Professional lighting for photo studios can cost a pretty penny, but if you’re just starting out, you don’t have to drop that much cash (if you even have it to start with). In this video, photographer Joe Edelman shows you how to build an all LED setup on a budget that performs as well as pricier gear.
We should be clear, “on a budget” here is really a matter of hundreds of dollars, compared to the usual thousands you can spend on lighting and gear to build out a quality photo or video setup. If you’re an amateur photographer or even YouTuber and want decent gear to get your work off the ground, you can take Edelman’s lesson and save some dough. The basic setup is a four-point lighting system, much like the kind we’ve discussed in the past here. He focuses on LEDs because they’re more affordable, they last longer, and they’re lightweight, not to mention they don’t get hot like other lighting setups can.
As for the components, he uses some basic LED shop lights that both have dual strips of powerful LED lights at 4500 lumens, rated for about 45,000 hours of life, and 5000 degrees Kelvin color temperature. They’re sturdy enough to travel with you, and they’re quiet enough for video shoots. They’re not dimmable though, which you should keep in mind. All in all, they’re a pretty good deal—that is, once you get them set up, and Edelman walks you through the parts to do just that in the video. For the full build and walkthrough of the setup, hit play above or check out the full video (and get links to all of the components and parts necessary to get them mounted and hanging) at the link below.
DIY Photography LED Studio Lights for Portraits & Headshots | Joe Edelman (YouTube)