Light over the lathe

[Woodshop]

I like a couple of these: http://amzn.to/2zC7x2c
in clamp fixtures: http://amzn.to/2zrJG4z

So I can move them around as needed.

That's what I use outside my photo cube , one on each side and one on top, works great

[Wild Turkey]

I took down the old florescent light and put up a 5500 LED. It certainly brightens up what I'm working on but it changes the appearance of the item also. To harsh. What do you use? Would lower lumens be better.

Back to the original post -- I suspect the tubes are smaller than the florescent you replaced giving a less diffuse light which our eyes tend to see as "harsh".  

Do you have a diffuser lens over the fixture?  

Is it one tube or two?  could you move the lights further apart?

What about a larger white reflector behind the tubes?

HTH