The Best Photography Lighting Equipment For Beginners
Your phone camera is a good starting point, but it is never going to create the results you have been hoping to see.
In order to become a professional photographer, you need the right photography lighting equipment for beginners. Your phone camera is a good starting point, but it is never going to create the results you have been hoping to see.
Read on to learn about the best Photography lighting equipment for beginners
When you are a beginner in the field of still photography or video, you should buy a continuous lighting kit instead of a strobe lighting kit. Strobe lights will only create light in short bursts as you take your photographs, the same way your phone camera does when you set it to flash. That means you won’t be able to tell how the light is impacting your photograph until the last moment.
However, when you use continuous lighting, you will be able to see the amount of light you are working with ahead of time, which means you will be able to visualize the way the light will hit and shadows will fall before you set up your photographs and start snapping. This setup will save you a lot of time and trouble — and it is also cost efficient.
When you buy a continuous lighting kit, you can pair your products with fluorescent bulbs, incandescent bulbs, or LED bulbs depending on your own personal preference. Fluorescent bulbs create soft light and are relatively expensive, but they have a long lifespan and a low power consumption. LED bulbs also create soft light and are relatively expensive but also have the benefit of directional light. Meanwhile, incandescent bulbs have a high brightness index and are inexpensive, but they have a short lifespan, high power consumption, and dangerously high temperatures. Different photographers prefer different bulbs, so you will have to discover what works best for your art over time.
If you are going to set up an entire studio, then you should also buy a ring light, which is a common type of equipment used by YouTubers and Instagram celebrities. It produces a ring of light which reduces shadows. The brightness can be adjusted in order to soften your features and make your skin appear healthy and clear.
If you do not plan on setting up a studio and are going to be taking pictures on the go, then you might want to think about purchasing a light wand. It is lightweight and portable, which means you can stick it in your bag and take it everywhere with you. When it’s time to shoot a picture, you can adjust the colors in the wand through a smartphone app and pick your own palette.
If you are interested in taking action shots of weddings or sporting events, then you should also invest in a speedlight lighting kit. They are faster than normal flashes, which means you will be able to capture the exact moment you were hoping to shoot instead of missing it by seconds.
Once you have adjusted to your new lighting equipment, you should move onto buying modifiers. They will help you create more creative photographs as you learn to play with light in different ways.
You can buy a softbox, diffuser, or shoot through umbrella, which will diffuse the light and create a more gradual transition between the light and dark areas of your photographs. You could also buy a reflective umbrella, which will help you point the light away from a subject so the beam will appear behind them. The more advanced your photographs become, the more toys you can buy for your camera.
When you are first starting out in photography, do yourself a favor by setting yourself up with all of the right equipment. Once you have all of the tools the professionals use, you will be surprised by how impressive your photographs turn out.
