It may be hard to look for indoor lighting for photography that works best for your needs. Photography is the art of lighting to some extent. You need lighting to help you get the best results. In this article, we will go through the following topics for you to better manipulate it.
- Is artificial lighting needed for indoor photography?
- How to choose the best lighting equipment for shooting indoors?
- Recommend 3 COLBOR LED photography lights for capturing indoor photos
- How to set up lights properly?
Do you need artificial lighting for indoor photography?
Using natural light for photography is a great way to capture photos indoors and outdoors. However, it is not always available as time and weather change. And sometimes you will need modifiers like reflectors to direct and shape the sunlight. Therefore, it is advised to master artificial lighting if you want to become a great photographer.
Here are some photography types that might benefit from artificial lighting:
- Portraiture
- Real estate
- Product
- Glamour
- Flat art
- Macro
- Videography
Strobes and continuous light are both examples of artificial lighting. Strobes can be manual yet completely adjustable studio strobes, off-camera with TTL remote control, or on-camera. LEDs or photo floods may be used for continuous illumination. Any sort of artificial lighting might run on batteries or AC power.
Generally speaking, you can use any options above to take up indoor photo shooting, but you should ensure they are high quality and versatile. How to choose the best lights for indoor photography, read on and you can get the answers.
How to choose the best indoor lighting for photography?
Here are some factors to consider:
Continuous or strobes: Both are useful, and each has merits and downsides. We will focus on continuous lighting in this guide. Continuous light is also a good tool for videography.
Types of lights for indoor photography: Lots of modern lights use LED beads, while others use CFLs or incandescent bulbs. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Incandescent bulbs are replaceable and cheap while giving off much heat. CFLs consume less power and produce less heat. LEDs are the most energy-efficient option and produce little heat, but they are rarely user changeable.
Power supply: There are two main types, including AC-powered or battery-powered. AC-powered means that the fixture requires being plugged into the mains socket. This requires a long power cord if the photo filming location is away from the socket. There are some options that are both battery and AC powered.
Light strength: When selecting indoor lighting for photography, you must also consider light strength. The light strength will be measured in watts, and it will affect how much light it produces and how far the light can go.
Adjustable power: This stands for the ability to adjust the brightness. It allows you to adjust to the proper lighting ratio without having to move the fixture.
Top 3 lights for indoor photography at COLBOR
COLBOR has introduced several LED lights for indoor photography to the market. They are all AC and battery powered and are adjustable at brightness. They are different in light strength and feature some unique functions. It is ideal to use them to offer indoor lighting for portrait, newborn, food, and other photography.
Table: Quick overview on specs
Check the table to have a fast glance.
|
Photography light |
CL60R |
CL100X |
CL220 |
|
Types |
LED |
LED |
LED |
|
CRI |
97+ |
97+ |
97+ |
|
Color temperature |
2700K-6500K (±200); RGB |
CL100X: 2700K-6500K (±200); CL100XM: 5600K |
CL220: 2700K-6500K (±200); CL220M: 5600K |
|
Beam angle |
≈∠120°; Reflector ≈∠15° |
≈∠120°; Reflector ≈∠15° |
≈∠120°; Reflector ≈∠15° |
|
Power supply |
AC-powered, V mount battery, NP-F battery, power bank |
AC-powered, V mount battery |
AC-powered, V mount battery |
|
Output power |
＞60W |
≥100W |
220W |
|
Brightness adjustment |
√ |
√ |
√ |
COLBOR CL60R
If you are looking for a creative way to illuminate indoor photography, the COLBOR CL60R is a good choice. It is an RGB LED light offering up to 3600000 colors so you can add any colors you want to the scene.
A colored light, such as hot pink, blue, or even green, can be used to contour and highlight a subject's physique, face, and even hair. The light alters the subject's unique features, creating a changing mood or tone based on its hue and intensity. Red light, for example, may give passion or spice to a picture, whilst blue light might bring sorrow or despair.
Besides a wide variety of color options, the CL60R also carries an audio sensitive system, which is quite useful if you film videos. And you can check the review video by Youtuber Christopher Michael Law to learn more details. He introduced the build quality, PowerCube design, audio sensitive system, and other features in the video. What’s more, he mentioned some points that may somehow impact the lighting experience. It is a good reference to help you decide whether the CL60R is a good choice for your indoor photography.
COLBOR CL100X
The COLBOR CL100X also falls in the category of LED lights for streaming. It provides constant 110W indoor lighting for photography. It comes in two versions, including bi-color CL100X of 2700-6500K color temperature and daylight CL100XM at 5600K. The brightness is adjustable from 0 to 100%.
It is often the case that you need modifiers to direct and shape the light to get the ideal effect. The CL100X offers a Bowen mount adapter in the package. This allows it to work with most of the modifiers on the market.
For more product details, you can check the video by Andrei Dima. He made a detailed review of CL100X in view of build quality, specs, cooling system, and App control. He also talked about some drawbacks.
COLBOR CL220
The COLBOR CL220 LED constant light for photography is also a good choice for capturing photos indoors. The innovative bead assembling process, strong metal material, and consistent power supply enables a continuous output of 220W at all color temperatures.
Unlike the CL100X which needs an adapter to fit modifiers, the CL220 is built with universal Bowen mount to receive a wide variety of modifiers. The NATO groove allows it to work with NATO accessories so as to add more flexibility to your indoor photography.
Check the below video by Wes Perry to learn about the build quality, features, and light quality. The YouTube Wes Perry also compared the CL220 with similar lights on the market. If you are confused about the various options and wonder what to invest in, see the video to look for a reference.
How to set up lighting for indoor photography?
3-point lighting is a common lighting setup for indoor photography and videography. As the name implies, it involves three light sources. Below we will talk about what they are and how to place them.
Key Light: It is the main source of light utilized to illuminate your subject in a fully black environment. It serves as a spotlight, replacing the sun or a window. It is often the strongest/brightest light in your scene, casting the strongest shadows and having the greatest influence on the overall appearance of your scene.
Place the key light between 15 and 45 degrees on one side of your subject, either left or right. As a result, one side will be lit while the other will be placed in shade.
Fill Light: It adds additional illumination to your scene, enhances the visibility of your subject, and softens the light coming from the key light. Typically, it should be positioned on the side opposite the key light.
Back Light: It is positioned behind your subject and shines light on it from behind. Its job is to define and isolate your subject from the backdrop by casting a bright outline around it, spotlighting it, and giving it a three-dimensional look.