Ten years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find resources about studio lights for photographers. What’s the difference between a tungsten light and an LED? How do you bounce a strobe light? Which softbox should you buy?
Many pro photographers, like me, initially struggled with all the different studio light options. So, This article is for beginners or those who need a refresher. Before you give up on studio shooting because the lighting equipment is overwhelming, check out our guide on studio lights!
A Quick Note About Studio Lights for Photographers
Before we discuss the types of studio lighting, we need to discuss the actual bulbs and output. Generally, you want to use bulbs on flashes or strobes with true white light. This is usually labeled as a “photography-toned bulb.”
True white light does not cause a color cast. You won’t get the blue or green of a fluorescent or the orange of a warm light.
The point of working in a studio is controlling all the variables. You don’t want to photograph a model with an odd skin tone due to bad light!
Fluorescent Lighting
If you’ve ever been in an office, a clinic, or most indoor commercial spaces, you’ve been under fluorescent lights. Fluorescent light is a low-pressure, mercury-vapor, gas-discharge lamp. It uses fluorescence to produce visible light.
Fluorescent lights are energy efficient but give off a relatively low light output. It’s usually around 60 to 100 watts. The bulbs are readily available, cheap, and easy to replace. But they can be tinted in ways you may not favor.
Fluorescent lights have a very negative reputation in the photography world due to the blue or green color cast they produce.
Some photographers create their own studio lights using non-flicker fluorescent. This can be a quick, cost-effective solution to a dark space on the fly!
A new fluorescent bulb is called a CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light.” These are the curled bulbs you often see photographers using (pictured above). All my soft boxes feature white CFL bulbs tinted specifically for photography.
Finding the right bulb becomes slightly more complicated with the addition of CFLs. Not all are created equal.
CRI is the rating established for lights. It is also known as the Color Rendering Index, which tells you how clean your light is.
The range is from 0 to 100. Photographers should use bulbs with a CRI of 90 or above. (Do not go below 90!)
Fluorescent Light Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Pure White Tint: It’s easiest to find pure white tint using CFLs.
- Cost Effective
- Energy-Efficient: According to the US Department of Energy, a fluorescent lamp normally offers about 25 to 35% savings in energy use. This is compared to a conventional light bulb.
- Run Cold: These lights can be touched when used.
Cons:
- Weak Light: They are not very powerful, and they tend to be a bit dim.
- Unflattering Light: When you don’t use CFLs or buy a cheap bulb that doesn’t adhere to the CRI, the light casts a blue, green, or other unflattering color. You must adjust your white balance to compensate for this discrepancy.
- Mercury: Fluorescents contain mercury, so be careful if one breaks or leaks! Mercury is a very poisonous substance and should not be treated lightly. When a fluorescent lamp breaks or goes out, the EPA has strict guidelines for cleaning and disposing of it.
Flashes, Strobes, and Speedlghts (Speedlites)
When you think of light for photography, flashes, strobes, and speedlights (speedlites) are the first things that come to mind. These extremely popular lighting units are used for a variety of photographic escapades. Most consumer-grade camera models come with built-in flashes.
Flashes, strobes, and speedlights emit tremendous light in a fraction of a second. They don’t produce continuous light like fluorescent, LED, or tungsten.
Many manufacturers produce strobe lighting systems. These systems come with various light-modifying accessories, such as umbrellas and softboxes.
As the light only exists for a fraction of a second, you cannot see exactly how your scene will be captured until you trigger the flash. Once you do, the scene should be lit as expected based on how you positioned the lights.
Strobes tend to be significantly more powerful than continuous lights. And they have a specific style that attracts many photographers.
The power lets you shoot using lower ISO numbers than continuous lights. This bright power can also be intense for your subject. Flashes are also portable. Event photographers often use them to capture nightclubs and other dark spaces.
Flash, Strobe, or Speedlight Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Powerful and Versatile: Flashes are more powerful than any continuous light. They also let you use lower ISO numbers and higher shutter speeds. The final result is unique and specific, a style that some like.
- Rechargeable: Flashes can be rechargeable, and their bulbs tend to last an impressive amount of time.
- Portable: Flashes can be small and easily carried anywhere!
- Perfect White light: Your white balance will have no issues with strobes.
Cons:
- Unable to See Setup Until Fired: You can’t see how the scene is illuminated until the flash is fired.
- Synchronization Discrepancies: From my experience, sometimes flashes don’t fire off in sync with your camera, remote, or other device.
- Can Irritate Clients: The light is shocking and bright, which can be an issue for sensitive subjects. Pets are especially problematic to use strobes with.
- Expensive: Strobes can be pricey, especially good ones!
LED Lights
LED stands for “light-emitting diodes. ” LED lights are very energy efficient and produce little heat. They are also available in panel formats.
Due to their portability and versatility, these lights are becoming the new standard in the photography and video market. Many LED options can be found in online camera stores.
For reference, those trendy ring lights everyone uses for social media are LED lights! I have the GSKAIWEN 180 LED photography studio lighting kit that I love and use often for product photography.
But LEDs are not all created equal. Depending on the brand name and quality, these lights can be either stable or fussy to control. They can also vary from having a good, solid color temperature to being very unstable and flickery.
Most of the LEDs that I have seen have dimmers. Despite that, the quality of the light from LEDs tends to be a bit harsh and doesn’t spread out much. You might need to soften this light with spun diffusion material or bounce it off a wall.
LED Lighting Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Good for Portraits: LED lighting tremendously brings out eye color. Because of the continuous lighting, your subject’s pupils won’t be dilated.
- Color Temperature Choice: You can use either tungsten or daylight color temperature.
- Very Versatile: If you know how to use them well, LEDs tend to be incredibly versatile and adaptable lights!
Cons:
- Not as Bright: These lights are useless in outdoor situations during the daytime. Don’t expect to use them as a fill light!
- Battery Drains Fast: With LED lights, battery life drains much faster than with other lighting.
- Corded System: LEDs will keep you glued to an outlet unless you have a V-tap battery or extra generator.
Tungsten Lights
Tungsten lights are the most common incandescent light bulbs. They provide artificial light to indoor areas.
These lights work by using a tungsten filament within an inert gas. When a current is passed through the filament, the naturally high resistance of tungsten causes the filament to glow. And it emits an orange light.
Tungsten lights offer the highest output levels but generate a lot of heat. The bulbs are inexpensive to replace but can change the color temperature if brightness levels are adjusted.
Tungsten Light Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Brighter: They are much brighter than LEDs and have lower wattage.
- Easy to Find
- Quite inexpensive
Cons:
- Run Hot
- Inefficient: They use a large amount of energy.
- Fussy Color Temperature: Tungsten lights can be very hard to control with color temperature. This is especially true when adjusting the dimness.
- Do Not Last Long: Unfortunately, incandescence does not have a long lifespan.
- Delicate: These lights are easy to break or shake into not working, so be careful.
Diffusion for Studio Lights
It’s best to always diffuse your studio lighting. This ensures that the lighting spreads evenly across your subject and space and doesn’t cast hot spots (overexposed spots in an image). You can buy a flash diffuser or softbox.
Hot spots are unflattering and a pain to retouch. Diffused lighting also works better for white balance than a spotlight.
Most studio kits come with a diffuser, but you can get creative and use a white sheet if yours doesn’t. This can be a bed sheet, a piece of fabric, etc. The white sheet should be somewhat transparent (not too thick). But it should be thick enough that it isn’t completely sheer.
Take this sheet and drape it over your light to create a softbox. This softens and spreads the light. Ensure your lamp doesn’t burn too hot (fire risk!).
Bonus: Colored Gels
Now that you’ve found yourself outgrowing traditional white light a bit… add some color! Colored gels are filters that change your light’s output color. You can buy these at photography stores or make your own.
Gels tend to range in shape, size, color, intensity, and more—there are lots on the market! But the key point is to ensure you know their melting point. Because lights can run hot, you don’t want the gels to melt, as many are made of plastic!
Cellophane is a good DIY way of making gels. Just wrap some colored sheets around your softbox or LED light. The key is to make sure you’re wrapping on lights that run colder, or they will melt. Then just attach it with tape!
The possibilities with gels are limitless. There is so much you can do! For color combinations, if you make your gels have the same intensity, they will match. This also makes editing a lot easier later on.
Conclusion: Studio Lights for Photographers
Now that you know what each artificial studio light is, you can use each to explore the realm of studio photography!
For more tips, check out our post about the best lighting equipment to get started with!
