How to Buy a Light Kit for Photography
Make a list of required and/or desired criteria for your light kit., Choose what kind of lights you want., Find a kit that will allow you to create hard and soft light., Determine your budget., Find light kits among brands of photography equipment...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make a list of required and/or desired criteria for your light kit.
These features include whether you want lights arranged on the floor or ceiling, what kind of photography you will be doing, how many lights you will need, etc.
Floor studio lights and backgrounds can be transported and arranged on stands or supports.
Ceiling lights are more expensive and must be on a rail system for positioning in a rectangular area while background rollers are mounted on the ceiling.
Your type of photography can determine how much light you need.
For taking photographs of someone from the shoulders up, for example, less light is needed than for photographing cars.
Factor in any natural light from windows or photographing outside during the daytime when considering how much artificial light you will need. -
Step 2: Choose what kind of lights you want.
The 3 main categories are "hot," "warm," or "cold." Lights that are "hot" are continuously burning tungsten or Metal Halide Iodide (HMI) bulbs that allow you to clearly see what your photographic results will be. "Hot" lights are not the best for still photography because the heat they give off will make you and your photography subjects sweat and you must make sure all your equipment can work with the heat. "Warm" lights are fluorescent lights that are cooler than tungsten or HMI bulbs but can give the same amount of light.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are better for photography than older fluorescent bulbs. "Warm" lights can be used for taking photos of rapidly moving subjects but the bulbs can be fragile and break during transport. "Cold" lights are powerful electronic flashes created by a studio strobe, which can be a mono light or a power pack/head system.
Both kinds of strobe have an incandescent light bulb surrounded by a flash tube.
The bulb is used to judge the effects and ratio of the lighting.
Mono lights are made of a wall outlet, a block of capacitors, and the flash tube.
The power pack/head system has somewhat lightweight heads connected by cables to a power pack filled with capacitors.
You can adjust the light given by the heads and the overall amount of light, making the power pack/head system a flexible, often used option by photographers. , Hard light creates strong shadows from a light that is small and/or far away.
Soft light is cast by a big, diffuse light and does not create shadows. , Search for light kits that fall within your price range.
If you cannot afford all the equipment pieces you want right away, you may need to buy fewer pieces and add to them later. , This will help you find and buy accessories for the kit more easily when you need them. , Auction websites or pawnshops may offer lower prices but the light kits may be in poor condition and those selling them may not be knowledgeable about photography or the kits' features. , You may be able to find a lower price for a light kit that meets your needs. -
Step 3: Find a kit that will allow you to create hard and soft light.
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Step 4: Determine your budget.
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Step 5: Find light kits among brands of photography equipment that are at least relatively popular.
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Step 6: Look for reputable photography equipment vendors in your area or online.
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Step 7: Compare kits from different stores or sellers.
Detailed Guide
These features include whether you want lights arranged on the floor or ceiling, what kind of photography you will be doing, how many lights you will need, etc.
Floor studio lights and backgrounds can be transported and arranged on stands or supports.
Ceiling lights are more expensive and must be on a rail system for positioning in a rectangular area while background rollers are mounted on the ceiling.
Your type of photography can determine how much light you need.
For taking photographs of someone from the shoulders up, for example, less light is needed than for photographing cars.
Factor in any natural light from windows or photographing outside during the daytime when considering how much artificial light you will need.
The 3 main categories are "hot," "warm," or "cold." Lights that are "hot" are continuously burning tungsten or Metal Halide Iodide (HMI) bulbs that allow you to clearly see what your photographic results will be. "Hot" lights are not the best for still photography because the heat they give off will make you and your photography subjects sweat and you must make sure all your equipment can work with the heat. "Warm" lights are fluorescent lights that are cooler than tungsten or HMI bulbs but can give the same amount of light.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are better for photography than older fluorescent bulbs. "Warm" lights can be used for taking photos of rapidly moving subjects but the bulbs can be fragile and break during transport. "Cold" lights are powerful electronic flashes created by a studio strobe, which can be a mono light or a power pack/head system.
Both kinds of strobe have an incandescent light bulb surrounded by a flash tube.
The bulb is used to judge the effects and ratio of the lighting.
Mono lights are made of a wall outlet, a block of capacitors, and the flash tube.
The power pack/head system has somewhat lightweight heads connected by cables to a power pack filled with capacitors.
You can adjust the light given by the heads and the overall amount of light, making the power pack/head system a flexible, often used option by photographers. , Hard light creates strong shadows from a light that is small and/or far away.
Soft light is cast by a big, diffuse light and does not create shadows. , Search for light kits that fall within your price range.
If you cannot afford all the equipment pieces you want right away, you may need to buy fewer pieces and add to them later. , This will help you find and buy accessories for the kit more easily when you need them. , Auction websites or pawnshops may offer lower prices but the light kits may be in poor condition and those selling them may not be knowledgeable about photography or the kits' features. , You may be able to find a lower price for a light kit that meets your needs.
About the Author
Justin Lopez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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