04-13-2010, 06:39 PM
I agree that the ideal situation would be a single point light source (to render the shadows properly) but I suspect that the single point light source would need to be several hundred yards away to make the shadows convincing for the entire layout.
Fluorescent tubes are made in various "temperatures" which give different kinds of light. They make a "sunlight" or "daylight" version which supposedly matches sunlight. The ones I am using are 4100K which are soft white. I would have preferred the sunlight ones, but the supply house had the 4100K as standard with the fixtures and I didn't want to pay extra. I would also prefer the incandescents but it is harder to get the light spread out so that there are no variations in the light on the backdrop. With your "island" concept versus my "shelf" concept, I think I have more backdrop than you will, so this will be less of a problem with your layout.
I can't ever remember seeing a layout that had too much light. (I have seen plenty that don't have nearly enough!) Anyway, it all comes down to compromise because we can't recreate the sun and its lighting effects in miniature.
Fluorescent tubes are made in various "temperatures" which give different kinds of light. They make a "sunlight" or "daylight" version which supposedly matches sunlight. The ones I am using are 4100K which are soft white. I would have preferred the sunlight ones, but the supply house had the 4100K as standard with the fixtures and I didn't want to pay extra. I would also prefer the incandescents but it is harder to get the light spread out so that there are no variations in the light on the backdrop. With your "island" concept versus my "shelf" concept, I think I have more backdrop than you will, so this will be less of a problem with your layout.
I can't ever remember seeing a layout that had too much light. (I have seen plenty that don't have nearly enough!) Anyway, it all comes down to compromise because we can't recreate the sun and its lighting effects in miniature.
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times