Why might a flashlight be worthwhile for photographers?
Photographers often work in closed rooms where they have complete control over the lighting conditions and are not dependent on sunlight and the shadows it casts. An enormous amount of light is required to adequately illuminate such a photo studio. But night photography is also a challenge for many photographers. In contrast to the light of the sun, moonlight offers very little brightness. When there is a new moon, you may even find yourself surrounded by complete darkness.
In order for a camera to take sharp and colorful pictures in the studio or at night, it is essential that the camera's sensor can absorb enough light. If the camera sensor does not have enough light available, the result is a blurred, grainy image.
You might think that a quick and easy solution is to increase the ISO value. While it is true that a higher ISO value makes the sensor more sensitive to light and the image generally brighter, the greater the image noise. For this reason, the lowest possible ISO value should always be selected and a light source separate from the camera should be used.
One such light source can be a lamp. LED flashlights for photography not only provide the lumen output or luminosity to allow the camera sensor to absorb enough light, a flashlight also allows you to take creative pictures, such as light painting. Flashlights are quicker and easier to pack than large studio lights, especially for outdoor photography. They can also be quickly and flexibly attached to a tripod and are therefore ready for any application. Headlamps can also help photographers to have their hands free when assembling their equipment.
LED flashlights for photographers - what is important?
When looking for a suitable lamp for photography, different factors and features need to be considered than for other outdoor lamps. Both headlamps and flashlights can be considered for photography. With an LED flashlight, photographers have the advantage of having more creative freedom. With the right flashlight, you can not only illuminate distant and close-up areas, you also have the opportunity to capture creative light painting shots.
If the focus of a photo shoot is less on taking creative shots, it may be worth considering a headlamp for photography. The headlamp does not need to be held by the photographer, a third party or a tripod. This gives everyone involved unrestricted freedom of movement. This is a considerable advantage, especially for the photographer himself, as he can stabilize the camera with both hands.
However, which lamp you choose is a matter of preference. Factors to look out for when photographing with a headlamp or flashlight are, for example: Light beam, luminosity and battery power.
Flashlights for photography - lighting the surroundings
When illuminating the subject, photographers differentiate between hard and soft light. If a light source produces soft light, the subject appears low-contrast and only draws a few soft shadows. Soft light is used for portraits in particular. Unlike soft light, hard light draws hard shadows. The edges of the shadows are sharp with clear edges.
Depending on the application, you may want to create soft or hard light, which is why it is important that the light beam of a lamp is variable. Your LED torch or headlamp should therefore have an adjustable light beam or a zoom function. This allows you to illuminate your surroundings as required.
For a light source that produces a targeted beam, the light cone or light circle should be as small and point-shaped as possible. To create a large illumination for your shots, it is important to keep the light cone as wide as possible.
Soft light sources play a major role in portrait photography, for example. If you want to create a soft light using a flashlight, you should illuminate your subject indirectly. You can achieve this by illuminating a white wall, for example, which in turn reflects the light towards the subject. With indirect lighting, the light can therefore be operated in flood mode.
Good to know: If you are using a flashlight for photography, you can buy a diffuser for your light. These are practical for widening the light circle of a light even further and thus creating softer light.
Flashlights for photography - the perfect lighting
Depending on the application, different lumen outputs can be considered for photography flashlights. It is important to find the right balance, as light that is too weak will not illuminate the camera sensor sufficiently and too high an output will overexpose images.
The number of lumens that a light has does not give an exact indication of the light range. How far a lamp should shine for photography also depends on the respective application. If you want to illuminate a larger, distant subject, it is advisable to choose a lamp with a high number of lumens and a long light range.
Our tip: Thanks to Ledlenser's Advanced Focus System, our torches and headlamps are infinitely focusable, allowing photographers to quickly and easily illuminate close-up and distant areas or large and small subjects.
LED flashlights for photography - long battery life
Photo shoots are usually scheduled for several hours to ensure that you have captured the best moments at the end of the day. For a torch to withstand such a day of shooting or night-time use, not only is a high number of lumens required, but also a long-lasting battery. While photographers are trying to take the best snapshots, the lamp usually works almost continuously at high power to provide the camera sensor with the necessary light.
Battery-powered lamps or flashlights offer numerous advantages for photographers and are also used in other areas, such as for night hikes and skiing. Lamps with rechargeable batteries can be recharged easily and simply.
Whether with a rechargeable battery or non rechargeable batteries, it is advisable to use an LED lamp instead of bulbs for the longest possible lighting duration. Classic light bulbs consume around 90 % more energy than LED technology. Ledlenser torches and headlamps are equipped with the latest LED technology. This means you have around 90 % more power for the same lumen output compared to light bulbs.
Flashlights with constant light for perfect photo and video recordings
Another point to consider when selecting flashlights for photography is whether the lamp uses pulse width modulation. Flashlights with this technology are dimmed by briefly lighting up the light very quickly. This happens so quickly that the eye cannot perceive it. However, this leads to undesirable effects when taking photos or videos.
If you want to use the flashlight to illuminate your shooting area, it is best to opt for a torch with constant light technology. Flashlights with this technology do not produce these disturbing effects, which is why they are particularly suitable for photo and video recordings. Our lights with Constant Light include, for example, the P7R Core, the P7R Signature or the H7R Core.
Creative night photography with light painting
Light painting refers to works of art that are created with the help of light. The key to light painting is darkness on the one hand and long exposure on the other.
In this form of photography, a small to medium light source moves and draws a trail of light that can be seen in the final image due to the long exposure. For light painting, smaller LED flashlights or penlights such as the P2R Core from the P series are particularly suitable as a light source or "light pen".
Flashlights for photography with color filters, such as red light, can also be very useful for coloring the surroundings in a certain hue. This also saves you having to buy different color films for the lens.
