What to Look for in Professional Photography Lighting
- What Is Professional Photography Lighting?
- Strobes or Continuous Lighting?
- Good Enough vs Great Lighting Gear
- Control and Reliability
- Importance of Portability
- Professional Photography Lighting Recommendation
- How To Use Your Professional Photography Lighting
- Other Recommended Photography Gear
- 6 Things to Know About the Hobolite Mini
- The Hobolite Micro is the Portable Light You've Been Waiting For
As a photography hobbyist, you have likely tried your hand at various photography styles. Many types of photography can be done just fine with the equipment already owned by any serious photographer.
Some types or genres of photography may require developing more skills, learning new techniques, and using additional equipment. A couple that pop up in my mind are portrait photography and product photography.
Professional photography lighting is one factor that can make a huge difference in these photography endeavors. In this article, I’ll introduce you to some basic ideas of photography studio lighting and also show what professional photography lighting kits look like.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
What Is Professional Photography Lighting?
Type into your Amazon search the phrase “photography lighting,” and you’ll see hundreds of items ranging in price from a lunch at a nice chain restaurant to what your dream camera and lens costs.
There are many more considerations besides price. Size and weight come into play, as do what features the lights have. Some may wonder what features are needed; doesn’t it come down to merely flipping a switch for more light?
While it’s true that adding light can be as simple as turning on room lights, for serious photography, more is involved. The quality of light is often actually more important than the quantity of light. And at times, we really do need a hefty amount of light.
This is why we look at professional photography lighting. Just as an entry-level camera or lens pretty much does what professional gear does - take pictures - professional-level equipment is designed to be better, stronger, and faster.
It’s not gear snobbery to want higher-end gear. Going back to entry-level cameras, the sensors on new DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are superb, but there are other things a pro or serious photographer needs besides resolution. Special features, faster lens apertures, and a more rugged build all add up to more capability.
The same thing is true with regard to professional photography lighting. A light source is a light source, but professional photography lighting kits will be just as much higher-end as prosumer and full-fledged pro cameras compared to entry-level camera kits.
Strobes or Continuous Lighting?
Professional photographers are just like anyone else; we have our preferences and perhaps some preconceived notions, especially regarding professional photography lighting.
One big decision regarding a professional photography studio lighting setup is whether to have strobes or continuous lighting. A studio strobe operates like a flashgun, emitting a momentary burst of controlled light. Continuous lights are always on.
While both types of lighting gear are good, I tend to gravitate towards continuous lighting for a few important reasons. By the way, continuous light for my gear means LED lights instead of photofloods. LED lights are much cooler to operate than comparable photoflood bulbs.
One of the reasons for my preference for continuous lighting over studio strobes is that I can see exactly what the configuration is doing to my photo. Even with modeling lights on strobes, a high-quality continuous light shows me a better representation of lighting ratio and colors.
Another reason is that continuous lighting seems less intrusive to some subject matter than the popping off of a strobe. I find that strobes startle pets, young children, and even some adult subjects get distracted by the intense burst.
Additionally, I love dual-use gear. By dual use, I mean video. I have very specific needs and wants for my still photography equipment, such as resolution and low-light capability. Video capability is more than a nice added feature on current high-end cameras designed for still photography. It’s a built-in high-quality feature set.
The video capability and performance of my professional-level and prosumer or intermediate-level cameras are as good as their still imaging. So, I need continuous lighting for my video content creation.
Good Enough vs Great Lighting Gear
I’m not going to dwell too much on this because everyone has a budget, and we all must fit our expectations and desires into that budget reality. I don’t personally know anyone who has a truly unlimited budget for photographic equipment.
We all have to set a line that separates good enough vs great for our photography and videography wants and needs. A higher-end camera or lens has advantages over entry-level gear, as does professional photography lighting gear over entry-level setups.
Though higher-end gear, intermediate or pro level, costs more money, the investment is worthwhile. I’ve found that the longer I use the high-end gear I spent more to get, the happier I am with all of the results, from the final images and videos to the workflow used to get me those results.
Control and Reliability
Control and reliability are two factors I love in professional photography lighting.
Control is important for professional photography lighting in three main categories: intensity, color, and shape of the light emitted. The shape of the light being thrown is mostly controlled by light modifiers attached to or used in conjunction with the lights.
Intensity refers to the power level or how bright the light is. Adjustable power levels allow me to use the shutter speeds and lens apertures I want for the image I’m creating, plus adjustable power lets me set up lighting ratios with multiple lights for professional photography lighting configurations such as Short Lighting, Broad Lighting, or Rembrandt Lighting.
Color is an important component of photography lighting. This includes the color temperature as well as the quality rating of that color. Besides being truer to the color temps on the dial or the LCD display of the lights, professional photography lighting is consistent with less fluctuation.
Reliability means that the lights will hold up under use in less-than-ideal situations, plus it means that the settings will be consistent from session to session.
Importance of Portability
I like to take my professional photography lighting kits with me on location whenever possible, so portability is a huge plus for me.
I find that easily portable lights are also advantageous for photography studio lighting since they make it swift and easy to change from one lighting configuration to the next. A lighting kit that is lightweight and compact is better for this than large, heavy, and possibly cumbersome gear.
This includes more than the lights themselves. Light stands and light modifiers that are easy to handle and yet stay put reliably add to the value of a good professional photography lighting kit.
Professional Photography Lighting Recommendation
Add all of those points listed above together, and there are some very fine contenders for professional photography lighting that could compete for your choice.
One of the leading contenders for my professional photography lighting is Hobolite lighting gear.
Hobolite has been making fine photography lighting gear since 2000, and their newest lights are beautiful examples of professional-level studio and portable lighting equipment.
The Avant 100W Bi-Color Continuous LED Light is a top-tier professional photography lighting option that I have been testing for a while. It’s their flagship model, and you will be pleased with everything it offers.
Here is my PhotographyTalk YouTube channel video covering my four-month test of the Avant:
To hit on the points I listed earlier, Avant is an LED light with a high rating for light quality and can be set for various power levels and can be switched from Daylight color balance to Tungsten color balance for blending in with ambient light or for complete control of video and still image capture.
At 100W, it has plenty of power to light up what I need on set or in the field. The power and color settings are very consistent from use to use, plus the light feels like nothing could harm it, a solidly built light.
Despite the features and rugged build, this light is compact and lightweight enough to be easily moved around the studio or taken on location to a remote location. It can be powered by AC power (plug it into the wall) or by a DC power supply, which is as well built as the light.
Though compact, it can be used with industry-standard Bowens mount light modifiers by means of the available Bowens adapter. So that covers the control of the shape of the shape of the light I mentioned under the Control and Reliability subheading.
The Avant is tough enough for all of the professional use I’ve thrown at it, yet it looks so cool! I have to admit, I do like my gear to portray the higher level of expertise people expect from professional photographers and videographers. Everything Hobolite does, from their carbon fiber light stands to light modifiers, batteries, chargers, and other accessories.
Regarding professional photography lighting, you can’t go wrong with these fine lights and lighting kits. At first glance, the prices may be somewhat daunting, especially if this is the first time looking at professional photography studio lighting, but quality and reliability are worth the investment. Think of it as you would when upgrading your cameras or lenses.
How To Use Your Professional Photography Lighting
Once you have your professional photography lighting equipment, you want to get the most out of your investment. Check out the tutorials on our YouTube channel and all of the hints, tips, techniques, ideas, and in-depth tutorials printed on PhotographyTalk.
We can help you develop more skills, learn new techniques, and find the right equipment for your constantly improving photography and videography. The Hobolite Avant, with its clean, beautiful light, easy-to-use controls, and extreme portability is a great place to start!
