Continuous Lighting vs. Flash: Which is Better for Your Photography
Lighting is very important for the quality of photography. Light quality refers to the hard and soft properties of light. The so-called hard, refers to the light produced by the shadow clear and thick with sharp outline and high contrast. The so-called soft, refers to the light produced by the shadow soft not bright with contour gradient and low contrast. Hard light has obvious directionality, which can make the subject produce sharp contrast of light and shade, which helps to show the texture. Hard light often gives a sense of fortitude and vitality. While soft light has no obvious directionality. It is suitable for reflecting the shape and color of objects, but it is not good at expressing the texture of objects.
When we talk about photography, a question usually occurs us: How do i choose A GOOD LIGHT? Let’s talk about artificial lighting. More specifically, let’s talk about continuous lighting vs. flash and learn which is the right choice for you!
What are continuous lighting and flash?
The first step in choosing the right product for you in the continuous lighting vs. flash is understanding what each group is and how it works.
So what is continuous light? Continuous light is really any light that remains constant for a long time. This can be a desk lamp, overhead light, or even a flash. As long as it’s on, it’s a constant light.In photography terms, a continuous light is an always-on artificial light that we use during meetings to provide light (or shadow!) and we want it to make our subjects more beautiful.Continuous lighting can be used like a flash. You can use it for a light orb with modifiers, behind a scrim, or otherwise sparkle. The only difference is that you turn on a continuous light and it stays on.Continuous lighting comes in different varieties, including incandescent, LED, fluorescent, tungsten, and even plasma lamps. Each has its own advantages and limitations. For example, incandescent light bulbs are readily available but feel hot to the touch. If you decide to invest in continuous lighting, research the best type of continuous lighting for your needs.
Then what is flash? On the other hand, flash or strobe lighting is intermittent light. When you press the shutter, the flash fires, quickly illuminating your subject, and then shuts itself off. The flash can be a simple flash, like the one pictured above, or a more powerful flash.Flashes and strobes, like continuous lighting, can also be used behind modifiers without modifiers etc.
Which is Better for your photography?
The answer is it depends! Let’s see the benefits of them!
Benefits of continuous lighting：The number one benefit of continuous lighting is that what you see is what you get. Before you hit the shutter, you know how bright the light is on your subject because you can see it with your own eyes. No guesswork. You know where the shadows will fall, how the light will hit your subject, etc.Since you can see light, I think it will be much easier to learn lighting techniques. For example, if you want to do butterfly lighting, you can literally see the butterfly shadow intensify or disappear as you move the light around the subject.Continuous lighting is also easier because you don’t mess with the triggers or receivers on the camera. Your lights don’t have to talk to your camera!Continuous light also works for video.Finally, a basic continuous lighting kit is less expensive than a basic flash kit. All of this makes continuous lighting look very appealing to new photographers.
Benefits of flash：So let’s take a look at the benefits of shooting with flash. First, flash memory is very portable. It’s easy to pack a flash in your camera bag for use on the hot shoe. You can also get flashes and strobes that run on battery power so you don’t have to mess with wires. The cordless unit also makes it easy to carry outdoors or move your lights wherever you need them without being tethered.Flash can also be used to remove ambient light from a scene. I used my camera settings to make my subject look as if he was standing in a dark gym illuminated only by my flash. In reality, the gym is brightly lit.
So what should you buy?If you’re in the market for some off-camera lighting, it can be difficult to decide where to invest.The truth is, there is no one light that can meet all your needs. As your skills and workload grow, you will want to invest in new equipment to meet your new needs.If you shoot stationary people and products indoors and are new to off-camera lighting, it makes sense to start with high-quality LED lighting. Because you can see the light, it becomes much easier to learn how to light scenes and characters.If you’re planning to shoot action, events like weddings, or outdoor portraits, it makes more sense to learn about flash and invest in flash or flash. If you’re planning to do volumetric photography like a school or sports teams and individuals, I’d recommend a flash system so you don’t have to worry about where to plug in the cords or get people tripping over them.
GVM video lighting set adopts internal and external strong shake resistant structure design, which effectively solves the problems such as bulb shedding, bulb life shortening and bracket fracture caused by strong vibration. This LED film light uses high efficiency gas discharge lamp as light source and the bulb life is more than 50000 hours, especially suitable for outdoor large area unguarded continuous lighting. At the same time, it has good electromagnetic compatibility and will not cause electromagnetic interference to the surroundings. The overall heat dissipation of GVM video light LED is also very good, which can reduce the odds of failure.
A good light allows you to balance exposure levels in a scene, retaining more detail in shadows and highlights. Also, once you get comfortable with your lights, you can start creating effects, using different colours to evoke different moods or even to simulate things. Spotlight for photography highlights the advantages of commercial lighting. Spotlights on space, color, virtual and real feelings are very strong and unique. It is the new trend, compared with other continuous lighting, there are relative advantages. No matter it is thick and heavy color or understatement, it does not lose elegance, gorgeous space appeal and artistic conception. Meanwhile, it can often change to new atmosphere. Spotlights can be used as both main illumination and auxiliary light source.
Specifications
DC power input: 32V/7A;
Max Output Power: 200W;
Voltage : AC 100-240V
Lumen : Naked lamp : 7600lux/1m
Add Standard Lampshade : 30600lux/1m
Function / Feature : Bluetooth Control, DMX Control, Master/slave mode control, LCD screen, High Display
Color Rendering Index : ≥97
Color Temperature : 5600K
Power cable length: 5m
Reason to buy
+Power up to 200W
+ Custom light supplement
+ CRI 97+ COB lamp bead
The LED beads can work up to 50,000 hours, making it last longer than either fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. Previous dimmers have been for incandescent lamps, which glow red when dimmed. It is difficult to see fluorescent dimmers, which is the main reason why dimming technology has not developed for many years. But later LED can be dimmed, and both bright and dark light are the same color (the color temperature is basically the same), which is significantly better than incandescent light dimming. It can also be switched on and off frequently: the life of the video light LED is calculated according to the light. Even if switch thousands of times per second does not affect the life of the LED, in decoration and other occasions that need to be turned on and off frequently, LED lights have absolute advantages. It is rich in color: there are white light, warm white light, red, green, blue and other colors.
GVM video lighting kit professional creates an impressive bright light 43500 lux/1m and 0%~100% stepless adjustable bright. Perfect continuous output lighting for photography, YouTube, film recording, vlog. Design with CRI97+, CT 5600K, COB Lamp Bead, GVM light help you accurately reproduce colors and naturally illuminate your photo. The 8 build in lighting effects also enrich your shooting scene. If you want to start a network platform career or video blogger, It’s a great photography equipment for beginners or Productions.
Specifications
Power : 300W
Voltage : AC 100-240V
Power Supply Mode : DC Input
Power Supply : 32V/9.5A
Cooling : Radiator & fan cooling
Remote Ability: ≤100m
Product Net Weight: 3.15KG
Product Size (mm) : 228x123x349
Product Material: Aluminum Alloy + Plastic
Reason to buy
+ Power up to 300W
+ Custom light supplement
+ CRI 97+ COB lamp bead