All about studio lighting

The Paul C. Buff LINK 800 isn’t just a flash — it’s a powerful, portable lighting solution that transforms both studio and location photography. The video demonstrates why this unit is so impressive.

Good studio lighting can make or break a photoshoot. The PLM™ Parabolic Umbrella is a versatile tool that allows photographers to create soft

Which Flash Unit Is Right for You? A Clear Comparison of the Einstein, LINK, and Celestial

Firing a studio flash from the camera requires some form of instruction from the camera to tell the flash when to fire. This can be done with a sync cord, with a  remote control  or, in some cases, by letting the camera fire its own built-in flash to set off the flash-sensitive slave trippers contained in most studio flash units. But it is difficult or impossible to set the built-in flashes on many cameras so they fire at the right time. Most digital cameras use a “preflash”

In order to achieve good color balance with studio flash, the user must understand the factors that affect color. Cameras with built-in flash need only establish color balance parameters from a single, unchanging flash source and are normally set to “flash” setting for proper color. But color balance with studio flash is affected by a number of variables including the color balance of the flash units themselves, changes of color introduced by the shooting environment, changes

Figure 1  depicts the typical characteristics of a Xenon flashtube. When the tube is fired there is a rapid ionization period as the tube output rises to maximum brightness. This is followed by an exponential decline in tube current, voltage and light as the capacitors are discharged to zero. The standard engineering term for stating flash duration is “t.5”. This describes the time it takes for 50% of the total flashpower to be dissipated. Whenever the simple designation “Fla

Good studio flash systems differ from on-camera flashes in many ways. In addition to providing considerably more flashpower, studio units are designed to be used with a wide variety of light shaping accessories such as umbrellas, softboxes, grid spot attachments, barndoors, beauty dishes and others. Each of these accessories provides a different quality of lighting, allowing the user to precisely compose light to suit his purpose. Studio flash units are often used in multiple