How to Choose Photography Lighting Gear
A decade ago I did what any good business person would do: I found a solution in the form of off-camera flash.
This article started as a simple question for my friend who is a photographer that only uses natural light. I asked her how she shoots her cake smash sessions after 6pm in the winter? Her answer…she doesn’t.
In the winter she has to deal with reduced daylight hours and overcast weather that keep her from serving her clients. The amount of money her studio can make per year is directly impacted by things outside of her control, like the Earth’s rotation and weather patterns. As a business person that makes me very, very nervous. Photography is a Latin word that literally translates to ”painting with light” and without light, you can’t paint. No painting = no $$$, and that makes everybody sad, especially us entrepreneurs.
A decade ago I did what any good business person would do: I found a solution in the form of off-camera flash.
In this article we’re going to list the types of flashes available and go over the pros and cons of each. Each flash will be linked to its Amazon listing. Yes they are affiliate links but more importantly the listing contains all of the stats for each flash should you have any questions. I encourage you to copy the stats from each listing and paste them into a separate spreadsheet. It makes it so much easier to compare the flashes side by side.
Important Note:
When choosing an off-camera flash I had one really big requirement. I insist that any flash in my studio must have high speed sync. Here’s an over simplified explanation of high speed sync and why I think it’s such a must have.
When you use any kind of flash it has to synchronize with your camera. When you set a high shutter speed in your camera it becomes harder for the flash to synchronize with your camera and it will ruin your photos at shutter speeds above 1/250th of a second. This becomes a huge problem when you want to photograph a moving subject (like a cake smashing baby) or when you want to use longer lenses. Because of this I don’t recommend purchasing a flash (like Alien Bees) that don’t have high speed sync. Buying lights without high speed sync only limits what you can create. In the future I doubt flashes will even be sold without it. For this reason, the following list only includes flashes that are high speed sync capable.
So without further ado, here’s my list of go to flashes.
Speedlights
Speedlights are the cheapest way to enter into the world of off-camera flash. They are perfect for anyone just getting started with flash because of the low cost. They’re also extremely portable. I always have one of these little guys tucked into my camera bag and use it regularly to add a little extra punch to my photos or to fill in shadows. In all fairness I should mention that speedlights are addicting. I will regularly hide 3 or 4 of these guys in a scene and have pulled off some pretty amazing photos because of it.
Godox Speedlight Features
50 watts of power
Super cheap: $85 ish per speedlight. Hard to argue with that.
High Speed Sync: I won’t buy a flash without it!
Built-in Radio Trigger: I can control the power of the light from a remote on my camera. No more running from light to light changing settings. This is great when I hide a light in a tree or outside a window. Having the trigger built-in means I don’t have to buy an adapter (like pocket wizards) to fire the flash when it’s off camera and that saves me some serious money. Plus, the built-in radio trigger will talk to all of the different types of Godox lights. Let’s say you own a Godox speed light and a Godox ad600. One trigger will control each light independently from the top of your camera.
The lithium batteries also last longer and are better for the environment.
Lithium Battery: Old speed lights were powered by AA batteries and it increased the time it took for the flash to recharge. With a lithium battery the flash recycles faster. The lithium batteries also last longer and are better for the environment.
Would I use a Godox Speedlight for a smash cake session? - Yes but not as a main light. Smash cake photography generally requires the use of large light modifiers like a 5-7 foot softbox or umbrella. A basic speed light is not powerful enough to be used with larger modifiers, nor does the flash recycle fast enough. If you use smaller modifiers like an umbrella you might be able to light a smash cake session but the recycle time will still be an issue. These lights are better used for a single, stationary subjects like a high school senior or head shot. I started my very successful senior portrait business by shooting outdoors with just one speedlight and a small to medium softbox. That small investment in equipment made me thousands of dollars my first year. Bang for your buck speedlights are a great investment especially for photographers just starting to learn how to use flash.
Midrange Flash
Godox ad200
200 watts of power
The Godox ad200 is the perfect blend of big studio light and small speed light. This flash offers 4X’s the power of a speed light in only a slightly larger package. These are my go to lights when I take the show on the road. I can fit two of these flashes in my camera bag and they generally offer up enough power to serve as a main light for shoots with only one or two subjects. Add a second one of these lights as a hair light and you’ve got a mobile portrait studio that fits in a backpack.
Godox Speedlight Features
200 watts of power
Great punch of light for the price: 4x’s the power of a speed light for not much more money.
High Speed Sync: I won’t choose a flash without it
Built-in Radio Trigger: The built in radio trigger controls all of you Godox lights from the back of you camera.
Lithium Battery: With a lithium battery the flash recycles faster and the lithium batteries are better on the environment
Would I use it for a smash cake session?- Yes. I use these for outdoor smash cake shoots all the time. I like to blend the existing sunlight with the Godox ad200. Blending this light with the sun means the flash doesn’t have to be set at such a high power, giving me a better recycle time. Also I’m generally using smaller light modifiers while outside and the flash doesn’t have to spread across a 7 foot surface of a large softbox. This also allows me to set a lower power setting, again helping with a faster recycle time.
For in-studio sessions these lights have enough power to serve as very reliable hair and or accent light. I use the Godox ad200s when I have to put an accent light above my subject because they’re very lightweight. You can use these lights as a main light if you’re not trying to use a super huge modifier. Or for the best results you can purchase two of these lights and put both of them in the same large modifier. This would be roughly the same power as an Alien Bee 400 monolight AND you would have high speed sync. Not to mention the option of splitting them up and using them as a hair light and main light for headshots or senior portraits. This is the light I recommend if your budget won’t allow for more than a few hundred dollars.
go-to Flash
Godox ad600
The Godox ad600 is my go-to light for smash cake as well as senior portraits, families, headshots and boudoir. This light is the most versatile light I own. I use it in studio and I take it on just about every location shoot. The ad600 gives me the power of a studio strobe combined with the portability of a speed light. The ad600 is battery operated, no more extension cords, no more generators and no more heavy dangling battery packs. The ad600s battery clips neatly to the back of the light and the overall size of the light is roughly the size of a Paul Buff Alien Bee. Speaking of Alien Bees I sold all of mine after using the Godox ad600. The Godox has a wireless trigger built into the unit, it’s got high speed sync, it’s battery operated and it comes in a Bowens mount. (A Bowens mount for the soft box means you don’t have to buy the Paul Buff light modifiers which saves you a ton of money.) Over all, this light was roughly the same price as an Alien Bee but I didn’t have to buy expensive radio triggers and light modifiers to use it. And again, (getting a little repetitive) it has high speed sync. For beginners or pros this is the best studio and location flash for the money.
Great punch of light for the price: Roughly 10x the power of a speedlight and it’s battery powered!
600 Watts of power
High Speed Sync: As I mentioned I won’t choose a flash without it
If I could only buy one light, I would buy the Godox ad600
Studio quality light wherever you go: I use these lights to take portraits everywhere. On top of mountains, on boats or anywhere off grid. Having a studio strobe with a battery pack has even had me questioning weather I actually need my studio space. Not having to plug in is a total game changer.
Plus Built-in Radio Trigger & Lithium Battery
Would I use a ad600 for a smash cake session? In a word, YES. This is THE light I recommend for smash cake photography. Other light brands like Paul Buff’s Alien Bees don’t have the incredibly crucial high speed sync nor do they offer a wide variety of flash types to choose from. When you work with Godox lights you’re working with an array of different types of flashes that can all work together. I have been known to shoot images using two Godox speedlights, two Godox ad200s and two Godox ad600s. All of the lights worked together flawlessly off one single radio trigger. With 600 watts of power this light fills up a 7 foot octabox without breaking a sweat. Each battery has enough power to create massive walls of soft beautiful light for two full portrait sessions. (Or more, if you don’t overshoot like I do.) If I could only buy one light this would be that light.
I hope all of that helps you decide on an off camera flash that works for you. Without getting to high up on my soap box I can say that using flash will give you a tremendous amount of creative control. Admittedly flash is not always the best answer but until I learn to control the sun, moon and stars, I’ll be keeping a flash in my bag, just in case.
As always I love, love, love talking about photography. Please feel free to ask anything you want (photography related) in the comment section and I’ll do my best to answer. Who knows, I may even decide to use your question as the subject of a YouTube Video.
Thanks for giving me your time and I’ll catch you in the next one!
- Daniel