Photography Lighting Myth Busters!
One myth at a time, we're busting misconceptions about photography lighting! Including how much you need to spend, what kind of lighting you need, and how you can use your lighting. Check out our tips below to ease your mind.
"More wattage means better light"
Not always. Higher wattage increases output and allows you more control, but doesn’t guarantee better quality. Light modifiers and control matter more towards the quality and light effect you're aiming for.
“Natural Light is always best”
While natural light can be beautiful, it’s not automatically better. Great lighting depends on control, not the source. Artificial lights (like strobes or LEDs) allow you to shape, position, and modify light to achieve a consistent look regardless of the time of day. Some of the most striking “natural-looking” portraits are actually lit entirely with artificial sources.
"HSS is for shooting action and freezing movement"
While you can get good results from using HSS when freezing movement, most of the time you will actually get a better result from using normal sync on your lights with a higher power.
HSS, instead, is designed to overpower any ambient light in your scene rather than for the purpose of freezing action contrary to popular belief. This could be in situations such as: shooting outside in sunlight, shooting indoors in an area where you can't control the overhead lighting or light from windows.
Instead, to freeze motion, look for flash durations. The shorter the flash duration, the better it is for freezing motion and capturing sharp details, such as motion in dance or sport, moving water droplets, or explosions.
"You need RGB for professional lighting"
Not true. Many pro setups use bi-colour or daylight-only lights for accuracy and simplicity. RGB opens up your shooting options, but is not considered vital.
“You can fix bad lighting in post”
While post-processing can improve an image, it can’t truly fix poor lighting. Details lost in underexposure or blown highlights can’t be fully recovered. Good lighting sets the foundation; editing should polish it, not repair it. Aim for a good shot straight out of camera (SOOC) so you spend less time in photoshop or lightroom, and get a more reliable result out of your shots.
"Soft light is always better"
Soft light is perfect for a wide range of photo and video settings, but hard light adds shape and drama - particularly useful for fashion or film noir. Experiment with different hard and soft lighting effects.
"I need lots of lights to get the right effect"
While different lights can have different uses, or can be useful for larger groups of people and other purposes, it's often best, especially as a beginner, to start out with one light. You could also get a few modifier options for versatility.
If you need an extra bit of brightness in your image, pick up a 5-in-1 Reflector instead! These can be used opposite the light to bounce some brightness back into your model's face without the need for an extra unit. This is also great if you're on a tighter budget.
"Flash and LED can’t mix"
Flash and LED lighting can in fact be mixed on the same set, if this is the best solution for you. You won't be able to control them the same way, and you will need to trigger your flashes from your camera. Using both together is only really suitable for photography work or BTS.
However, make sure your colour temperature is matched so that the lighting matches up when mixed.
"You need a lot of expensive modifiers to start"
Nope - we think it's best, when starting out with lighting, to use the light on it's own or with one modifier, so that you can get familiar with how the light works, and understand the fundamentals of lighting themselves.
Knowing how to angle your light, and how light falling across your model's face or your subject will affect the image is the most important part of lighting, and once mastered, you can then introduce more modifiers.
On a tight budget? You can do a lot with one softbox! And you can pick up softboxes from as little as £30 here!
"Using flash is expensive!"
Not true! Getting started in flash is inevitably going to cost some money, but your first setup doesn't have to break the bank. You can get a comprehensive battery-powered speedlite kit for as little as £295.86, including flash, light stand, bracket, trigger, reflector and umbrella!
Check out Richard Bradbury's super in-depth blog on his starter speedlite kit with a guide for all the different ways you can use this setup to achieve different effects. Richard Bradbury's Budget Flash Kit
If, instead, you need a small table-top setup for product photos perhaps, or you need a budget setup for video, content creation, or portraits, you can also try our some fluorescent continuous lighting options. These are super budget-friendly and easy to use, and you can pick up a 2-light kit for under £100, with the trade-off of having minimal control options.
Lighting doesn’t have to be intimidating. Once you understand how light behaves, from direction, intensity, colour, and quality, you can create just about any effect you desire. Whether you’re shooting portraits, landscapes, or products, the key is to experiment, observe, and understand your light. Lighting takes up a huge part of your image and it's composition, so get the best possible images, you should master your lighting.
Godox is a world-renowned brand & leading manufacturer for professional studio lighting equipment. Renowned for their high quality and innovative products, they lead the Film, TV and Photography industries with professional lighting.
EssentialPhoto & Video is the Official Godox Partner and UK Distributor, stocking the widest range of Godox kit in the UK, offering a 12 Month Warranty*, and Customer Support and after-sales repair at our Birmingham-based store. All Godox stock is dispatched from our warehouse in the West Midlands, UK.
