloth, place a small flat 3" tall cardboard box the size of the interior of your wooden photo box and it  will provide you a little height and make a nice little storage area in the front to keep your supplies like small plastic display stands/rings, ruler (I often use a bright colored ruler or scale cube).  At times I have used a pointer to show an exact spot on the specimen. Sometimes the specimen needs propped up, sometimes a coin is the answer for a scale, or even one's hand works nicely if you have photogenic hands and clean finger nails...you would be amazed at what I have seen on ebay for dirty hands holding clean specimens.
Step 5. Experiment with your digital camera's settings for light and back ground lighting. Halogen and incandescents are different and you can get an unhealthy blue or yellow cast if your lighting is set wrong on the camera. Florescent lighting gives me fits at times as well so be advised to practice.  Focal length is also of some concern at times.
Step 6. Practice makes perfect. I experimented with a sheet of glass and colored paper and placed the lights below and above so the specimen appears to float in a sky of blue.  Many meteorite dealers are exceptional at photography using photo boxes. Yellow cloth works with green rocks, blue is good with tan or yellow rocks. Remember junior high art class and all the color wheel compliments?
One's hand is always nice for scale and color but alas, I always go back to good old black background and a stand for my steady color photography. One's eyes go to the center of the picture and to specimen when black is used. In the last picture you can see the Trona is almost floating with the small stand it is setting on.  Great pictures sell items better. Sorry but the size of the photos that can be listed here eliminate any of the fine detail that is gained with correct lighting so you can just dream of the positive results.  Again, time spent with pictures result in better sales. To redo this guide, I should have used a softball sized white rock in the first three pictures, see what small and brown does? Always try to balance the specimen to the photo.  My point was for you to see the black box, not the small brown meteorite in the picture.
Now, since it is dark out and it has been a long day, here are some simple pictures of my light set up. Simple, low cost, functional, and very handy!  And, Mr. Tom Bodet, don't forget to turn out the lights, they get really hot!







Simple, the eye follows form and function. Light balance offers color, background distraction is nearly zero. 
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