image by Jun Seita

When I first took Photography in college I hated it.  The lights were expensive ( I may have accidentally broken one), made the classroom feel like an oven, and generally everything was very tedious. Now however, the lights are somewhat less expensive, LED lights produce significantly less heat, and digital photography has made things a lot cheaper.  There are also some really cool effects you can get with some of the LED lights that are available specifically for photography. My personal favorite is the results from using a LED  Ring light, it creates a really interesting reflection when used  in portrait photography.

After speaking with several photographers who use LED flash bulbs the feedback has all been positive, with the comment that as with most things in photography they’re not for every shot or occasion.  (At least two of the photographers I spoke with commented on how they prefer to shoot using natural light.)

Buying an LED flash for your camera looks like it’s cheaper than the traditional tungsten bulbs, with an average price around sixty dollars, and a high end cost around one fifty.  Lights are sold with color temperature information included, and most of them are dimmable. Some of the LED flash items we found came with color correction filters, most could use both battery and ac/dc power, and quite a few were suggested for video cameras as well. There were a couple of studio lights that used LED bulbs, but it appears that tungsten bulbs are still more popular there.

As LED and film technology continue to evolve it will be interesting to see how these two fields come together, become more affordable, and the work they produce. If you’re a photographer (hobby or professional) please let us know about your experience with LED lighting!