Types of Studio Lighting

So many lights. So much to learn. Let Karl break it down for you.

In this class, legendary professional photographer Karl Taylor illuminates the world of studio lighting, covering the many different types of light, how they work, and when to use them.

Highlighting the key differences between different systems, he explains the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the type of work they are best suited for.

This class will give you a deeper understanding of studio lighting – one that will help you to improve your photography.

In this class:

  • Different types of studio light
  • The fundamentals of working with lights: power sources, power settings, and triggering lights
  • Adjustments and attachments
  • Pack systems vs monoblock systems vs lithium systems
  • Best lighting systems for studio and location work

If you enjoy this class, check out Lighting Modifiers and Their Effects and Precision Lighting: Modifiers and Techniques.

You may also enjoy playing with our amazing Lighting Comparison Visualiser tool.

Questions? Please post them in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. This should be mandatory content for every aspiring studio photographer. I’ve been looking for a clear description like this for years. Thank you!

    Do you have any recommendations for portable batteries when you need to use a mono light in the field?

    1. Thanks John. The Siros or Move pack lights that I use in the field have their own lithium batteries as do some other brands. There are also independent power sources for some lighting and I think Godox make something.

  2. I just got my replacement protective dome for my Siros-L. I went to put it on but it isn’t so easy as removing the broken one. After watching you screw yours off in this video, I tried that and it worked but the same technique doesn’t work (or doesn’t seem to) for putting a new one on. Instead, it looks like I have to press it into place. My concern is that if I push too hard, it will fracture. Can you answer if there is a special way to attach this, or is it simply pushing hard until it goes on?

    1. Hi, is there any of the old one left trapped on there? You should see three metal pins that hold it in place, make sure they are not bent out of position. Hold the dome in a cloth, line it up straight and just work it on. It will be a bit stiff but with a bit if left and right twisting it should go on.

  3. Thanks to this video, I now know who was at fault for breaking the glass housing around my Siros-L’s flash tube. It was me. It broke when my assistant took it out of the bag, but I must have pre-fractured it months earlier when I replaced the housing after another assistant dropped it on its face, thus breaking the original housing. I didn’t know it had to twist on until I saw this video and saw Karl remove the housing from his light. When I replaced it, I pressed it hard until it went on, thinking it was a snap-on accessory.

    Thanks for the lesson, I won’t be doing that again, but might have when my second replacement arrived had I not seen this video in the interim.

  4. Karl, I want to thank you for the high value content here. I’m a photographer for four years right now and I’m going to make more studio work in the future and your content is really well presented and I’m learning a lot.

    Thank you and all the best for your!

    Greetings from Germany!

  5. i’m going to buy two speed lights but i’m not sure which brand shall i go with “Godox AD600 Pro or Profoto B1X” as there is a huge deference with the price considering the very expensive Profoto light accessories, is the quality deference between them worth that amount of money ?

    1. Hi STV, probably not. If it fires a burst of flash and it is consistent then that’s what you need.

  6. Thank you! Im very happy with the way you explain everything

  7. Which of the above lights do you use as a gradient light to create the ball of light effect? Thanks Karl. Andrew

  8. Hi Karl,

    Thank you for being a constant inspiration!
    I’ve spoken with Urs at Broncolor-Photokina and I’ve missed you for 10 minutes as he told me you were around.

    I am planning to buy tow Siros L as my first lights, I would like to go with the Siros as they’re mobile. I know they come as a kit with the trolley but Urs suggested that I buy a 400 and an 800 jules so to cover more range. What did he mean by that? That the 400 shoot with a further minimum power than the 800?

    What’s your suggestion with that? I also think that the modelling light (LED) on the L series isn’t as good as the S (300W lamp).

    Thank you!
    Enrico

    1. HI Enrico, I think he meant it would be better to have at least 1x 800 rather than 2 x 400. Personally if you can afford it I’d go for 2 x 800. The 800 is one stop more powerful in light output than the 400.

  9. Hi, I really love the teaching style and have been binge watching since I signed up 🙂

    In terms of lighting you do mention continuous very briefly but mention poor CRI and few other things that seem to relate to older style ones. I’ve been looking at one that has a CRI of 96 that is adjustable between 3150-6300 Kelvin and also has a flash function to it. It seems that since the light is already quite soft wouldn’t need diffusers. As I’d never be shooting in harsh daylight sun and need to overpower it wondering what thoughts you have? It’s the rotolight aeos in particular that I’ve been looking at.

    1. Hi Cameron, LED’s are improving all the time in terms of CRI etc but you’ll never be able to claim that the lighting is soft unless A). The LED panel is 2m x 1.5m and close to your subject, or B) The light is modified through a diffuser such as a scrim or large softbox. There is no such thing as a small soft light, that would break the laws of physics 🙂

  10. Thank you so much, Karl, for all if that information and thanks for your time you spend to teach us.

    1. Thank you Ahmed and thanks for being a member in our community so that we can provide you with great new content!

  11. Awesome course Karl, I am very new to using lights and flash and this is really pointing me in the right direction,

  12. One thing I was curious about is the modelling lamp. Does its light output impact on the scenes overall lighting? It looks like it would though I wondered if perhaps it is not noticeable because the flash is brighter so the halogen is drowned out? Or maybe it is removed with the use of adjusting the white balance in post?

  13. Hi Karl

    Besides BronColor, do you recommend any other Light Brands that are not as expensive?

    Is it okay to mix lights from different brands?

    Amit

  14. Karl,
    Are light stands like tripods where different brand light heads can fit on any stand in the way that tripods are universal to accept different heads? There is a large used market for lighting where I am at and good deals can be had on different bits so I am wondering if they can always be put together?

    steve

  15. Karl , Loving your website and learning a lot, I have quick question. I would like to buy a pair of ELB 400 for location people photography. The only drawback seems to be that the battery ports have only two settings 100% and 50%. Am I missing something? Is the power more adjustable ?

    1. I’ve had a quick look at the specs and it has variable power settings like most studio/location flash units. I think you may be looking at the charging settings not the power outputs.

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