The evenness of the tent lighting is dependent on size, distance and number of the lights used to illuminate the tent itself. The more lights, the larger the light sources and the further away the sources are, the softer the light will be inside the tent.
For example, if you take a small light source and aim it at one side of the tent, depending on the distance to the tent wall, the circle of light created on the tent wall can be made larger or smaller. The larger the circle, the softer the light becomes inside the tent. Light that goes through the walls of the tent also bounces around inside the tent, softening the lighting even more.
Even though the light inside the tent is generally even, there is some controllability regarding directionality of the light within the tent. If you use just one light source to the side or top of the tent, different reflections and lighting directionality can be created to add more interest in the subject. A fully lit tent can flatten the lighting on the subject as to make certain subjects appear very flat and lifeless. By using a single light source or adjusting the distance and direction on each of multiple light sources, sometimes more dramatic reflections or subject dimensionality can be accomplished.
Another way to boost the drama on a subject in the tent is to use varying small pieces of colored paper inside the tent to create new reflections in the subject that would not appear through use of the tent alone. The 8″ reflector that is included with the Alzo 100 Light is small enough to create a somewhat adjustable circle of light to help control how the subject “sees” the side and/or top of the tent.
A larger light source would not give that same amount of control. If the objective is to obtain the most even lighting possible, then the solution other than moving the Alzo 100 further away from the tent, so the circle completely covers the walls and/or top of the tent is to go with larger light sources and/or add more lights. Adding lights on the top and one on each side of the tent will produce the most even lighting but this may not produce the best result as total even lighting reduces dimension and perspective in the product image. Depending on how the camera and subject is positioned, whether or not the background is used fully up the back of the tent and the type of subject, a fourth light can be positioned to aim from behind the tent as well.
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