I started building the metal framework for the lighting rig last night and test fitted the first ‘daylight’ fluorescent tube. It makes such a difference, so much so that I will need to re-weather a load of areas where I can see missing bits. D’oh!!
Here’s some pics of the light in place
…and a few shots of the layout under the new lighting.
Now for the next board
Jon
Is it the “white balance” of the camera or is there now a significant color shift in the backgrounds under the “daylights”? The “Sweet Home” seems much brighter under the new gallery, which should lend itself to excellent depth of field, and over all better viewing live or in print media.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work on the layout and its components. We may see more of your work in print if the entry into the small layout contest got to the US in a timely fashion.
Will
Interesting comment. I honestly think the results are less appealing, with the level of illumination distinctly (and unnaturally) brighter the higher up you go in the scene. At “street-level” the scene seems to me to have a gloomy appearance, as if shot on a very cloudy day. In your earlier shots, to use an old photographer’s phrase, the scenes “popped”. The new ones don’t have that same snap and liveliness. Perhaps a simple exposure adjustment would correct this impression, or will that just bleach out the upper parts of the taller buildings? I’m not sure. One might even consider rotating the light gantry around more toward the front of the module, for a more even illumination of the scene. Given that the module(s) is intended for public display, perhaps the visual appearance is distinctly different from the photographic one?
Anyway, Jon, I was extremely impressed by the photos you’d taken under whatever older system you used for posting images to this forum previously. How was that lighting arranged.
CNJ831
Jon: I like your work. The lighting seems to be very natural. Exactly what tubes did you use?
I like the new lighting, Jon. Comes across as a brightly overcast day.
I also like thr hanging “A” in “Bakery.” Very nice touch!
Slip some blue tubes over the bulbs and you got some great Moon light for running nighttime ops.
Terry[8D]
Phillips daylight fluorescent tubes, 4’ long.
Jon
Good points.
The lamp is only just above the top of the layout at present, as I haven’t made the gantry height adjustable yet. Eventually the height of the lamp will be 1’ above the backscene and there will be 5 tubes in all along the length of the layout.
The lighting effect is indeed rather harsh at present, but I had the ‘yellow’ fluorescents’ in the basement turned off when I took the photos. Under normal light, there are not nearly so many shadows near the track height.
I tried rotating the lights and the effect was much improved. Unfortunately the lights were beginning to put too much strain on the gantry posts, so I bottled it.[B)]
Finally, the layout is an exhibition layout. In an exhibition hall, daylight, the hall lights and the daylight fluorescents will all blend together. I won’t know what this effect will be until November, when Sweethome is next out.