ALZO 100 COOL LITE MACRO TABLETOP STUDIO Part 2

Part 2: ALZO Macro Tabletop Lighting

The ALZO Macro Tabletop makes for a very convenient setup to shoot small subjects that are best viewed laying down flat (coins, stamps, jewelry, mementos, photos, etc.). Depending on the reflectivity and dimensionality of the subject, direct lighting with both ALZO 100 Cool Lites may be perfectly suitable, especially with 2-dimensional objects with little or no reflectivity. For more dimensional subjects with low reflectance, the lights may need to be positioned at different distances to avoid a “double” shadow, where the shadowing is even on both sides of the subject and is usually not very attractive. Use one light a bit closer as the “main” light and one further away used as the “fill” light to add detail to the shadow side of the subject. That lighting setup helps to minimize the “double” shadow and define the dimensionality of the subject with one part of the subject slightly darker than the other. If the subject is too reflective for direct lighting, then diffusers can be placed between the subject and the lights to soften the lights more. If the reflectivity of the subject is still too strong, then a light tent may be employed for a very soft even light. Even though the light tent diffuses and spreads the light fairly evenly, there are some minor adjustments that are possible in the way the subject reflects the lights by adjusting the ALZO 100 Cool Lite’s positions. To soften the lighting even more or to add an additional reflection on a highly reflective subject, employing a third or fourth light through the tent is possible.