How can you tell if you need continuous or flash lighting?

Continuous light can be soft and hard depending on light modifiers/shapers. Same for flash. You shape and sculpt light with modifiers. Natural light is variable, especially if a cloud passes by. It’s harder to shoot in full manual mode when the light varies. Studio flash lights often have built in continuous light to help shaping the light. You need to know how to control the light output when working with multiple flash units. The continuous light does not show the full strength. Film and video use continues light. It’s a great way to start learning about light. LED lights can have variable white balance controls and variable luminance strength. For film productions, larger continuous lights are needed to have longer reach.

In my experience when I was working commercial studio I used a lot of strobes/ flash lighting, however the beauty of the continuous lighting let me play more with warm tones and deep of field, the intimacy created by this lighting push me to explore more the capabilities of whatever camera I am using.

(This AI content is inaccurate.) Continuous lighting is ideal (necessary) for video production, but can be limiting for still photography. It is generally not as powerful as flash, but is less expensive and lets you see exactly what you are getting in your scene.

Continuous lighting is useful as it allows a photographer to see how lighting looks before taking a photo and to adjust as needed.

taking a portrait of a person outdoors on a sunny day. Continuous lighting would be like using natural sunlight, which is always available and provides a constant source of light. On the other hand, flash lighting would be like using a camera flash, which provides a burst of light at the moment of capturing the image. The choice between continuous and flash lighting in photography depends on whether you need a constant source of light or a quick burst of light at the moment of capturing the image.

The harshness of shadows and reflections is not related to the light source (flash or continuous) but rather the shape, size and distance of the light from the subject. Photographers use umbrellas, soft boxes, reflectors and other tools to modify the shape of light and the resulting look of the images.

Flash lighting is a technique in photography that involves using a brief burst of intense light to illuminate a subject and capture a well-exposed image, especially in low-light situations.

Well, the 1st and most important thing is to determine your shooting environment as continuous lighting works well for video in my opinion. However, I have seen still photographers using continuous lighting instead of speed light. Continuous lighting offers immediate control and a clear preview of the illumination, while flash lighting allows for more precise adjustments but requires expertise in flash synchronization.Well that might be the reason.

Flash lighting is great for freezing action like sprinkled powder, sprayed water or falling objects. With faster shutter speeds you can also blank out the ambient light to get a black background even in a lit room, lighting only what you want. With multi flash lights you can light a scene or item in a very controlled and specific way leading to very dramatic or creative photos.

It really depends on the project. Continuous lighting gives you a live view & flexibility of control with still photography. Downsides includes not having enough light for low ISO and can be too hot if you need extremely powerful lights. With strobes, you’ll need a little patience to initially set the scene and test before shooting. Some strobes are powerful enough to overpower the sun in some situations, allowing you to use very low ISOs for professional results.

To be more helpful: - if you're shooting video, look for continuous LED light sources and modifiers to control the qualities of the light. - if you're shooting in a studio, you can choose either type. Continuous lighting is better for slow-moving or still subjects, while flash gives more power to increase your depth-of-field and can help stop motion. - for outdoor images and moving subjects, a flash will be necessary to provide enough light to balance with the sun and/or freeze motion.

There can be situations where continuous strong light would disturb your model, then it is good to use a less invasive continuous modeling light to see how the light forms on your model and freeze the moment with a burst of flash. In addition the pupils will not have time to shrink if you use the flash light. I aggree that softnes and hardness can be modified with both as you like. You can also combine the two, depending what you want to achieve from the artistic prospective. It can be nice to use the background's continuous ambient light on a concert or sundown with a light touch of a flash on the subject in the front.

you are trying to take a picture of a moving object, like a running dog, in a dimly lit room. You can either use a flashlight to illuminate the dog momentarily (flash lighting) or keep the room well-lit all the time (continuous lighting). Both approaches have their own advantages and techniques

Note that the white balance setting either in the camera or the post-production software creates a global adjustment that affects the entire image. Color filters or gels give you the ability to change the color temperature of individual light sources.

When working with flash lighting it can help to have a torch (or other continuous light source) to check the position of your lights. The torch can help find the exact spot where you have the desired reflection, then you can take some pictures to find the right power level.

By setting up your camera to capture the background of your subject and using flash to freeze it can give you interesting effects. At lower light conditions with slower exposure if you also move your lens and/or change zoom range while bursting flash on your subject, you can have the path of light painting the scene behind it. Putting your camera on a tripod with a very long exposure and having a moving target, you can multiply the subject by multiple flash shots and freeze each movement on the same image frame. You can also use continuous light sources here for direct light painting because the carrier of the source will be blurred out, not visible.

Continuous lighting stays on while shooting and provides flexibility in adjusting settings, while flash lighting emits a short burst of light and is more portable and powerful. The choice depends on the need for a constant or quick burst of light at the moment of capturing the image.

To understand how continuous and flash lighting are used in various scenarios and genres, you should rent both types of lighting (or at least strobes that have powerful modeling lights) and get firsthand experience using both. If you live in a major city, there's a high probability that there's a local photo/video rental company you can rent from. If you do not, you can rent online rental companies like lensrentals.com or borrowlenses.com who will then ship the gear to you. Normally weekend rentals count as one day. Pick up on a Friday afternoon, use them extensively the entire weekend, return Monday morning. Rinse and repeat several times with different makes and models.

you are attending a conference and there are specific sessions dedicated to different topics. However, there may be some interesting anecdotes or ideas that do not fit into any particular session. This section serves as a platform to share those miscellaneous thoughts or experiences. Summary: This section provides an opportunity to contribute additional examples, stories, or insights that do not align with any specific section, allowing for a more comprehensive sharing of information.

Flash is the best choice for anything that moves, and when you need a powerful source, like mixing with sunlight. It is daylight balanced so mixing it with day light is easy. Continuous light is easy to use because you can see the shadows and the ratios. The new lights make it easier to mix with other sources so you don’t get mixed color. I prefer it for still life or interiors whenever possible. The choice depends on the subject you are shooting. Strobes can be intimidating for beginning photographers.