The world of photography is growing big, and plenty of features and equipment are included in the game. While natural light is the best for capturing perfect and impressive images, it may not be sufficient at times. You’ll need to use a suitable artificial light setup to enhance the photo’s quality and spend less on image editing.
With lots of information available, it may be pretty tricky for newbies to find the right equipment for the task. Are you wondering what photography lighting equipment your photo studio can buy and get stunning photos? Well, you are in the right place. This article explores the best photography lighting equipment for beginners.
Where to start?
In photography, fluorescent, incandescent, flash, and LED are the primary artificial light sources. Their need and nature of use determine which lighting setup you will use during photo shooting. Besides, most of them are AC-powered, meaning that they run on AA batteries.
Therefore, they are incredibly portable, allowing you to take your photographs from any place. However, these light setups give different light intensities. So, be sure to choose a unit that will provide you with excellent light to get fantastic photos.
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Diffusers, Filters, and Gels
Continuous or flashlight can quickly add up to your photoshoots. As for filters or gels, they provide you with the most affordable way to modify the lights in your studio. Besides, they give incredible effects or colors to make a specific portion of a scene or background an artistic effect. As a result, you’ll get excellent and quality photos.
The best thing is, these items are super flexible, meaning that you can carry and use them from anywhere. Additionally, they offer a varied range of use, making them the best photography lighting equipment for any newbie.
You can use it with a flashlight to adjust the color temperature to match other light sources. In turn, this increases the general color balance of a photo. Above all, these units will allow you to get the best out of your studio lighting kit.
Types of Diffusers
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Umbrellas
These deflectors use a reflective umbrella that directs light away from the photo shooting subject. After that, the umbrella sends a highly concentrated shaft of light back to the object.
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Beauty dish
This is usually an ideal choice for capturing portraits in fashion. It works by creating a more exciting light than a softbox. However, it doesn’t give the natural light the same extreme and hard shadows.
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Grids and snoots
These light modifiers focus light downwards to a distinct smaller area of coverage. Therefore, the light strikes the object but falls rapidly, making the rest dark.
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Speedlight Lighting Equipment
A Speedlight lighting kit exists as external flashes and can help disperse the light using softboxes and umbrella lights. Typically, they are relatively faster than regular flashlights, and you’ll find them ultimately versatile.
Speedlight lighting equipment should be your best pick if you are looking to start shooting still and product photos. Besides, Speedlights have lightweights and are very portable. So, you can quickly and conveniently create a photo studio while on the go.
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Continuous Lighting Equipment
With this photography lighting equipment, you can rest assured of getting quality photos at all times. They allow for easy visualization of how the light on your photos before you even begin capturing them. As a result, you can modify your studio’s lighting to suit your needs with ultimate ease.
The best thing is that the continuous lighting kit is a perfect choice for beginners as it allows for easy customization of lights. Other than that, it is cost-effective compared to different kinds of lighting kits. What’s more, there are three types of lighting kits you’ll find here, namely fluorescent, LED, and tungsten. They all work exceptionally to provide the best photo shooting results, but you may have to decide which one suits your photography desires.
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Incandescent bulbs
These bulbs provide light by circulating electricity via a tungsten filament till it starts glowing. They deliver color temperatures that range from 3000 to 3400K.
Pros
- Focused light
- Affordable light bulbs
- Great brightness
Cons
- Not safe on high temperatures
- Sensitive filament resulting in a low lifespan
- Uses high-power
Fluorescent or Photo Compact Fluorescent Light
In this case, electricity generated runs through a tube with argon and little mercury vapor. So, it forms ultraviolet light, making the fluorescent coating known as phosphor deliver visible light. Furthermore, fluorescent lighting kits are readily available for use in photo studios. Often, they don’t overheat, and that’s why most photographers like using them for their studios.
Pros
- Less power usage
- Quite durable
- Emits less heat
Cons
- Costly
- Low brightness index
LED (Light-emitting Diodes)
When it comes to LEDs, they are light bulbs that use semiconductors and electroluminescence to make light. As tiny diodes, they merely get overheated thanks to the continuous movement of electrons inside the semiconductors. Consequently, LED lights are the safest option than tungsten (incandescent) since they don’t get heated up a lot.
Pros
- Uses less power
- Don’t overheat; hence safer
- Incredibly durable and shockproof
- Gives directional light
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- Lumen output may reduce after some time.
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Monolight Strobe Lighting
Usually, moonlight is a term used to refer to self-contained strobe kits and contains sources of power, stands, and reflectors. One good thing with this lighting equipment is that it comes with an additional power generator in the headlamp. Therefore, you don’t have to look for another power source when the battery starts getting low.
Moreover, each of the Monolight strobes should have at least 150 watts. This ensures that you get something that will give you adequate and powerful light for your photoshoots. As a result, this unique photography lighting equipment is best for capturing quality product and model photos.
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Flash Honey Comb Grid
This photography lighting accessory lets you control the light spread of the Speedlights. It works excellently and comes as an affordable option for photographers looking for a controlled lighting kit.
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Flash filter holder
While you can hold color filters in front of the Speedlights using duct tape, you may not get a perfect height or angle for your shoots. Most Speedlights provide high temperatures when set at full power. With a flash holder, you can be sure not to alter or damage the filters or Speedlight itself.
There are plenty of reasonably priced flash filter holders available in the market. Therefore, you can always find a perfect one compatible with your speed, light head shape, and size.
Conclusion
Getting a well-lit studio or photo shooting space is vital for producing top-quality images. And well-lit photos make it easier and cost-effective to edit. Generally, different photography lighting equipment works best for specific photo shooting conditions or needs. So, be sure to choose an appropriate lighting kit when starting your image capturing tasks.
With the above lighting kits, you can expect to find one that works best for beginner photographers. They are super easy to use, and you can combine or modify them in multiple ways to get excellent lighting for your photography.
Are you looking for a top-performing and affordable image editing company? Well, Fixipixi should be your ultimate choice. They use up-to-date editing software, and their experts boast incredible experience. So, you can rest assured to get your photos retouched and edited to perfection.