Using a light box for underlighting. Poser
 

I'm never happy with the lighting I use (light tent, florescent daylight bulbs, white background, camera set to exposure 1.3, even use photoshop adjustment levels, yada, yada) Well, yesterday I tried laying some beads on my light box to see if the photo would improve any. Not too sure if I like the way the beads look, but the lighting did improve. The beads look like they're floating. No shadows at all. Here are 2 photos. One without light box, one with. Critique away!!! Please.
J>

I think the beads look much nicer in the first photo... you can see more surface detail and there's no glare from overhead lights.

The problem I have with eliminating shadows is you no longer can tell it is 3D. Shadows are very important in defining shape.

Thanks ladies. Your opinions and advice is very much appreciated.
:-)
J.

Second picture looks to artificial and manipulated.... Though we strive for perfect pictures they still needs a bit of shadow and irregularities for perspective and comfort to the brain.... The brain will reject something (second photo) as fake if it does not have most of the attributes we expect to see in a object...

Dale