Foundation with basement
LED light in photography. Dmitry Evtifeev's blog

LED light in photography. Dmitry Evtifeev's blog

Guide to using LED lamps
Photographing indoors meant, until recently, setting the white balance on an incandescent digital camera. Anyone who has used incandescent lamps when shooting knows that it is quite difficult to shoot with them, because... their color temperature does not always allow the camera to be adjusted correctly. Some of the cheap LED (Light Emitting Diode) luminaires available on the market can provide the entire color spectrum needed. Sometimes what you see on the camera monitor and in real time is different from each other.

Use with any light you like Nowadays we are spoiled with a large selection of digital cameras and lighting for them. LED photography lights have changed the way we think about video photography. While, along with film cameras, special emulsions were purchased for each type of light - different ones, and this was a long and labor-intensive process of converting images with special filters. Now we can simply adjust the white balance on the camera for a specific situation: sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent, flash, etc. In some cases, you can manually set the desired color temperature, for example between 2000 and 1000 Kelvin.

This means that, at least in theory, you can use any type of light and get results close to real-life shooting conditions. But for this you need to know the temperature of the light you are using. Shots taken in RAW format can always be corrected in post-processing, but you must remember that the LCD displays images in JPEG format, so it is better to check the color temperature of your light source. This will reduce post-processing time on the computer.

There are so many types of light now, which makes choosing the right one for you very difficult. Previously, photographers used the lighting that was at hand, most often incandescent lamps. With a digital camera, you can set the white balance to "incandescent" and the camera will simply remove all the "yellow" in the photo. At the moment, incandescent lamps are used very rarely and they have been replaced by LED lamps for photography. Such lamps are a little more expensive, but their energy consumption and durability are many times longer than those of incandescent lamps. This means that photographers must adapt to this type of lamp and there are many reasons for this.
Choose your lamps wisely
LED lamps produce the same light as tungsten lamps, but with less energy. LED lamps are also easier to work with because they do not turn out as warm as tungsten lamps. LED lamps also burn out less.

There is a misconception that LED bulbs are less powerful because they have fewer watts, but this is not true. All LED lamps have a "real wattage" and an "equivalent wattage" stated on the packaging. Real wattage indicates the actual amount of electricity, while equivalent wattage indicates the power of the lamp itself. For example, a 5W LED has an equivalent power of 30W. This means that using them in your photo studio will be cheaper, but you will still get the same light as a 30W incandescent bulb.

First of all, when buying an LED lamp, you should look at its power. The second thing you need to pay attention to is color temperature. For example, light with a temperature of 3500 K is called “warm”, and has a soft yellow-orange tint, while light with a temperature of 6000 K or more is “cool”, and has a bluish-white tint. The current LED standard is warm white (3000K) and cool white (6000K). One of the examples in this article has a temperature of 4000 K. Another example has a temperature of 3000 K.

1 490 ₽

Ring lamp
Large professional LED ring lamp from METTLE, TL and OKIRA in FULL EQUIPMENT AND 1 YEAR WARRANTY!

LEAVE YOUR NUMBER, I will send you additional VIDEOS WITH LAMPS via WHATSAPP!
Those who ordered via BOTCAP will receive a BLUETOOTH REMOTE as a GIFT!
In BOTCAP using the promotional code - “AVITO RING” you can get FREE DELIVERY

The lamps are equipped with brightness adjustment. You can adjust the ring light from warm to cool, you can perfectly match the tone for your photos. (2800K – 6200K)
- All lamps are supplied with a large folding tripod of 2 meters, with tilt adjustment
- Bendable universal phone/camera holder for all lamps included
- The ring is tilted 180 degrees, which is very convenient for the work of a master in the beauty industry

1. Ring lamp 26 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for a phone or camera - an option for novice bloggers and manicurists (convenient to work on the go, the lamp is very compact)

2. Ring lamp 30 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for phone or camera - bright, compact, suitable for traveling work

3. Ring lamp 32 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for phone or camera + REMOTE CONTROL (you can adjust the light from a distance) - ideal for a blogger or photographer, tattoo artist and photography

4. Ring lamp 33 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for phone or camera + REMOTE CONTROL (you can adjust the light from a distance) - the best option in terms of price and quality for a novice blogger or specialist in the beauty industry, as well as photographers for product photography

5. Ring lamp 34 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for phone or camera + bag - a top option for everyone, usually bought by professionals and beauty salons, tattoo parlors

6. Ring lamp 36 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + clamp for phone or camera - choice
professional, cosmetologist, makeup artist and photographer

7. Lamp ring 45 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + holder for phone or camera (3 pcs.) – touch control, cool design and 3 mounts for smartphones

8. Round lamp 49 centimeters + tripod 2 meters + phone holder + bag-case - the best option for professional photo studios and everyone who needs the most powerful, bright, good light

🚚 Delivery in Moscow and TODAY, BY COURIER TO YOUR ADDRESS
✈ Delivery throughout Russia by AVITO-DELIVERY, Post or SDEK for 2-4
✔ 1 year warranty, we issue a receipt document
(No one but us will give you such a guarantee! We have our OWN SERVICE CENTER in Moscow!)
⚡ Pickup-Showroom in the city center right next to the metro!
(You can come to us, touch and see everything. We have a large selection, everything is always in stock and you will definitely find something for yourself)

For most photographers, the pressing question is how to create high-quality studio light. Since it is often missing from the window, and stationary lamps do not give the desired result. You can make studio lighting yourself. Simplicity and low budget remain an important factor.

Home photo studio

Most often this is a huge amount of expensive equipment in a large room. However, if you wish, you can assemble your own portable studio light kit by spending a minimum of money on it.

To do this, you need the following equipment: a camera (with lens), synchronizers, flashes and holders for them, batteries, stands, umbrellas, softboxes, modifiers, backgrounds and, of course, bags to carry and store the entire tool.

What is studio light like?

The role of lighting in the world of photography is invaluable. With its help you can convey mood, depth, emotions. The most powerful source in the studio is considered to be key light. It’s just not worth using, as the contrast is too great, and half the object ends up in the dark. You can correct the situation with fill light. This will make the shadows smoother and less noticeable.

To get a more ideal picture, you need to add backlight. It will give visibility, the object will be visually separated from the background. Place it behind the model.

There are also types of studio light such as pulsed and constant. Let's look at each of them.

Pulsed light

Such a source provides much more power than a constant one. Even if you compare them by cost, size, and other parameters. Why is this happening? Because constant lighting, while the shutter is open, should reflect photons from objects in the lens all the time. And pulsed studio light accumulates enough energy in a short time and instantly releases it in large quantities. Which will make it easy to beat the sun. Because photography requires a brief moment.

If you need a large amount of energy for work, this is the best option. A pulsed light source can illuminate a room as if it were a sunny, clear day. At the same time, it will weigh only 100 grams and fit freely in your hand. It is more convenient to use pulsed light when shooting outdoors. Of course, fluorescent lamp tubes do not fold very compactly, and they need to be protected from impacts. The power source is conventional batteries.

Pulsed light is emitted by flares and pilots. They are connected to the camera by a synchronizer. There is only one drawback - the release of a large amount of heat. The consequence is huge energy consumption.

Constant light

The main sources are LED and halogen lamps. They do not communicate with the camera, which is very convenient to use. Despite the fact that pulsed light, at first glance, is superior to constant studio light, the latter also has its advantages. Using this type of lighting, the photographer will see what his camera sees. There are no restrictions on the use of light modifiers. Since little heat is released. Even without taking a photo, you can see the result simply by moving the light.

Working with him is a pleasure. No need to use a flash meter, shoot in manual mode. You just need to switch the settings until you get the desired result, adjust the camera’s ISO and aperture. Constant light is ideal for learning. The models will like it too. She will not be bothered by sharp flashes, she will just have to get used to very bright lighting.

DIY studio light

The most common attachment for lighting fixtures is the softbox. You can do it yourself. For this you will need:

cardboard box;
whatman;
foil;
halogen spotlight;
lining translucent fabric;
slats;
knitting needles;
glue;
scissors;
wire;
nuts;
hairpins;
stationery clothespins.

A softbox consists of a frame that can be made from any (square or rectangular) cardboard box. On the one hand, you need to cut off the lid so that it is open. Then we make a reflective layer. To do this, we cover the inside surface of the box with white paper or foil. We will make a diffuser screen from translucent light fabric, covering the open side with it. The softbox has a two-layer case: outer (black) and inner (metallic reflective).

On the opposite side of the screen it is necessary to make a hole for a lighting device, which is a halogen spotlight. It is attached with wire.

If you need a large softbox for work, then its frame can be made from wooden slats and wire knitting needles. It should be noted that the frame on which the screen is mounted must be much larger than for a spotlight. The finished frame is covered with a cover. It can be made one-piece two-layer. So, it is easier to put on the frame, but it requires a lot of time. Separately we tighten the walls using stationery pins of different sizes.

The softbox is attached to the lamp leg. It is very important to turn it on only when shooting. Because the surface gets very hot. Homemade studio light is ready.

Power and quality of different types of light

For those who like bright, shallow-focus shots with an open aperture, constant lighting is ideal. Although it has little power. For shooting food, still lifes, products and static objects in general, it is better to use pulsed light.

As for quality, opinions on this matter are very subjective. However, constant light is more pleasant and soft.

Work principles

A photographer in a home studio must have everything necessary for shooting. This is it, the background, lighting fixtures, reflectors, attachments. But this is not enough. It is also very important to know how to work with studio light and set it up correctly.

Main attributes:

beauty plate;
reflector;
umbrella;
softbox;
reflectors;
color filters;
tube;
honeycomb

Using a background reflector will help illuminate the background evenly. Will give sharp shadows, directional hard light. placed opposite the object being photographed. It gives soft directional (concentrated) light, which is complemented by diffused light. A softbox and an umbrella are used for this. You can install a lamp behind it (in the light) or use it as a reflector thanks to the white fabric on the inner surface.

Today, the most popular attachment among photographers is the softbox. The light is diffused and beautiful. Masters use octoboxes (large octagonal) and stripboxes (long rectangular). It all depends on the size, shape, distance to the object. For group shots, octoboxes are used, for portraits, and for full-length shots, stripboxes are used.

To change direction and color, photo reflectors are needed. They are also indispensable for single source studios. Photographers rarely use a spot (tube), since it can only illuminate a small detail.

Color filters are used to change the color of studio lighting. They are installed on the source, directed towards the background and this is how a photo is obtained in a halo. The color of the skin does not change. Honeycombs are used to simulate sunlight.

Monoblocks and generators serve photographers as sources of constant light. Experienced craftsmen choose generators. Although they are more expensive, they are easier to work with.

Synchronization and methods for doing it

Today you can buy a set of pulsed light in stores. This includes:

rack;
lamp;
umbrellas;
color filters.

The inconvenience is that it requires synchronization and connection to the camera. Otherwise the flash simply won't work.

Synchronization can be done in three ways.

Transmitter (IR trigger).
Radio synchronizer.
Sync cable.

The IR trigger is a small box. Attaches to the camera where the flash usually is. It works on this principle: inside the candy bar there is a “trap” that catches impulses, which makes it clear to the flash: “It’s time to work.” Disadvantage - the infrared beam must be within the visibility of the device, like a remote control and a TV. Due to its inconvenience, this method is rarely used.

A radio synchronizer is more practical to use. Takes pictures from any place where the signal reaches. The principle of operation is the same as that of the transmitter, but it is based on radio waves.

An extremely inconvenient way for a photographer is a sync cable. Since the light source and the camera are connected by a wire, which will constantly get under the master’s feet.

Having decided on the synchronization, you need to configure the flash. It switches to manual mode. Power decreases. We do the same with the camera. The exposure of a frame is determined by a histogram or flash meter.

Hello, friends!

Today we’ll talk about LED light, which I haven’t talked about much, especially in relation to product photography.

But today’s kit is specifically designed for product photography.

The LED light kit for product photography is provided by the company.

The difference between LED and pulsed light as applied to product photography

Pulsed light

Pulsed light is controlled by the aperture, ISO and power of the light source.
With pulsed light it is easier to “freeze” an object and therefore, as a rule, the photographer can not think about the shutter speed at all, setting it to 1/125 sec for F11 and be sure that the constant light from the ceiling lamps will not interfere with him.

LED light is constant and therefore when working with it you need to take into account the shutter speed, aperture, ISO in the camera and the power of the light source, if there is a regulator. The shutter speed should be short enough so that there is no blur at the time of shooting. For most cameras, the shutter speed limit for handheld shooting is 1/ the focal length of the lens. In this case, you need to take into account the crop factor if it differs from unity. That is, let’s say you have a 100 mm lens and a camera with a 35x24 mm full-frame sensor. Your shutter speed for handheld photography should be no longer than 1/100 sec.
If you have a camera with a crop factor of 1.6, then the longest shutter speed for handheld shooting should be 1/160 sec. What actually limits us is the viewing angle of the camera, and not the actual focal length of the lens, which is a physical parameter of the lens and nothing more.

When shooting handheld with LED light, you can use a very closed aperture if you use a tripod and shoot at a long shutter speed. Or you can use a high wattage LED bulb for a faster shutter speed.
The optimal aperture for handheld shooting is approximately 5.6, and in most cases it is convenient to shoot at F11 with a tripod.

In any case, it is advisable to set the ISO parameter no higher than ISO 200, so as not to spoil the image with “noise”.

Color rendering index

LED lamps are characterized by color temperature, color rendering index and color temperature deviation at different wattages.
“People generally consider the color rendering index to be CRI (color rendering index), but today there are more stringent criteria for assessing the spectrum of LEDs (CQS and TM-30−15), but manufacturers of LED lamps usually do not provide data on them. I will write in more detail about CRI and methods for assessing color rendering index in other articles. Today I suggest that the CRI should be greater than 95 for a decent result. The higher the better.

Results

Each type of lighting has its own advantages, but when it comes to shooting difficult-to-light objects, it is more convenient to use LED light.

You cannot use any kind of light, including cheap energy-saving lamps that have a highly discrete spectrum. In simple terms, they do not emit a spectrum of some colors and therefore these colors are simply not visible - we see reflected light! If light of some spectrum does not fall on the surface, then there is nothing to be reflected.

As you can see, LED light is a good compromise between incandescent lamps, which heat up the room greatly, and fluorescent lamps, which produce a very poor light spectrum.

The most uniform spectrum gives us white light (5000-5500K), and the characteristics of camera lenses and matrices are given based on it. Therefore, for photography it is advisable to use LED white light lamps with CRI>95.

LED Light Master

LED light Master comes in a small suitcase, which includes two LED lamps, a control unit, curtains and reflectors.

There were 4 light sources in my kit because I specifically asked for four for my exercises and then you will understand why.

Appearance, workmanship

The lamps have a metal casing and are very compact. In terms of workmanship, there are no complaints, everything is done with high quality.

The lamp can change its tilt angle over a fairly wide range; in the photo below you can see the angle of maximum backward tilt.

The lamps are mounted on a 5/8″ photographic stand (the most common mount).

The lamps have metal curtains that limit the light output. This can be quite useful.

Also included is a plastic reflector that makes the light flow more directional.

The control unit is a small metal box of light weight with four dimmers - power regulators.

I'm glad that all connectors are equipped with latches, so that unexpected disconnection of the cord is excluded.

A short cord of about 20 cm comes from the lamp, which must be connected to the main long cord using the same connector with a lock.

Once we have connected the lamps to the power supply and secured them to stands or other devices, we can start shooting. I chose jewelry for the shoot.

Specifications

Lamp with passive cooling, color temperature to choose from 3000K (warm light) or 5000K (white light).
Color rendering index CRI>95.
Power supply 220/24 V, with the ability to connect up to 4 lamps.
Smooth power adjustment from 0 to 100 W.

Working with LED light Master

For some jewelry, such as rings, it is easiest to use an acrylic cone. First, it blocks most of the angle of view that the ring “sees.” The ring has many rounded surfaces and for this reason it is more difficult to “screen” with flat reflectors.
At the same time, on the back side of the cone there is an expanding hole, which will allow you to leave an unscreened space and thereby maintain a black glossy background. If there were no hole, the white reflector would be reflected in the glossy table and the table would turn gray instead of black.

Use glossy black acrylic as a table so that there is a reflection under the ring, which visually enlarges it.

LED light Master works through the cone, highlighting certain areas of it. There is no universal scheme; you need to move the lamps and observe the reflections in the ring and stone. A huge advantage when working with Master LED point sources is that they allow you to illuminate a small spot on the cone, thus creating gradients on the ring and greatly changing the illumination of the facets of the stone.

It is completely inconvenient to do this with larger LED sources, and they usually do not allow you to get a small spot when you get very close to the wall of the cone.

To see what was happening, I used a special table with a stand (a heavy metal circle and a system of connecting rods) of my own design on which the monitor stood and the picture was displayed on it via HDMI, but ultimately the HDMI connector became loose and I had to switch to a laptop.

The LED light control unit was also located there. It is very convenient that all lamps are controlled from one unit and there is no need to run around the shooting location, changing the power of the sources.

Result

Impressions from work

My impressions of the Master LED light are generally very positive. Most of all I liked the 5000K lamps, as they produce white light and we can immediately see what is happening in the colors.
The lamps are bright enough for most types of product photography if you shoot on a tripod. If you're shooting handheld, the working aperture will be around F5.6 if you want to shoot at ISO 100.

Ideally, I would have liked even more lamp power, but then they definitely required active cooling. They already get quite hot when running at full power for a long time. High power leads to large cooling radiators and, accordingly, reduces work mobility. If the lamps are stationary, then this is not important, but if you move them over a fragile structure, then it is very important that the lamp that you hold in your outstretched hand is small and light.

Separately, I would like to note the wire that attaches the lamps. There is a small “tail” of 20 cm coming from the lamp, and the main cord is long and thin. The manufacturer specifically changed the type of cord at my request because... otherwise it was inconvenient to move the lamp with the heavy cord. This version is adapted so that you can easily walk around the studio with a lamp on a long cord. Thus, LED lamps turn into “light brushes” and this opens up completely new horizons in photography for the photographer.

LED light also opens up the possibility of shooting videos of various products. Nowadays it has become popular to make 360 video. for your products. It's quick and easy if you have convenient, high-quality and powerful light sources and Syrp Mini, the older version of which I talked about earlier.

pros

— high-quality white light, high CRI
- high power and smooth power adjustment
— compactness
- light weight