Lighting is the Swiss bank in the photographer and videographer’s world. In order to have great images and videos, it is important to know the type of lights to use. There is a wide range of lights used for various purposes. Today, we will talk about two of them; the strobe lights and continuous lighting and learn the difference between the two. We will also know when to use which at the end of the day.
What are strobe lights?
Strobe lights are used to create short bursts of lights. The burst of light created is much powerful and brighter than what we have in traditional flashes and continuous light. You have the option of adjusting the intensity of light. Whether you need a brighter burst for a distant shot or a less bright one for an up close shot. Strobe lights have quick recycling time making it very reliable and efficient, since flash speed more or less determines the shutter speed. They have great outputs between 100-1000 watts. Some examples of strobe lights include Godox AD 100, , Godox AD 400pro, and Godox SK400II.
When to use the strobe light?
The strobe light has high light intensity so this gives you more power for your shoot. During shots that require high light intensity, it is efficient to use strobes.
It has the ability to suppress sunlight and this can be very useful when doing an outdoor shoot. The strobe light is powerful enough to overpower sunlight and ambient light. This reveals the details of your subject and most times makes it look as though there was only one source of light.
When doing shots that require that you freeze the moment, it is always best to use the strobe light. It captures the particular moment with the burst giving you all the action details on your subject.
During shoots that have the subject at a long distance from the photographer, it’s best to use the strobe as it gives you the best result for your images with it’s high light intensity.
What is continuous lighting?
Continuous lighting on the other hand are lights that stay on for a long period of time. Like the name indicates, they are on continuously. They come in different types including the LED, fluorescent, tungsten, incandescent and plasma lights. They came in many varieties including the Godox S60, Godox SL200, Aputure amaran 100x, Aputure amaran 200d, and Aputure MC
When to use continuous light ?
It is effective to use continuous light in a studio setup that has a low lighting setup. This helps you see in real time the outcome of the lighting effect on the image. It goes without saying that it is very efficient for beginners as it allows them to manipulate lighting to their desired results easily.
If you are shooting an event where you won’t want to distract your audience with lights flashing on your audience, the continuous light is your go-to.
The continuous light comes in handy when shooting a portrait photography as it allows you to see the effect of the light on your image in real time and saves you the stress of continuous shots and constant readjusting.
Finally in a shoot where your subject has the tendencies of moving around, it is ideal to use continuous lighting. This will allow you to take perfect shots in every moment.
The difference?
The main difference between strobe/flash and continuous light is the fact that the strobe gives off short bursts of lights. Thus it only comes on when triggered during a shoot while the continuous light stays on constantly throughout a shoot. They both work well with modifiers and knowing which of the lights to use with which modifier will give you great results.
I hope this post has helped you. Let’s hear from you and tell us which topic you will want to read on.
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Cheers!
Source:
www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-strobe-lights-in-photography
www.colesclassroom.com
www.photoguard.co.uk