Photography Lighting Principles

Photography lighting provides illumination when taking photos or shooting video in low-light conditions. This often happens at night, inside buildings, or in areas with limited light sources. Proper use of flashes and on-camera lights not only improves the quality of your photos and video clips, but also allows you to manipulate light more creatively, especially if you're a professional photographer or videographer.

Flash and On-Camera Lights

Studio photography lighting, like flash and on-camera lights, can be confusing, especially if you're new to the hobby.
A camera flash emits a quick yet powerful burst of light that fires simultaneously with the camera shutter. It allows you to take photos wherever, whenever, and however you want, eliminating the need for a separate lighting device because you have a built-in light source. It's also better at capturing motion because the camera only sees the burst of light and its subject, allowing the sensor to "freeze" the image, unlike a continuous light that allows the sensor to adjust and select other light sources, thus blurring the image.

An on-camera light can also be attached to a DSLR or video camera, but unlike a camera flash, it works by providing a continuous source of illumination rather than a short burst. Choose this type of lighting equipment if you want your photos to display consistent brightness and clarity. You can also use it separately with a tripod, a common setup for studio lighting.

Photography Lighting in Video Shooting

Continuous lighting devices can provide enough illumination to cover a large area where you expect your subject to move. You can choose from LED, tungsten, fluorescent, and HMI, each with unique lighting characteristics you can leverage to enhance the quality of your footage. They also come with adjustable light stands that you can easily move to suit your shooting style. Additionally, you can control many models remotely, allowing you to change the amount and duration of lighting you receive for your videos.

Other Uses of Photography Lighting Equipment

Photographic lighting is ideal for capturing video and still images, as well as for performance productions like concerts and parties. You can manipulate these lights to create special effects using lighting accessories like dimmers that allow you to control the brightness, and even choreograph them with human movements on stage.

Whether you're into photography, videography, or just need something to complete your studio, you can turn to Can Foto and GDX to find the photography equipment you need, such as photo lights, flash lighting, and other equipment for your projects.