LIGHTING

"Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting"

/thread

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Does anybody on /p/ have experience with LED hot lights for still photography?

I'm switching camera brands, and rather than buy a bunch of speedlights again, I was thinking an LED setup that would also work for video interviews would be a cool idea. I'll be using the lights mostly for portraits and cosplay photography, and they'll be close to the subject, so I don't need a ton of power, just soft and even light. My budget for a two light kit is around $1k max.

I was looking at these Fiilex P100s at FilmTools the other day and they seem like they might be a pretty cool option, they're tiny, battery powered, and output around what a 100w strobe does. I figure I can shoot them through my existing pair of 24" softboxes.

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>>2841610
I was shooting portraits with 1-2kW Arri hotlights and Chimera softboxes for a long time because it was the only thing I could easily rent till I got my first Elinchrom strobe set. Continuous lighting for portraiture fucking sucks, even with Arris. The amount of power you'd need to compare even to small strobes is ridiculous.
I'd decide what field (stills or video) is more important for you at the moment and then go with that kind of lighting. these kind of compromises suck

>>2841484
>Is it possible for me to do them with just a single light?
yes
>If so, what kind of light do you recommend that I get?
a strobe
>Any particular brand?
bowens, elinchrom, profoto, hensel, buff, ...
>Any particular accessories?
octobox/beauty dish

>>2841484
Look up a book called "one light portraiture"

>>2841610
If you're going to shoot with LEDs, they need to be high quality ones specifically for photo or video so you don't get flicker and color shifting.

>>2841619
Yeah that makes sense. I'll have to see if maybe I can try some out and see what they're like in real use.

>>2841622
That's exactly what these are. That little two-light kit in the pic is about $900.

>>2841484
>I want to start doing portraits. Is it possible for me to do them with just a single light?

well kind of? technically you only need one light for all the major lighting patterns. But you'll probably want some kind of fill, be it a reflector or fill light, maybe some kickers to distinguish your subject from the backdrop. And you'll definitely want a backdrop too, unless your house is very photogenic already. So all of that is just more bullshit you end up getting.. the hidden costs..

You can get the Zack Arias one light workshop/tutorial video, not sure what its called but if you look it up you will find it.

>>2841652
When I Google it, it looks like he pulled it off his website.