Continuous Lighting

What is continuous lighting for photography?

Continuous lighting is a type of lighting used in photography that offers consistent and uninterrupted illumination of the subject. Unlike strobe lighting, which produces brief bursts of light, continuous lighting involves fixtures that provide a constant and continuous source of light for illuminating the subject throughout the entire shoot. Many photographers sometimes mount continuous lights on a stand and add modifiers to diffuse or focus the light.

Continuous Lighting vs Strobe Lighting vs Speedlights

Continuous lighting in photography can illuminate the subject constantly, while strobe lighting and spotlights can only offer a burst of light when fired by the camera.

Continuous Lighting:

• less disruptive
• Allow you to see both the direction and quality of illumination
• Offer a helpful workaround

Strobe Lighting:

• Offer larger, more powerful lights
• More expensive

Speedlights:

• Portable, battery-operated light
• Allow users to get a wireless trigger setup to make the flash fire

Different Continuous Lighting for Photography

There are many different types of continuous lights in photography, including LED, fluorescent, tungsten, and plasma lights.

LED Lighting

LED lights have gained popularity as a newer and more popular lighting option for photography. LED lights can offer a high level of brightness while producing minimal heat. Its led fixtures are equipped with small points of light or diodes, which can produce more powerful illumination. The modern led light fixtures feature color-changing and dimmable, providing photographers with greater flexibility and control over the intensity of the light, enabling them to create the desired lighting effects.

Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lights, mainly used in offices and commercial spaces, are also suitable for continuous lighting in photography. They can provide consistent illumination for capturing images. Fluorescent lamps or bulbs are available in a long tube format, making fixtures with multiple bulbs ideal for achieving a broader and more even spread of light. If you want to buy fluorescent lighting for video shoots, it is better for selecting flicker-free fixtures.

Tungsten Lighting

Tungsten light refers to the standard incandescent lightbulbs used for indoor lighting in homes and offices. These bulbs contain a tungsten filament enclosed within an inert gas. When an electric current passes through the filament, the tungsten's inherent high resistance causes it to emit light, resulting in an orange-colored glow. The color temperature of tungsten light is approximately 3200K.

HMI or Plasma Lighting

HMI (Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide) or plasma lights are frequently utilized on movie sets and are known for their high power output, surpassing many other types of continuous lighting options. These lights are particularly popular in large-scale professional productions due to their capabilities and cost-effectiveness.