You have NO idea how long I've needed such a concise and well articulated explanation for why not to use continues light vs speed lights . You have made a great video here. Doing great work. Thank you.. I've subb'd
I have been searching so long for advice on speed lights vs continuous... I'm only an amateur but lighting has been so confusing for me. This video alone has helped me more than the hours of research I have done on this topic. THANK YOU! Subscribed.
Tempted to study through this video, I have gone through it again and really benefited. Therefor in education it is perception, retention and reinforcement. I am obliged. Thank you Wolf for enlightening us with concept of light in photography.
Thanks a lot, Dinesh. Yes, watching things twice helps a lot with understanding even better what it is all about. More about lighting technique, etc. to come a little later ;)
I learned so much from this , thank you !!!! I’m an amateur photographer that uses minimal equipment. I even use my I phone , cheap lights and good editing! It works and I make decent stuff with almost nothing . I think my editing makes it;)
I’m a fan! I just discovered you because I’ve been trying to figure out what to do about lighting for portraits. I’m an amateur, but I understand how my camera works, and I’ve taken some pretty good photos. I love taking photos using natural light from a window, but of course, that light isn’t always available. I was so close to buying that soft light from Amazon, but now I won’t. In fact, I bought my husband a very nice flash for his camera last year, and we still haven’t tried it! I’m definitely going to subscribe, and thank you!
Definitely subscribing 💯 I’m so happy i found this video before purchasing anything. Thank you so much this was probably the most informative video for someone in my situation (kit lens and new to studio lighting) that I’ve found regarding this topic !😭🔥
I was really against flash photography initially since built in flashes (on canon dslrs) would routinely ruin pictures. As soon as I got an on body flash with settings i could adjust and angle, it was a total game changer, not even an expensive flash, an old 550ex i picked up for second hand for £30-40.
Absolutely, Ragnar. But even built in flashes can do a decent job when only used to fill instead of completely dominate an image. No doubt speed lights are much better though.
Thank you a lot for this video!!! I took portrait pictures of the kids of a preschool my wife and I owned and even with four lights the results were bad. You are right when you say children move a lot :) I can't express enough how much I needed this video to explain why my pictures looked so awful. Try to freeze pictures of 3 and 4 years old kids, it's impossible!!!
Questions: What is the difference between the speed light and the flash/strobe light? Do they both fulfill the same purpose? Do I need both or is one better than the other?
Flash usually has a quite a bit more power, faster recycle times and doesn’t get hot. Some speedlights have a heat protection system and will take very long to recycle after a while. You also get more light shaping tools for flash. But they are more expensive. So are battery powered flash. Plus, they add a lot of size and weight to your equipment box 😉.
Where would I find the exposure bar chart used @3:20? Would be a great tool for me to study, and have around for reference being a beginner photographer. Thanks in advance…
@@wolfamri I meant, many of the videos by other yRUclipsrs were not worth watching. Many rabble on about nothing.. You explained everything I needed to know brilliantly. Thank You.
The neewer sofboxes are they easy to get more compact? I need a better lighting set up for my wellness vlog but have 0 space for more storage. Umbrella(s) which I use look flat and basic. But softboxes are bulky. I need continuous lighting.
Hi Tatiana. TBH, I don’t quite remember, I sent the lights back afterwards. They are of course collapsible, but not as quick as umbrellas. What is your setup and space? Do you have a link to your vlog?
For the newbies watching this video then going out to research strobes just know that having a higher wattage strobe is not necessarily a good thing, yes you can have too much light. What is more important is how much you can turn down the strobe, usually 1/16 or 1/32 or 1/64 of power. I bought budget Godox's - two SK300ll - that only go down to 1/16th power. I know I can cheat and put a cap over the reflector and thus reduce the power even more. With the budget strobe packages, something too cheap will be thrown in to keep the price low. With the Godox package, the light stands are cheap and will need to be replaced sooner than later or never. With the Neewer package, the portable wireless receivers will either be lost, crushed from being stepped on, or die. I prefer the internal wireless receivers with the Godox unit. These budget packages are a good place to begin a decent studio set up. Three hundred watts of power is enough in a two light package for a small to medium sized studio, or as advertisers would put it, 600 watts of power (2 x 300 watts).
I agree, Rick. I much more often had too much power than too little. I‘m working on a website godox-comparison.com where I am explaining all that stuff. and comparing all the units. I’ve started with speedlights and am currently working on the bigger guns. 1/256 power is very helpful. Unfortunately it’s more pricey. When working outdoors, TTL is very helpful too in this regard because when using it you can even go lower than the min. setting of the flash. But results won’t be as consistent as with manual settings.
@@wolfamri With wedding shoots, active subjects moving, then TTL is really great but in a studio or studio like setting, you can have subjects sit a couple of minutes to get lighting power and camera settings down. Would I prefer TTL, absolutely but I don't want to pay the price for those units as I'm not an active studio guy, I take photos for free with family, relatives, friends and pets for free because I enjoy the process. And again for newbies, a flash I highly highly recommend is the Godox TT 350 line. This is a smaller less powerful than its big brothers and sisters in the Godox line. But it is a small flash, easy to lug around, doesn't dominate the camera or make the camera/flash feel top heavy, and most importantly is simple to use. Flash compensation doesn't get much easier than what's on this flash. It is wireless, TTL and high synch featured and the price is right. This is the perfect flash to learn on, is easy and intuitive to use and once you have mastered it you can move up to a bigger "better" flash. This flash will do about 95% of what a larger flash can do, perfect for fill flash, and flash use in homes, friend's places, and out and about. digital-photography-school.com/godox-tt350-flash-review/
Not sure I understand the sitting subjects a couple of minutes thing. But I agree, regarding TTL. I just think people should know all the pros and cons before making a buying decision because everyone has a different budget and different plans for the future. I like the small footprint of the tt350, but find it a bit expensive compared to the other speedlights in the Godox lineup. The TT685II (ruclips.net/video/EcMTP3f44jY/видео.html) surely is more expensive, but much easier to work with for beginners due to the menu system.
Thanks for your feedback, Graham. Yes, for product photography they are totally fine. Just make sure that you can make your room completely dark, otherwise the ambient light might overpower or at least „disturb“ your photo lights 😉
Hi Thank you for your wonderful video! Please please could you help me? I have one of the cheap lighting kits to photograph my silver ewellery for eBay but it is not sufficient. I cannot set up close to a window so need advice as to what to upgrade to please. I have looked at the Geox s60w with softbox but am concerned that it might also be insufficient. I shoot on my bed so could easily use very close up small stands if it would help? I once purchased a ring light but all my jewellery reflected the tons of LEDs so it was returned. What do I buy please specifically for jewellery? Thank you so much
Thank you, Susie. When you say not sufficient, what is it that makes you think that. Power shouldn’t be much of an issue, because you can always extend exposure time (if your room is dark otherwise). A different topic is shaping the light. What kind of jewelry are you photographing and how big are the subjects?
Yes, you can, Joel. But for photography that is still not a huge lot of light. I even had three with 8 bulbs each once. But I agree for video they work good.
Those LED bulbs that are built like a cone instead of a disk emit a huge lot of light to the sides, so you lose quite a lot of power. Plus, I‘m afraid at one point it starts,to get too bright to look into it (e.g. for portraits). I‘ve tried and worked with a lot of different lights. Flash is still by far the best for photo I‘m afraid.
@Jack Warner , I mainly use it for Elinchroms amazing deflector and the newer and older versions don't seem to have the same diameter. On a sidenote: I have started to use a shoot-into-umbrella with a white coating as kind of a beauty dish when I want to be fast and not carry too much with me. They give a beatufiul light.
It is a very informative video. Thank you for the knowledge you are sharing. (3:24) I was wondering how I could get this exposure cheat sheet. Can you please help?
Filip, video is s totally different thing with very different settings. So yes, I use different lights. Currently I use 7-9 lights. Some of them not even meant for photography and video 😬.
Great explanations in your videos. Thank you so much!! I ordered one of the cheaper continuous light kits (which should arrive tomorrow). I WAS looking forward to receiving it, but now not so much... At this point, I'm just doing hobby photography, so have not been wanting to invest TOO much money yet.
Thank you, Janine. That’s totally understandable, it’s a way too expensive hobby 😁. You can do a lot with these lights, but I want people to be aware about their limitations because way too many people then think they are bad at photography, while in reality the stuff they buy has limitations. The more you are aware, the more you can work around those limitations. And if you don’t like them at all, you can usually return them 😉.
I'm afraid ambient light makes things even worse, Sergiu. In full sun it is sometimes even hard to brighten shadows with a speedlight. Due to the much lower power of continuous lights, you wouldn't even realize that you turned the neewer on at all. That's why in the old days, they have used 5000 or even 10.000W lights for movies. Lately I've been shooting an interview in front of a window of a skyline. Not even my new 300W LEDs (that are about 3000W of old tungstens) were close to being bright enough to fight the background light. If you have bright ambient light, you'd better use reflectors than continuous lights (or bigger flash heads).
How does the AD400Pro compare to the Godox Sk400ii? Does the Godox Sk400ii and AD400Pro connect wirelessly to Nikon D5600 and D850? I'm new to external flashes and am attempting to learn which lights are best for my small shooting space. I shoot fashion editorials and actors' headshots. Does the Godox Sk400ii need to be plugged into an outlet or can it be used outside as well?
Hi there! Sorry for the delay. You will need a separate trigger for both - I'd recommend the XPro. Just a few bucks more, but way more user friendly imo. The Godox SK400II has a few downsides compared to the AD400Pro. The lowest settings is 1/16 compared to 1/256. Whether you'll need that depends on the aperture you like to shoot at. Particularly for product photography, lower settings make shooting much easier because you don't have to use filters. From what I know, the SK400II doesn't have TTL or HSS. The flash duration is much longer, making it more difficult to freeze motion. But that's only really true for lower power settings.
I will try and get a speedlight soon for photos, limited to Canon's own for my 250d I think. But I had ordered the cheap soft boxed before viewing them, they will be good for my youtube videos though, hopefully.
But these, or LEDs don’t get all that hot, Lex. 2-3ft are no problem. You can even touch the lights after an hour running (you shouldn’t though 😉). The old Tungsten are really bad!
A great explanation for a beginner like me. So I'll be shooting product photos for my import company (mostly glass) while using the Panasonic GH5. Is it safe to assume the flash/strobe kit would be a nice place to begin given my limited experience? It seems the constant soft box/strip box could also come in handy.
Thanks 🙏🤗. For product photography, the continuous lights will work very well. The only downside is, that you can’t change the softboxes if you want for example a more narrow softbox. But you can help yourself with black paper or fabric and cover parts of the front.
Is my understanding correct that actually we need continuous light and flash light together? Flash to expose the image and continuous at least to help with auto focus?
Alex, it depends on the available light. Most cameras can focus pretty well in low light. But for those that don’t, dedicated flash heads have a modeling light. Personally I hardly ever use the modeling light unless a makeup artist asks for it, because they want to see the makeup better. It also depends on the aperture you set. If you shoot wide open, you want to avoid mixed lighting.
Hello! Thanks for the video. Just wanted to ask (beginner here), using a mirrorless camera (sony a5100) and need to take portrait shots for products, would you recommend getting a flash kit instead of the softbox? Thank you!
Debbie, a softbox is something that can be mounted on a flash too. So it is more about continuous lights vs flash. Either way: when you say portraits - do you mean people, or products that won't move?
For product shots you can easily extend the shutter speed (if you have a tripod) and get as much light as you want. So you can very well use the continuous lights.
Hi there. Thanks a lot for your support ;). Great to hear the video was helpful. There has ever only been one single trigger for smartphones, but that was discontinued a while ago and didn't get the best reviews as far as I remember. What you could theoretically do is get an ND filter for your smartphone. That would reduce the incoming light and force the phone to use longer shutter speeds (but be aware to not make it raise ISO instead, which is the gain that will add noise). Then for example when the camera takes a shot for 1sec (needs to be on a tripod to not shake), you can trigger the speedlight by hand within that second. I hope that is not too complicated explained ;).
Thank you so much for the VERY informative video. I swear I've watched about 10,000 of these things and this was the most concise and informative explanation of why to go with speedlights and flash over continuous light. I was going to pull the trigger on the recommended complete kit, but, if I may ask a question: Every session I shoot will be "on the road." There won't be a permanent setup. I'll need to set up and tear down every session at a new (indoor) location. Would the complete kit above be the best option for a "mobile" studio? Thank you for any insight!
Thanks so much, Ray. Umbrellas are very quick to set up, that will help. If you want to use softboxes, the Elinchrom system is great since it is faster to tear down than regular softboxes. But Elinchrom is medium priced. You don’t need battery power, do you?
@@wolfamri Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to reply, sir. No, sir, shouldn't need battery power. (But if I *did*, any suggestions?) As I was typing my response, I looked at the Elinchrom options . . . you're right: a bigger financial commitment, indeed. :) (All of my work is pro bono -- 100% out of my pocket -- so I cost is always a consideration.) Thank you again for sharing your expertise and experience!
Ray, if you want battery powered flash, then Godox is the way to go IMO. But then again the prices go up quite a bit. Speedlies are the most budget friendly battery powered solution, but take up to 5 sec to recycle, which is „a little“ long. If they get hot you may even have to wait up to 15sec.. It really all depends on your needs and budget.
@@wolfamri Thank you again for the information. Since the folks are getting photos for free, I think even as long as 15 seconds is a small "price" for them to pay. :) Have a terrific day! I'm off to watch more of your videos and see what *else* I can learn!
That depends. A speedlight will give you more speed and freedom to move, a flash more power and options to form the light. We have pot a battery powered elinchrom into a backpack and walked around with it to photograph people at a wedding. We got impeccable results and people thought it was funny so were happy to look into the cam 😉
In a room you usually can, Charity. A higher power will also freeze the motion. The issue is the available light. Indoors it usually works pretty well, but outdoors the ambient light is usually brighter than the flash, so the shutter speed is very important outdoors. I hope that makes sense.
It was a Sekonic 358, but it’s an older model that’s not available anymore. Basically there is Sekonic and Gossen who produce these kind of light meters.
Are you going for battery powered, or can it have a cable? How much are you able to spend and what do you plan to photograph? Oh, and how many do you consider to get.
have you done a similar video for video lights? i do photography so i use flash but my gf is looking for lighting to do youtube video at home, we would like something thats mains operated and has a remote or app control also so they can be left in place, probably higher up out of reach. thanks Laura
Hey Laura. Do you have an example of what she wants to do? I don’t have a video, but I experimented with all sorts of lights for my own channel. App controllen would be very expensive. But what about having all the lights on one plug. Usually you wouldn’t mess with the settings much anyway.
@@wolfamri i have a few godox R1 led lights for fill on photography, i used them on a zoom meeting and they did a fairly good job of lightingus up with the room lights off. was looking for something like that with power and app so they can stay in place. two thing that are a problem in our room are 1 we have a daylight flourescent as the only light so it blows out all the walls on video at night and we have two windows 90 degrress as we have a corner house. the windows can be dropped off with blinds. so during the day time its not too bad but for night time we need lighting. the room is 6 meters by 3 meters so not very big, her channel on here is ruth rouse
I just checked Ruths Channel. It might be difficult to mix the lighting without getting a color cast. Plus if you hang them you cannot use light formers (softboxes). For her use, the softboxes I tested are quite OK. I know it could be cumbersome to prepare it every time, but the light is beautiful and if you put it close, it will look really good. An issue could be the glasses though. Depends on the type of glasses.
@@wolfamri the lighting wont be mixed, thats the idea of getting studio / constant light, i am also using the canon M50, and yes we had thought of using soft boxes, i do also have several home made c stands made from steel so i can put a light or any other rigging any where from floor to ceiling. thanks for helping.
My pleasure. If you have flash, maybe start with that to get into a ball-park what light formers will work. Then just get the same for video. Video is a bit more challenging because you cannot easily edit a raw file but have to get it even ore right in camera. But it should help you get a feel for it and steer you in the right direction.
@@imothy I don't think so. Should you get flicker, change to the settings above. With indoor lighting and not too much movement, that won't give you much of a difference anyway. Cinematic is more relevant when there is some motion to get that smooth movement rather than a staccato effect.
I exactly understood the importance of speedlight thanks to this video. But, we do not have an alternative choice other than prefering "continuous" light for videography, right?
Question. What would be a good option if I want something a little for product photography and maybe a single person shots. Because pretty Much a person holding the product? Sorry if my question is confusing
Hi Nash. Will the person ever move, even slightly? And can you get really close to the light like I did in parts of the video? What do you want as a background?
For the product I would take the shot about 2-3 ft away. And for the model photography, I can say 5-7 ft. I don’t think there would be movement. And I won’t be using it outdoor
what a great video..recently i am trying to make some decent videos and upgrade the quality of my videos and this video for sure will help me..but i don't get for video recording what is your recommendation.flash light is useful for freezed image but what about when i want to constantly shoot video for about an hour?
Thanks. I’m afraid video is a totally different thing. In video you don’t really mind motion blur, in fact you even appreciate it. You usually go for 1/60sec shutter spord (1/50 in PAL regions) and that’s a fraction of the needs for photographing movement. Plus: you don’t have a lot of coices either. These lights are extremely affordable and really OK for video. Bring them close to the subject and they even work really well.
Oh, sorry, they changed the name. The 700W confused me, because it‘s actually 2x85W. Yes, I can recommend it, IF it is dark in the room you photograph. If a lot of light comes through windows, the light might not be powerful enough (depending on how much light comes through the windows). You don’t want mixed lighting. I hope that makes sense 😉.
Great review. Every time I've tried to do flash photography it always comes out looking like trash though. I just can't seem to find the right formula.
Thank you. What are you trying to photograph with the flash? What you always have to keep in mind is that anything that is closer to the flash is much brighter lit by it than anything further away. So standing in a dark room and using flash to brighten the person is bound to create a no so great pic 😉.
@@wolfamri People. I'm using it on camera. I know that's part of the problem. But I was wanting to use it as a supplemental light to natural lighting. I've seen videos of it being done really well, but it always comes out crappy for me.
Expose for the ambient light first. So take a normal shot and adjust the settings (including ISO) so that it is just a tad under exposed. Then add the speedlight. That’s the trick. Don’t feel like the flash has to light the complete scene. Don’t use TTL if your subject is too small in the frame. If it is wearing black or white clothes and you are using TTL, use the flashes flash compensation to come up for the different amount of light that would reflect into the camera. I hope that helps 😉.
@@conservovirtus5796 You can color gel your flash to match the ambient, which would be best. If you can’t, or forgot it at home 😁, it depends a bit but shoot raw and you can decide later 😉.
Thanks, Kira! I'm currently working on a new and improved version. Please stay tuned. A lot of new and hopefully very helpful things in the pipe 😉. A website to better structure the content (no worries, still free), a new course, course pdfs, cheat sheets, and maybe even certificates.
Wolf, would you be so kind as to tell me what kind of light meter you were using in your video? I looked over all the info and saw everything except a light meter. Thank you
Ray, it's a discontinued one, the Sekonic Flash Master L-358. I'm afraid I don't want to give any recommendations because I have no experience with newer models. I can say though that as long as I used it it has never let me down.
@@wolfamri Thank you, sir. I appreciate your always rapid responses. I understand your hesitation to recommend a new one, but if I may solicit an opinion? Type in "light meter photography" in Amazon and you get a full range of prices. From as low as $21 to north of $700. What capabilities, in your opinion, should a light meter possess? That if the device doesn't have it, run away quickly. :) As a first-time light meter purchaser, I have no idea what to look for. Would like to get away with spending $21, but realize I'd be getting what I paid for. Cheers.
My pleasure, Ray. I'm working on new videos during most of the Covid time, so I'm on the computer anyway 🤣. May I ask what you plan to use it for? I know that may sound silly and many will hate me for that. But I had to order a battery for this video because I haven't used the light meter for so long. I would use it for reproductions or for evenly light a background when I use more than one light for the background only - actually more than two, but for anything else, I think I would save the money for something else.
@@wolfamri Man, do I ever understand that "being on the computer all the time," ha! I still appreciate your taking time away from your busy schedule to instruct and counsel. This is going to be TMI and TL;DR, I'm afraid. In the last two years, my main focus has been shooting pictures & video of Square Dancers. Trying to drag these folks into the 21st century is like pulling teeth. None of the clubs had websites, they all look at you as if you're not speaking English when you say, "E-Commerce," and the most recent pictures were courtesy of James Garner and Mariette Hartley's Polaroids. ruclips.net/video/MA8f2L-FCmE/видео.html I've taken upon myself to build modern websites for clubs and for that . . . you need pictures. Here's an example of an existing club website (at least they *have* a website): hicksandchicks.com/ And here are a couple of my flagship websites for comparison columbussquaredance.com squaredancetech.com Until 2018, I'd never touched a DSLR. It's all been "trial and error," learning, but I've had a ball. (A very EXPENSIVE ball, mind you, but if one is looking to get reimbursed for one's hobbies, stand in line with the other dreamers. ) My next *really* expensive idea is take portrait photos of the callers. Most of the callers have either never had a professional headshot or anything they've got is 20+ years old. When not in the middle of a pandemic, square dancers have frequent local, state, national, and international conventions. I want to put together a "mobile studio" to travel to those conventions where the callers will be. Camera, couple of speed lights, umbrellas, backdrop, and stool. (All of this at no cost to the callers, mind you. I pay for all of this out of my own pocket.) Until now, all of my pictures have been of moving subjects in the middle of dancing. I take my trusty Nikon D5600 (an upgrade from the D3400), throw it in burst mode, and do the best I can with whatever lighting is available. (Everyone seems happy with the results, except for me. I'm always wondering, "Can I do better?") Obviously, portraiture picture is a whole 'nother animal. For these purposes, I'll never be in a "studio." It'll always be in a hallway / auditorium . . . wherever I can find some space to set up lights and camera. (The video above is what finally convinced me to quit considering LED lighting and go to flash.) My new flash equipment arrived this last weekend. Set up my den as a makeshift studio. A good friend volunteered to be my guinea pig. I took hundreds of photos. All looked fine on the HDMI monitor hookup . . . but when I dragged them into the computer, they were all under-exposed. Was shooting in manual mode with settings I thought would work (and they appeared to work on the monitor), but, alas, the results were under exposed. (Rather have that than over, I suppose.) I'm not experienced enough (see: never having touched a DSLR until 2.5 years ago) to be able to walk into an environment and automatically think, "Oh, yeah, F8, 1/125, ISO 200." I'll be honest, I took the 1/125 & ISO 100 settings right from the very video above. I used your very simple trick of turning the speed lights' power up or down. My son-in-law (who is a rather accomplished photographer in his own right) suggested F7 or F8. And, again, on the monitor, those settings looked good . . . but, alas. Knowing that I'm never going to be in control of my environment when I take all of this on the road, I thought a light meter might help. At the very least, perhaps it would cut down on the amount of post-production I'd need to do. (Photoshop being *another* thing I've had to learn since 2018.) Thank you for your time!
🤣 what a fun read! One thing I'd recommend: learn the display of your camera in regard to how bright it is on your display vs how bright it is on your computer. There is a pattern. You can set the brightness of your display accordingly to improve that "ratio" and get decent out of camera shots. Many people will tell you to use the histogram. I will post a video about that in a 2-3 weeks. It can help, but it takes a lot of experience tbh. Long story short: if you set the lights up the same way every single time, you can keep the settings forever and always. You might tweak the shutter speed, but nothing more. I have a 2-3 light setup for shooting on white background. I just dial in the settings that never really change, because I create the light rather than react to the light (as I would have to when I'm shooting outdoors). Long story short: get one setting that you like, note the settings and the distance to the light, etc. and repeat it over and over. Setting it up with a light meter every time is a waste of time and money. Just my 2c ;). You can even use yourself as a model (that might require an intervalometer though - or maybe the Nikon app works well - I don't know it).
The other day I was looking at an old movie light I had (for super 8) and noted how much it looked like a sealed beam car headlight. Hmmm... 12 Volt...
@@wolfamri Yep, they get really hot. It just made me think that one might make up an interesting portable set up using car headlights (halogen or LED) for a pretty reasonable cost.
@mkshffr4936 Definitely worth a try. Experimenting lets you learn tons of new things no matter how experienced you are. But I guess car lights will be less bright than expected and obviously not all that flexible.
@@wolfamri maybe you can be my Santa and suggest something universal: I just started my photo journey and at that moment of life I spend money instead of earning them 😁 however, I need friendly budget lights for video indoors (office, one head) and photo also indoors/outdoors... And what device sync lights and camera
Very good info, thank you for taking your time to explain this very well. I have a question, what kind of set up would you suggest if I’m shooting fitness? I’m shooting with a canon eos rebel sl2. So I’m looking into doing backdrop session so I’ll need more help on lights, umbrellas etc. Are the links you put out good enough?
Thanks for your feedback! Do you shoot images, or video - seeing that you have a youtube channel? And what is your backgroud like plus: how much space do you have available?
@@wolfamri I shoot both, including music videos as well, I don’t post it on RUclips or anything just social media, like Instagram & Facebook. I’m planning on getting my own studio soon. For now I’m doing more photo shoots at the gym and fitness videos as well.
If you are doing it in a gym, it depends a lot whether you want the gym to be visible. If yes, you could use these lights. If you want the gym in the background to be rather dark, you need flash instead. A 3 light setup with softboxes will let you do almost anything you want, but it of course is a question of budget. Flash is better than speedlights in regard to power and recycle times, but you cannot use either of them for video.
THX for the wonderful video's! PLS advice : I want to take shots from rather shiny acoustic guitars, using 2 soft boxes and a black fabric, How can I obtain a deep black background and lots of detail on the guitars? Do I really need a speed light ? THX for your advice and keep up the marvellous work you are doing !
For product photography you can use these kind of softboxes, because the subject doesn't move. To get a black background, you don't even need black fabric as long as your room is big enough. The light has a very limited reach. The closer the light is to a subject, the more it will get lit. If you now place your subject far away from the background, the subject will get much more light (relatively) than the background will. And that will get you a black background, even if it is white. Did you maybe have a look at my boredom fighting series (the apple and the self portrait use this technique). Regarding the shiny surface: move your lights around to find an angle where the reflections add to the image rather than distract.
You mean thunderstorm lightings? Absolutely. I wanted to start last year, but then the season was over. I kind of “hope” we will get a good season this year with some good lightings (that won’t harm anyone!😉)
You have NO idea how long I've needed such a concise and well articulated explanation for why not to use continues light vs speed lights . You have made a great video here. Doing great work. Thank you.. I've subb'd
Thanks for your feedback, Carlos 🙏🙏 and for the sub 😉
Totally agree! Very clear and too the point.
Omg yes,thanks lots!!!!
Thanks you two, much appreciated 🙏🙏
That's God damn right.
I have been searching so long for advice on speed lights vs continuous... I'm only an amateur but lighting has been so confusing for me. This video alone has helped me more than the hours of research I have done on this topic. THANK YOU! Subscribed.
Thanks so much, Taylor. This year I want to concentrate on creating lighting videos 😉.
Look for videos by Daniel norton
This is the best lighting video I have ever watched. Well explained and thank you so much for providing this knowledge.
Awww, thank you 🙏🤗
A lot of bright ideas there . Nice work ! 😃😎
Thank you, Mike. some are indeed “bright” 😎😂.
Tempted to study through this video, I have gone through it again and really benefited. Therefor in education it is perception, retention and reinforcement. I am obliged. Thank you Wolf for enlightening us with concept of light in photography.
Thanks a lot, Dinesh. Yes, watching things twice helps a lot with understanding even better what it is all about.
More about lighting technique, etc. to come a little later ;)
This is the best video i have seen about Light Photography. Kudos Wolf Amri.
Thank you, Dennis 🙏🙏. I plan a whole series about light this year.
I learned so much from this , thank you !!!! I’m an amateur photographer that uses minimal equipment. I even use my I phone , cheap lights and good editing! It works and I make decent stuff with almost nothing . I think my editing makes it;)
Man, this video is on the top 3 on youtube about this topic, and i've seen plenty of them. Lot of ammiration and thank you so much :D
Thanks, Alberto! Feels good to get such feedback 🙏🤗
One of the best videos i've ever watched on photography. I've learnt a lot today. Good Job
Wow, thanks! 🙏
I’m a fan! I just discovered you because I’ve been trying to figure out what to do about lighting for portraits. I’m an amateur, but I understand how my camera works, and I’ve taken some pretty good photos. I love taking photos using natural light from a window, but of course, that light isn’t always available. I was so close to buying that soft light from Amazon, but now I won’t. In fact, I bought my husband a very nice flash for his camera last year, and we still haven’t tried it! I’m definitely going to subscribe, and thank you!
Thanks so much for that great feedback, Anne! Great to hear this video helped you save some $$$ 😉
The video I been looking for much appreciated
Great to hear that 🙏
Great, as always. Thank you very much for you honest, practical and simple and yet comprehensive teaching
Thank you so much, Pedro 🙏🙏
Thank you so much, Pedro 🙏🙏
Definitely subscribing 💯 I’m so happy i found this video before purchasing anything.
Thank you so much this was probably the most informative video for someone in my situation (kit lens and new to studio lighting) that I’ve found regarding this topic !😭🔥
Thank you for such a great feedback. Great to have you on board🤗🤗
I was really against flash photography initially since built in flashes (on canon dslrs) would routinely ruin pictures. As soon as I got an on body flash with settings i could adjust and angle, it was a total game changer, not even an expensive flash, an old 550ex i picked up for second hand for £30-40.
Absolutely, Ragnar. But even built in flashes can do a decent job when only used to fill instead of completely dominate an image. No doubt speed lights are much better though.
Wow!! Thank you very much!! You'r video help me a lot! Please never stop doing this type of videos! Please!
athanks for your feedback, Scenghiul 🤗
Love your video's! You're an awesome teacher. This video really helped a lot! Thank you for shedding light on the subject! :)
Thanks a lot, Carl! 🤗
I was very confused about buying my first light. Thanks. This helped me. One step closer :)
Great to hear that! Thank you for your feedback 🙏🙏
Thank you a lot for this video!!!
I took portrait pictures of the kids of a preschool my wife and I owned and even with four lights the results were bad.
You are right when you say children move a lot :)
I can't express enough how much I needed this video to explain why my pictures looked so awful. Try to freeze pictures of 3 and 4 years old kids, it's impossible!!!
Thanks for your feedback. Photography is all about light. Very easy if you have enough of it, close to impossible if you don’t 😂.
Great
As usual
The best photography learning video on RUclips
Awwww, thank you, Dipak!!! 🙏🙏
This video is beginner friendly, highly recommend. Thanks for sharing, I found the answer i was looking for.
Thank you 🙏🙏 Great to hear that!
Awesome tutorial. I have been watching many tutorials on lighting setup but your tutorial is very understandable.
Thanks, Ashish. I actually feared it might be too technical, but great to hear that!
Very very!!!
Questions:
What is the difference between the speed light and the flash/strobe light?
Do they both fulfill the same purpose?
Do I need both or is one better than the other?
Flash usually has a quite a bit more power, faster recycle times and doesn’t get hot. Some speedlights have a heat protection system and will take very long to recycle after a while. You also get more light shaping tools for flash. But they are more expensive. So are battery powered flash. Plus, they add a lot of size and weight to your equipment box 😉.
@@wolfamri I greatly appreciate your information, I myself am an upcoming photographer and I need to start collecting more equipment for photo shoots.
Exactly the info I was after , thanks.
Thanks, Miriam. Great to hear that 🙏
Where would I find the exposure bar chart used @3:20? Would be a great tool for me to study, and have around for reference being a beginner photographer. Thanks in advance…
I‘ll soon publish one. Please stay tuned. I’m sure you’ll love it 😉.
@@wolfamri awesome, thank you!
Very well made video. In depth and well spoken. The info popping up on screen and staying for a while is very absorbable
Thank you, Benny 🙏🙏
Excellent review. The part when three of you appear is fun!
🤣 Thank you! That's great to hear!
Thank you I do a lot of outdoor and sports shooting at the moment, but I would like to do indoor and this have me a really good insight. Thank you
Thank you, great to hear it was helpful 😉.
Thanks so much Wolf, a fantastic video as usual . I was about to purchase the Amazon soft boxes , but will look into a speed light instead !
Great to hear that it was helpful and saved you some money, Tamya! Thanks for your feedback 🙏
Great explanation; clear, complete and very easy to follow and understand…thank you..
Thank you, Milan 🙏🙏
Finally, a video worth watching.
Thank youuuuu🙏!!! I hope you don't think the rest of my videos were not worth watching 😆
@@wolfamri I meant, many of the videos by other yRUclipsrs were not worth watching. Many rabble on about nothing.. You explained everything I needed to know brilliantly. Thank You.
Thanks so much! I was just trying to be extraordinarily funny 😆
The neewer sofboxes are they easy to get more compact? I need a better lighting set up for my wellness vlog but have 0 space for more storage. Umbrella(s) which I use look flat and basic. But softboxes are bulky. I need continuous lighting.
Hi Tatiana. TBH, I don’t quite remember, I sent the lights back afterwards. They are of course collapsible, but not as quick as umbrellas. What is your setup and space? Do you have a link to your vlog?
I actually love the way grow lights make my photos look lol they really are versatile
So,true. Which ones do you use?
Priceless information. I have been researching what to buy to start a little home studio and this was a big help I thank you so much
Thanks, Sophi. Great to hear it was helpful!
For the newbies watching this video then going out to research strobes just know that having a higher wattage strobe is not necessarily a good thing, yes you can have too much light. What is more important is how much you can turn down the strobe, usually 1/16 or 1/32 or 1/64 of power. I bought budget Godox's - two SK300ll - that only go down to 1/16th power. I know I can cheat and put a cap over the reflector and thus reduce the power even more. With the budget strobe packages, something too cheap will be thrown in to keep the price low. With the Godox package, the light stands are cheap and will need to be replaced sooner than later or never. With the Neewer package, the portable wireless receivers will either be lost, crushed from being stepped on, or die. I prefer the internal wireless receivers with the Godox unit. These budget packages are a good place to begin a decent studio set up. Three hundred watts of power is enough in a two light package for a small to medium sized studio, or as advertisers would put it, 600 watts of power (2 x 300 watts).
I agree, Rick. I much more often had too much power than too little. I‘m working on a website godox-comparison.com where I am explaining all that stuff. and comparing all the units. I’ve started with speedlights and am currently working on the bigger guns. 1/256 power is very helpful. Unfortunately it’s more pricey.
When working outdoors, TTL is very helpful too in this regard because when using it you can even go lower than the min. setting of the flash. But results won’t be as consistent as with manual settings.
@@wolfamri With wedding shoots, active subjects moving, then TTL is really great but in a studio or studio like setting, you can have subjects sit a couple of minutes to get lighting power and camera settings down. Would I prefer TTL, absolutely but I don't want to pay the price for those units as I'm not an active studio guy, I take photos for free with family, relatives, friends and pets for free because I enjoy the process.
And again for newbies, a flash I highly highly recommend is the Godox TT 350 line. This is a smaller less powerful than its big brothers and sisters in the Godox line. But it is a small flash, easy to lug around, doesn't dominate the camera or make the camera/flash feel top heavy, and most importantly is simple to use.
Flash compensation doesn't get much easier than what's on this flash. It is wireless, TTL and high synch featured and the price is right. This is the perfect flash to learn on, is easy and intuitive to use and once you have mastered it you can move up to a bigger "better" flash. This flash will do about 95% of what a larger flash can do, perfect for fill flash, and flash use in homes, friend's places, and out and about. digital-photography-school.com/godox-tt350-flash-review/
Not sure I understand the sitting subjects a couple of minutes thing. But I agree, regarding TTL. I just think people should know all the pros and cons before making a buying decision because everyone has a different budget and different plans for the future. I like the small footprint of the tt350, but find it a bit expensive compared to the other speedlights in the Godox lineup. The TT685II (ruclips.net/video/EcMTP3f44jY/видео.html) surely is more expensive, but much easier to work with for beginners due to the menu system.
Thanks for the video. We were looking at a cheap pair of softboxes for product photography, looks like they will do just fine for that purpose.
Thanks for your feedback, Graham. Yes, for product photography they are totally fine. Just make sure that you can make your room completely dark, otherwise the ambient light might overpower or at least „disturb“ your photo lights 😉
Well tested well explained, just another great video!!!
Thank you, Jens! Much appreciated feedback ;)
so much info in one video. Thank you!!!
Thank YOU 🙏😉
Hi
Thank you for your wonderful video! Please please could you help me? I have one of the cheap lighting kits to photograph my silver ewellery for eBay but it is not sufficient. I cannot set up close to a window so need advice as to what to upgrade to please. I have looked at the Geox s60w with softbox but am concerned that it might also be insufficient. I shoot on my bed so could easily use very close up small stands if it would help? I once purchased a ring light but all my jewellery reflected the tons of LEDs so it was returned. What do I buy please specifically for jewellery? Thank you so much
Thank you, Susie. When you say not sufficient, what is it that makes you think that. Power shouldn’t be much of an issue, because you can always extend exposure time (if your room is dark otherwise). A different topic is shaping the light. What kind of jewelry are you photographing and how big are the subjects?
Thanks a lot for this video! Clear, simple and very useful :)))
Thanks so much for your feedback!!!
Great video Wolf! Loved it
And subscribed!
Thanks, Hamid! Much appreciated!
You can change the bulbs and some can put 4 bulbs inside. Great for video.
Yes, you can, Joel. But for photography that is still not a huge lot of light. I even had three with 8 bulbs each once. But I agree for video they work good.
It's no speed light but 8 X 40watt LED is pretty bright and cheap. You get around 1,000 per bulb. 8,000 total.
Those LED bulbs that are built like a cone instead of a disk emit a huge lot of light to the sides, so you lose quite a lot of power. Plus, I‘m afraid at one point it starts,to get too bright to look into it (e.g. for portraits). I‘ve tried and worked with a lot of different lights. Flash is still by far the best for photo I‘m afraid.
As a film photographer i started crying when you changed your iso to 1600
🤣 yes, that hurts! 😉
@Jack Warner yeah, they are workhorses. Do you also have an issue with the integrated "umbrella holder" - or better said the holder for the deflector?
@Jack Warner , I mainly use it for Elinchroms amazing deflector and the newer and older versions don't seem to have the same diameter.
On a sidenote: I have started to use a shoot-into-umbrella with a white coating as kind of a beauty dish when I want to be fast and not carry too much with me. They give a beatufiul light.
Get ISO 400 black and white film and push it two stops! Don't be sad my friend :)
வீடியோ மிகவும் பயனுள்ளதாக இருந்தது மிக்க நன்றி
இரா.மனோகர் சென்னை .
Very useful This video sir, , big thank you sir R.MANOHAR ,Chennai.India
Thanks a lot for your feedback. Great to hear that!
It is a very informative video. Thank you for the knowledge you are sharing.
(3:24) I was wondering how I could get this exposure cheat sheet. Can you please help?
Thanks 🙏 I want to finetune the cheat sheet and will then make a video about it. Stay tuned 😉
Ok but how do you light your videos so well, what lights are you using? I guess they are continuous lights.
Filip, video is s totally different thing with very different settings. So yes, I use different lights. Currently I use 7-9 lights. Some of them not even meant for photography and video 😬.
two are video lights and the rest are growth lights for plants. 😉
An excellent presentation easy to understand and so very helpful - thank you!
Thank you, Mike. Much appreciated feedback 🙏🙏
Great breakdown. Thank you sir!
Thank YOU 😉🤗
Wow. Educational, helpful, and concise! Thank you!!!
Thanks, Dara! 🙏
Great explanations in your videos. Thank you so much!! I ordered one of the cheaper continuous light kits (which should arrive tomorrow). I WAS looking forward to receiving it, but now not so much... At this point, I'm just doing hobby photography, so have not been wanting to invest TOO much money yet.
Thank you, Janine. That’s totally understandable, it’s a way too expensive hobby 😁. You can do a lot with these lights, but I want people to be aware about their limitations because way too many people then think they are bad at photography, while in reality the stuff they buy has limitations. The more you are aware, the more you can work around those limitations. And if you don’t like them at all, you can usually return them 😉.
What about accounting for the already present ambient ligthing. You are turning the Neewer ON in complete darkness or what am i missing?
I'm afraid ambient light makes things even worse, Sergiu. In full sun it is sometimes even hard to brighten shadows with a speedlight. Due to the much lower power of continuous lights, you wouldn't even realize that you turned the neewer on at all. That's why in the old days, they have used 5000 or even 10.000W lights for movies. Lately I've been shooting an interview in front of a window of a skyline. Not even my new 300W LEDs (that are about 3000W of old tungstens) were close to being bright enough to fight the background light. If you have bright ambient light, you'd better use reflectors than continuous lights (or bigger flash heads).
How does the AD400Pro compare to the Godox Sk400ii? Does the Godox Sk400ii and AD400Pro connect wirelessly to Nikon D5600 and D850? I'm new to external flashes and am attempting to learn which lights are best for my small shooting space. I shoot fashion editorials and actors' headshots. Does the Godox Sk400ii need to be plugged into an outlet or can it be used outside as well?
Hi there! Sorry for the delay. You will need a separate trigger for both - I'd recommend the XPro. Just a few bucks more, but way more user friendly imo.
The Godox SK400II has a few downsides compared to the AD400Pro. The lowest settings is 1/16 compared to 1/256. Whether you'll need that depends on the aperture you like to shoot at. Particularly for product photography, lower settings make shooting much easier because you don't have to use filters.
From what I know, the SK400II doesn't have TTL or HSS. The flash duration is much longer, making it more difficult to freeze motion. But that's only really true for lower power settings.
Brilliant, down to earth video. Big thanks for your time
Thanks for your feedback, Terry 🙏
I will try and get a speedlight soon for photos, limited to Canon's own for my 250d I think. But I had ordered the cheap soft boxed before viewing them, they will be good for my youtube videos though, hopefully.
They are fine for video if you get really close like I did in the video.
But these, or LEDs don’t get all that hot, Lex. 2-3ft are no problem. You can even touch the lights after an hour running (you shouldn’t though 😉). The old Tungsten are really bad!
newbie to the photography what would your recommend as a started kit strobelight ? suggestion please thank you
Hi Hector. Please check the description, I have some possible kits there.
A great explanation for a beginner like me. So I'll be shooting product photos for my import company (mostly glass) while using the Panasonic GH5. Is it safe to assume the flash/strobe kit would be a nice place to begin given my limited experience? It seems the constant soft box/strip box could also come in handy.
Thanks 🙏🤗. For product photography, the continuous lights will work very well. The only downside is, that you can’t change the softboxes if you want for example a more narrow softbox. But you can help yourself with black paper or fabric and cover parts of the front.
Is speed light a flash ? I was thinking of getting some simple cheap ring lights
A speedlight is basically a flash, it just has less power and fits on a camera. ;)
THIS IS IT!!! Thanks for this vid.
Thanks for your feedback, Keith 🙏
Is my understanding correct that actually we need continuous light and flash light together? Flash to expose the image and continuous at least to help with auto focus?
Alex, it depends on the available light. Most cameras can focus pretty well in low light. But for those that don’t, dedicated flash heads have a modeling light. Personally I hardly ever use the modeling light unless a makeup artist asks for it, because they want to see the makeup better. It also depends on the aperture you set. If you shoot wide open, you want to avoid mixed lighting.
Hello! Thanks for the video. Just wanted to ask (beginner here), using a mirrorless camera (sony a5100) and need to take portrait shots for products, would you recommend getting a flash kit instead of the softbox? Thank you!
Debbie, a softbox is something that can be mounted on a flash too. So it is more about continuous lights vs flash.
Either way: when you say portraits - do you mean people, or products that won't move?
@@wolfamri thanks for the response :) need it for product photography.
For product shots you can easily extend the shutter speed (if you have a tripod) and get as much light as you want. So you can very well use the continuous lights.
This was really helpfull. Thank you so much. 😊
Great to hear it was helpful! Thanks for your feedback! 🤗
Subbed for quality and content!
Awesome, thank you 🙏
Dang I would love a “speed light “ for my I phone to take Realestate photos! Anyone have any ideas ! ? Something cost effective??Please and thank you
Hi there. Thanks a lot for your support ;). Great to hear the video was helpful.
There has ever only been one single trigger for smartphones, but that was discontinued a while ago and didn't get the best reviews as far as I remember.
What you could theoretically do is get an ND filter for your smartphone. That would reduce the incoming light and force the phone to use longer shutter speeds (but be aware to not make it raise ISO instead, which is the gain that will add noise).
Then for example when the camera takes a shot for 1sec (needs to be on a tripod to not shake), you can trigger the speedlight by hand within that second.
I hope that is not too complicated explained ;).
Try Yongnuo or Godox with flash remote control…
Thank you so much for the VERY informative video. I swear I've watched about 10,000 of these things and this was the most concise and informative explanation of why to go with speedlights and flash over continuous light. I was going to pull the trigger on the recommended complete kit, but, if I may ask a question: Every session I shoot will be "on the road." There won't be a permanent setup. I'll need to set up and tear down every session at a new (indoor) location. Would the complete kit above be the best option for a "mobile" studio? Thank you for any insight!
Thanks so much, Ray. Umbrellas are very quick to set up, that will help. If you want to use softboxes, the Elinchrom system is great since it is faster to tear down than regular softboxes. But Elinchrom is medium priced. You don’t need battery power, do you?
@@wolfamri Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to reply, sir. No, sir, shouldn't need battery power. (But if I *did*, any suggestions?) As I was typing my response, I looked at the Elinchrom options . . . you're right: a bigger financial commitment, indeed. :) (All of my work is pro bono -- 100% out of my pocket -- so I cost is always a consideration.) Thank you again for sharing your expertise and experience!
Ray, if you want battery powered flash, then Godox is the way to go IMO. But then again the prices go up quite a bit. Speedlies are the most budget friendly battery powered solution, but take up to 5 sec to recycle, which is „a little“ long. If they get hot you may even have to wait up to 15sec.. It really all depends on your needs and budget.
@@wolfamri Thank you again for the information. Since the folks are getting photos for free, I think even as long as 15 seconds is a small "price" for them to pay. :) Have a terrific day! I'm off to watch more of your videos and see what *else* I can learn!
🤗🤗🤗
Great video. What’s the difference between softbox and white umbrella??
Thanks
The umbrella (if translucent) spreads the light in all directions, so it is harder to control if you want to create certain light effects.
For wedding photography, do you recommend doing a speed light or a flash strobe? TYIA!!!
That depends. A speedlight will give you more speed and freedom to move, a flash more power and options to form the light. We have pot a battery powered elinchrom into a backpack and walked around with it to photograph people at a wedding. We got impeccable results and people thought it was funny so were happy to look into the cam 😉
Very nice, looking forward for new videos
Thank you, Alex 🙏🙏
So in a lit room, you can use a speedlight at 1/16 and potentially still freeze the motion???
In a room you usually can, Charity. A higher power will also freeze the motion.
The issue is the available light. Indoors it usually works pretty well, but outdoors the ambient light is usually brighter than the flash, so the shutter speed is very important outdoors. I hope that makes sense.
What’s the exact product you used to measure your light I’m thinking to get one but I’ve been looking around and it just counts lumens
It was a Sekonic 358, but it’s an older model that’s not available anymore. Basically there is Sekonic and Gossen who produce these kind of light meters.
Do you still recommend these strobes and speed light? Is there any that'll price in the middle ground that's a bit updated?
Are you going for battery powered, or can it have a cable? How much are you able to spend and what do you plan to photograph? Oh, and how many do you consider to get.
Truly amazing and informative!
Thank you, Kenny 🙏🙏
have you done a similar video for video lights? i do photography so i use flash but my gf is looking for lighting to do youtube video at home, we would like something thats mains operated and has a remote or app control also so they can be left in place, probably higher up out of reach.
thanks
Laura
Hey Laura. Do you have an example of what she wants to do? I don’t have a video, but I experimented with all sorts of lights for my own channel. App controllen would be very expensive. But what about having all the lights on one plug. Usually you wouldn’t mess with the settings much anyway.
@@wolfamri i have a few godox R1 led lights for fill on photography, i used them on a zoom meeting and they did a fairly good job of lightingus up with the room lights off.
was looking for something like that with power and app so they can stay in place.
two thing that are a problem in our room are 1 we have a daylight flourescent as the only light so it blows out all the walls on video at night and we have two windows 90 degrress as we have a corner house.
the windows can be dropped off with blinds.
so during the day time its not too bad but for night time we need lighting.
the room is 6 meters by 3 meters so not very big, her channel on here is ruth rouse
I just checked Ruths Channel. It might be difficult to mix the lighting without getting a color cast. Plus if you hang them you cannot use light formers (softboxes). For her use, the softboxes I tested are quite OK. I know it could be cumbersome to prepare it every time, but the light is beautiful and if you put it close, it will look really good. An issue could be the glasses though. Depends on the type of glasses.
@@wolfamri the lighting wont be mixed, thats the idea of getting studio / constant light, i am also using the canon M50, and yes we had thought of using soft boxes, i do also have several home made c stands made from steel so i can put a light or any other rigging any where from floor to ceiling.
thanks for helping.
My pleasure. If you have flash, maybe start with that to get into a ball-park what light formers will work. Then just get the same for video. Video is a bit more challenging because you cannot easily edit a raw file but have to get it even ore right in camera. But it should help you get a feel for it and steer you in the right direction.
thanks, man. Definitely gonna purchase these.
Great to hear it was helpful!
I'm looking at these neewer soft boxes for doing video pocasting. Are the rules any different for video vs still photos?
For video these lights are fine. Get them close to you and use 1/50sec (pal countries) or 1/60sec (ntsc countries) shutter speed.
@@wolfamri I shoot at 24fps and a 1/48sec shutter speed to get a more cinematic look, is that gonna be a problem with these?
@@imothy I don't think so. Should you get flicker, change to the settings above. With indoor lighting and not too much movement, that won't give you much of a difference anyway. Cinematic is more relevant when there is some motion to get that smooth movement rather than a staccato effect.
you are an amazing teacher congratulation
Thanks, Cledenir 🙏
I exactly understood the importance of speedlight thanks to this video. But, we do not have an alternative choice other than prefering "continuous" light for videography, right?
Exactly, Carl. Outdoors in the sun you can use reflectors. But other than that, we can only use continuous lights.
Question. What would be a good option if I want something a little for product photography and maybe a single person shots. Because pretty Much a person holding the product? Sorry if my question is confusing
Hi Nash. Will the person ever move, even slightly? And can you get really close to the light like I did in parts of the video? What do you want as a background?
For the product I would take the shot about 2-3 ft away.
And for the model photography, I can say 5-7 ft. I don’t think there would be movement. And I won’t be using it outdoor
And thank you for taking your time to reply.
2ft are perfect 7ft are quite a lot. You will already have to raise ISO with that kit.
So you think a 300w strobe light would be a good option?
what a great video..recently i am trying to make some decent videos and upgrade the quality of my videos and this video for sure will help me..but i don't get for video recording what is your recommendation.flash light is useful for freezed image but what about when i want to constantly shoot video for about an hour?
Thanks. I’m afraid video is a totally different thing. In video you don’t really mind motion blur, in fact you even appreciate it. You usually go for 1/60sec shutter spord (1/50 in PAL regions) and that’s a fraction of the needs for photographing movement. Plus: you don’t have a lot of coices either. These lights are extremely affordable and really OK for video. Bring them close to the subject and they even work really well.
Exactly what I needed right now👍
Awesome, I hope it helped taking the right decision 😉
@@wolfamri It solves my photography problems, but what about for a video? 😬 which lights do you use for your RUclips videos? 😀
hey Wolf,
just to confirm, you would recommend the Neewer 700W Professional Photography for Product/clothing photos?
Hey there. Not sure which one that is, do you have a link?
@@wolfamri hey, its the link in your bio sir
Oh, sorry, they changed the name. The 700W confused me, because it‘s actually 2x85W. Yes, I can recommend it, IF it is dark in the room you photograph. If a lot of light comes through windows, the light might not be powerful enough (depending on how much light comes through the windows). You don’t want mixed lighting. I hope that makes sense 😉.
@@wolfamri thanks wolf!
This video is awesome at providing value and I am so thankful for it!! :) Also saved me $270 . Thank you!!
Great to hear, Lex!
same with me!!!!
GREAT LESSON!!!! VERY WELL EXPLAINED!
Thank you, Johnny!
Thanks for the help my friend! On the picture you used at 3:32 is there a way for me to download that image? It seems real handy!
I need to upload it to the website again. Gotta do it tomorrow, When I’m on the computer 😉
Great video thanks! I had a question, I mainly use lights for clothing product photography. do you have a light selection that would work for that?
Thanks, River. For product photography in general, these lights are really useful. You just need to have a really dark room and a tripod.
Great review. Every time I've tried to do flash photography it always comes out looking like trash though. I just can't seem to find the right formula.
Thank you. What are you trying to photograph with the flash? What you always have to keep in mind is that anything that is closer to the flash is much brighter lit by it than anything further away. So standing in a dark room and using flash to brighten the person is bound to create a no so great pic 😉.
@@wolfamri People. I'm using it on camera. I know that's part of the problem. But I was wanting to use it as a supplemental light to natural lighting. I've seen videos of it being done really well, but it always comes out crappy for me.
Expose for the ambient light first. So take a normal shot and adjust the settings (including ISO) so that it is just a tad under exposed. Then add the speedlight. That’s the trick. Don’t feel like the flash has to light the complete scene.
Don’t use TTL if your subject is too small in the frame. If it is wearing black or white clothes and you are using TTL, use the flashes flash compensation to come up for the different amount of light that would reflect into the camera. I hope that helps 😉.
@@wolfamri Thanks for the tips. What about the color temp? I assume set for ambient also?
@@conservovirtus5796 You can color gel your flash to match the ambient, which would be best. If you can’t, or forgot it at home 😁, it depends a bit but shoot raw and you can decide later 😉.
This video is FANTASTIC! Any chance you could share a link to download the scene luminance cheat sheet?
Thanks, Kira! I'm currently working on a new and improved version. Please stay tuned. A lot of new and hopefully very helpful things in the pipe 😉. A website to better structure the content (no worries, still free), a new course, course pdfs, cheat sheets, and maybe even certificates.
@@wolfamri Fantastic. Keep up the excellent work. :-) Thank you!
Nicely done. Thanks. JT
Thank you, JT 🙏🤗
Wolf, would you be so kind as to tell me what kind of light meter you were using in your video? I looked over all the info and saw everything except a light meter. Thank you
Ray, it's a discontinued one, the Sekonic Flash Master L-358. I'm afraid I don't want to give any recommendations because I have no experience with newer models. I can say though that as long as I used it it has never let me down.
@@wolfamri Thank you, sir. I appreciate your always rapid responses. I understand your hesitation to recommend a new one, but if I may solicit an opinion? Type in "light meter photography" in Amazon and you get a full range of prices. From as low as $21 to north of $700. What capabilities, in your opinion, should a light meter possess? That if the device doesn't have it, run away quickly. :) As a first-time light meter purchaser, I have no idea what to look for. Would like to get away with spending $21, but realize I'd be getting what I paid for. Cheers.
My pleasure, Ray. I'm working on new videos during most of the Covid time, so I'm on the computer anyway 🤣. May I ask what you plan to use it for? I know that may sound silly and many will hate me for that. But I had to order a battery for this video because I haven't used the light meter for so long. I would use it for reproductions or for evenly light a background when I use more than one light for the background only - actually more than two, but for anything else, I think I would save the money for something else.
@@wolfamri Man, do I ever understand that "being on the computer all the time," ha! I still appreciate your taking time away from your busy schedule to instruct and counsel.
This is going to be TMI and TL;DR, I'm afraid.
In the last two years, my main focus has been shooting pictures & video of Square Dancers. Trying to drag these folks into the 21st century is like pulling teeth. None of the clubs had websites, they all look at you as if you're not speaking English when you say, "E-Commerce," and the most recent pictures were courtesy of James Garner and Mariette Hartley's Polaroids.
ruclips.net/video/MA8f2L-FCmE/видео.html
I've taken upon myself to build modern websites for clubs and for that . . . you need pictures. Here's an example of an existing club website (at least they *have* a website):
hicksandchicks.com/
And here are a couple of my flagship websites for comparison
columbussquaredance.com
squaredancetech.com
Until 2018, I'd never touched a DSLR. It's all been "trial and error," learning, but I've had a ball. (A very EXPENSIVE ball, mind you, but if one is looking to get reimbursed for one's hobbies, stand in line with the other dreamers.
)
My next *really* expensive idea is take portrait photos of the callers. Most of the callers have either never had a professional headshot or anything they've got is 20+ years old. When not in the middle of a pandemic, square dancers have frequent local, state, national, and international conventions. I want to put together a "mobile studio" to travel to those conventions where the callers will be. Camera, couple of speed lights, umbrellas, backdrop, and stool. (All of this at no cost to the callers, mind you. I pay for all of this out of my own pocket.)
Until now, all of my pictures have been of moving subjects in the middle of dancing. I take my trusty Nikon D5600 (an upgrade from the D3400), throw it in burst mode, and do the best I can with whatever lighting is available. (Everyone seems happy with the results, except for me. I'm always wondering, "Can I do better?")
Obviously, portraiture picture is a whole 'nother animal. For these purposes, I'll never be in a "studio." It'll always be in a hallway / auditorium . . . wherever I can find some space to set up lights and camera. (The video above is what finally convinced me to quit considering LED lighting and go to flash.)
My new flash equipment arrived this last weekend. Set up my den as a makeshift studio. A good friend volunteered to be my guinea pig. I took hundreds of photos. All looked fine on the HDMI monitor hookup . . . but when I dragged them into the computer, they were all under-exposed. Was shooting in manual mode with settings I thought would work (and they appeared to work on the monitor), but, alas, the results were under exposed. (Rather have that than over, I suppose.)
I'm not experienced enough (see: never having touched a DSLR until 2.5 years ago) to be able to walk into an environment and automatically think, "Oh, yeah, F8, 1/125, ISO 200." I'll be honest, I took the 1/125 & ISO 100 settings right from the very video above. I used your very simple trick of turning the speed lights' power up or down. My son-in-law (who is a rather accomplished photographer in his own right) suggested F7 or F8. And, again, on the monitor, those settings looked good . . . but, alas.
Knowing that I'm never going to be in control of my environment when I take all of this on the road, I thought a light meter might help. At the very least, perhaps it would cut down on the amount of post-production I'd need to do. (Photoshop being *another* thing I've had to learn since 2018.)
Thank you for your time!
🤣 what a fun read! One thing I'd recommend: learn the display of your camera in regard to how bright it is on your display vs how bright it is on your computer. There is a pattern. You can set the brightness of your display accordingly to improve that "ratio" and get decent out of camera shots.
Many people will tell you to use the histogram. I will post a video about that in a 2-3 weeks. It can help, but it takes a lot of experience tbh.
Long story short: if you set the lights up the same way every single time, you can keep the settings forever and always. You might tweak the shutter speed, but nothing more. I have a 2-3 light setup for shooting on white background. I just dial in the settings that never really change, because I create the light rather than react to the light (as I would have to when I'm shooting outdoors). Long story short: get one setting that you like, note the settings and the distance to the light, etc. and repeat it over and over. Setting it up with a light meter every time is a waste of time and money. Just my 2c ;).
You can even use yourself as a model (that might require an intervalometer though - or maybe the Nikon app works well - I don't know it).
You're simply the best!!!
aaawwww 🤗🤗
"Better than all the rest"
Sir you’re videos are excellent thanks for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Thank you, Vijay! I hope it is helpful when making photography lighting decisions.
Very helpful!
Thank you 🙏🙏
The other day I was looking at an old movie light I had (for super 8) and noted how much it looked like a sealed beam car headlight. Hmmm... 12 Volt...
Those old lights are cool, but if they produce enough light, they draw so much power that it is a pain. Plus, they get soooooooo hot 😬.
@@wolfamri Yep, they get really hot. It just made me think that one might make up an interesting portable set up using car headlights (halogen or LED) for a pretty reasonable cost.
@mkshffr4936 Definitely worth a try. Experimenting lets you learn tons of new things no matter how experienced you are. But I guess car lights will be less bright than expected and obviously not all that flexible.
Where was I all these years? Wery well explained sir!
Thank you, Jay 🙏🙏 Happy New Year!
@@wolfamri happy New year to you too
The best ❤
Aaaaaw 🙏🤗
@@wolfamri maybe you can be my Santa and suggest something universal: I just started my photo journey and at that moment of life I spend money instead of earning them 😁 however, I need friendly budget lights for video indoors (office, one head) and photo also indoors/outdoors... And what device sync lights and camera
Hi Wolf, Could you find a chance to upload the cheat sheet? Great video, as always!
Hey Murat! I'll write you on IG ;) Thank you!!!
Very good info, thank you for taking your time to explain this very well. I have a question, what kind of set up would you suggest if I’m shooting fitness? I’m shooting with a canon eos rebel sl2. So I’m looking into doing backdrop session so I’ll need more help on lights, umbrellas etc. Are the links you put out good enough?
Thanks for your feedback! Do you shoot images, or video - seeing that you have a youtube channel? And what is your backgroud like plus: how much space do you have available?
@@wolfamri I shoot both, including music videos as well, I don’t post it on RUclips or anything just social media, like Instagram & Facebook. I’m planning on getting my own studio soon. For now I’m doing more photo shoots at the gym and fitness videos as well.
If you are doing it in a gym, it depends a lot whether you want the gym to be visible. If yes, you could use these lights. If you want the gym in the background to be rather dark, you need flash instead.
A 3 light setup with softboxes will let you do almost anything you want, but it of course is a question of budget.
Flash is better than speedlights in regard to power and recycle times, but you cannot use either of them for video.
speed light is amazing 👌
absolutely! Great bang for the buck!
Will the continuous light setup be sufficient just for product/food photography?
absolutely!
Thanks
great informative video
Thanks, Hasan 🙏🙏
THX for the wonderful video's! PLS advice : I want to take shots from rather shiny acoustic guitars, using 2 soft boxes and a black fabric, How can I obtain a deep black background and lots of detail on the guitars? Do I really need a speed light ? THX for your advice and keep up the marvellous work you are doing !
For product photography you can use these kind of softboxes, because the subject doesn't move. To get a black background, you don't even need black fabric as long as your room is big enough. The light has a very limited reach. The closer the light is to a subject, the more it will get lit. If you now place your subject far away from the background, the subject will get much more light (relatively) than the background will. And that will get you a black background, even if it is white.
Did you maybe have a look at my boredom fighting series (the apple and the self portrait use this technique).
Regarding the shiny surface: move your lights around to find an angle where the reflections add to the image rather than distract.
@@wolfamri THX a lot! I I 'll take a look at that.
Great video, as always! Wolfgang, don't you have a plan to create a tutorial 'How to photograph lightnings? Or it's too specific?
You mean thunderstorm lightings? Absolutely. I wanted to start last year, but then the season was over. I kind of “hope” we will get a good season this year with some good lightings (that won’t harm anyone!😉)
@@wolfamri 👍