If you are buying your first studio lighting kit or looking at an upgrade, you have some great choices available. LED lights for photography have become one of the most cost-effective and beneficial options available to both professional and hobby photographers. A few of the reasons to consider going with LEDs:
1. LEDs are available in a wide range of colors and intensities
Instead of adjusting your camera settings and your processing to your film, you can choose the LED lighting that fits your needs. LED lights for photography are available in either daylight or tungsten balance, as well as bi-color. While your eyes cannot always see the difference between one light and another, your camera can. By shooting with the right LED lighting, you can capture colors that look far more like they do in real life, saving you post-processing time later on. Many LED lights are also dimmable and can be brightened or lowered by remote control, giving you more control over the brightness of the lighting you are using.
RGB capable LED lights encourage users to boost their creative lighting techniques and experiment with unique light painting projects and interesting portrait lighting without the hassle of purchasing and switching out extra gel accessories.
2. Allows you to see lighting as you compose your shot
Flashes provide a strong burst of light only when you take your shot. With an LED panel, you can see how much light is needed while your are putting the scene together and to adjust as necessary. This way, you can get an idea of what you need right away instead of having a lot of trial and error along the way. While you may need to put an LED panel close to what you are shooting, the low heat makes it possible to do that without risk of discomfort or injury.
3. LED lighting runs cool
Many of us have been in studios where it quickly gets unbearably hot because of the heat given off by conventional lights. LEDs keep talent and photographers more comfortable throughout the shooting process. But, the cool nature of LED photography lights does not stop at making the room more comfortable. These cooler running lights have advantages over hotter conventional bulbs. An LED light can be squeezed into a corner where it would be dangerous to put a traditional light. Gels can be clipped to them without burning. And, running cool means there is little to no cool-down period when a shoot is over, allowing you to use your time more efficiently.
4. Transition from photo to video seamlessly
It’s common to need to capture both still photo and video footage on a set, and by utilizing an LED light kit you can easily accomplish both without extra gear setup. Continuous lighting is necessary for video work, so by fine-tuning your light placement in order to capture beautiful portrait lighting on your subject AND lighting the whole scene, you can enjoy working with a simpler equipment setup and leave your flashes at home.
5. LED lights use far less electricity and are long-lasting
LED lights convert 80% of the energy they use into light; compared to standard tungsten’s 20% efficiency, this is a huge improvement. An LED light that provides as much light as three 300w tungsten lights uses less than half the power of a single 300w tungsten bulb. Since most areas of the country are still reliant on fossil fuels for energy, you are doing the environment a favor while making things easier on your wallet.
Additionally, LEDs have a long life. You can go years without having to replace them, meaning that you are putting far less waste into the environment. LED lights are practically maintenance-free and provide over 25,000 hours of lamp life before it’s time to replace them.
There is no one right way to outfit your studio with lighting to get professional-grade results. But with the expanding range of LED light kits from Savage, you can gradually build up a high quality set up without having to break the bank.
I sell vintage clothing, and currently use a system with 4 500 watt blue photo flood bulbs. Two white out the background and two light the mannequin. I know it’s time time to switch to LED. What system or combination do you recommend? I do need the brightness for clear, crisp lines and true colors.
I would like to get started with portrait photography using talent dressed in all black against a black backdrop so skin tones dominate the finished product. I have the camera and backdrop but would appreciate recommendations about the best lighting arrangement. Do I need a barn door for this type of shoot? Thanks.
Hi Gary, thank you for your comment! Barn doors would be helpful if you do not want the light on specific places in the frame. However, you do not necessarily need the barn door to achieve what you want. We would recommend using a soft light setup, because that is the most flattering for the skin. Soft light can be achieved in many ways, but we would recommend using an Edge Lit Pro LED Light, or a 1000 Watt LED Light with a modifier such as our ModMaster™ Multi-Fabric Softbox.
Hi,
I am recording artist, i need a professional set up that will allow me take HD photographs for my CD album cover.
Please advise. Thanks!
I am a pet sitter that would like to start taking photos against either the white or black backgrounds I am just getting set up. What type of lighting would be the most effective.
Hi Barbara! Thanks for your question. We have a couple kits we would recommend for pet photography. One would be our LED Portrait Kit (https://savageuniversal.com/products/studio-lights/led-portrait-kit/), this blog is a great example of using the kit for pet photography (https://savageuniversal.com/blog/creating-quality-portraits-small-spaces-savage-led-portrait-kit/). We also recommend checking out our 700 Watt LED Studio Light Kit (https://savageuniversal.com/products/studio-lights/700-watt-led-studio-light-kit/) this kit is used by HeARTs Speak for their Perfect Exposure Program (https://savageuniversal.com/blog/photo-galleries/how-savage-backdrops-and-light-kits-are-helping-to-save-the-lives-of-shelter-animals/). We hope this has helped.
Such a good information !
Hi. The camera store I went to suggested the Savage 700 Watt LED Studio Light Kit so I bought it. It was the only kit they had so I was worried it might not be the best answer but the only answer they had. Now I see the LED Portrait Kit you sell and wonder if I should buy that instead? Sounds like it’s what you recommend for headshots which is what I’m doing. Also, I am surprised how close you have to get these umbrellas to the subject, even shooting at 800ISO the umbrellas have to be less than 2 feet away. Does the Studio Light Kit handle this better? Thanks
I bought one 19″ ring light plus and it does’nt come with the stand adapter for tripod. Could you please inform me what accessory shoul I buy?
Hi, thanks for the info provided. What would you recommend for real estate indoor photos.
With my budget of around 500$ I can get either a 200Watt set of Led with stand and soft box or a set of 2 flash of 400W each + 1 soft box and 2 umbrellas….
Hi thank you for your question, we’re very sorry about this issue. Please contact our Customer Service department at [email protected] and someone will be able to assist you further.
Is an led panel suitable for wedding receptions?
Hi Mary, great question! LED panels can be a great fit for wedding photography. Check out this informative, in depth article by David Hakamaki where he discusses the best constant lighting kits for different situations such as wedding receptions, headshots or portrait photography: https://goo.gl/Fy8abk
LEDs are able to achieve a much higher CRI than other types of light, resulting in an image that is more natural.
I am fond of doing photography and collecting information regarding it. This article is superb. It is serviceable. I come to know about many new things from this article. Keep sharing …
thanks! 🙂
Hi Christina! We would recommend the LED Portrait Kit because the softboxes provide soft, even lighting ideal for portraits and headshots. It also comes with a padded carry bag so works great for portability: https://savageuniversal.com/products/studio-lights/led-portrait-kit/
I would also recommend looking at our page of Collapsible Backdrops to see our various styles: https://savageuniversal.com/products/collapsible-backdrops/
im starting to do business headshots what would be the best set up for lighting as well as a collapseable backdrop i will be travelling and want the least amount of equipment with the best results. some of my cluents are older and i want soft lighting that helps with lines