What are the advantages and disadvantages of using daylight-balanced or tungsten-balanced studio lights?

-Daylight-Balanced Lights: Provide a neutral white light, match easily with other light sources, and are energy-efficient with low heat output. -Advantages: Versatile for various photography styles, but can be expensive, less durable, and may not accurately render all colors. -Disadvantages: May not create the desired mood or atmosphere for some subjects and can be costly compared to tungsten lights.

Corrections: being energy-efficient or hot has nothing to do with whether a light is daylight-balanced or tungsten. You can purchase LED lamps that are "warm" or "cool" colour temperature at any hardware store (or photography supplier). The price is the same for either type of bulb. Daylight-balanced lights are by far the default choice for studio work, whether taking still photos or video. Colours can be added and adjusted using filters on the lights if a particular colour temperature is desirable for any reason.

-Tungsten-Balanced Lights: Provide a warm, yellow-orange light that enhances color rendition, especially for reds and oranges, and creates a cozy atmosphere. -Advantages: Cheaper, durable, and ideal for portrait or still life photography; however, they generate a lot of heat and are energy-inefficient. -Disadvantages: Harder to match with other light sources, requiring filters or white balance adjustments, and less versatile for different styles of photography.

You might wish to use a tungsten-balanced studio light if you are working somewhere that is lit with a lot of standard light bulbs already. Then your studio light would more closely match the environment. Make sure you set your camera's white balance appropriately so the results don't all look orange!

-Use a Light Meter or Gray Card: To accurately measure color temperature and set the correct white balance on your camera for consistent results. -Employ Light Modifiers: Utilize umbrellas, softboxes, reflectors, or gels to shape, soften, or alter the color of your light for desired effects. -Experiment with Mixed Lighting: Combining daylight-balanced and tungsten-balanced lights can add depth and creative possibilities by mixing color temperatures and creating interesting visual effects.

Correction: yes, use both a light meter and grey card - but a light meter does not measure colour temperature. (You can find colour temperature meters but they are very specialized equipment.) Agreed: mixing tungsten and daylight-balanced lights can create interesting effects, but use with caution because it can also look unpleasant. Caution: when using light modifiers, be aware of the physical (not colour) temperature of your lights. Some bulbs get very hot and can cause damage especially if your gels get too close!

There’s a lot here that’s confusing: You cannot buy LED lights at the hardware store that are really suited to any kind of professional photography. They certainly will not compare with the kit you can buy from your photography supplier. They need to have a CRI (colour rendering index) of 98% or better. CRI is not colour temperature, it’s having an even amount of light all the way across the spectrum. You need a flash meter for strobes, a light meter for continuous light and a colour temperature meter for colour. In reality the last two are effectively built in to many cameras, the only one you really need to buy is a flash meter. Be careful with the modifiers you choose, they can substantially alter the colour of your light.