GUESS Which Brand of Lights I Use / Photography Studio Lighting

i'm in the gear room today at the studio because i want to talk about uh lights i want to talk about a myth and a misconception of of lights and lighting and that is one of a brand i'm going to show you some images and i want you to think that uh while you're watching these images which manufacturer made the lights that i used to create the images so take a look [Music] the lights that i use in my work are inexpensive lights probably most likely very definitely direct from some chinese manufacturer and not once when i've been on a job or prior to getting a job has anyone ever asked what kind of lights do i use nobody cares they just don't care it doesn't matter there's there's no art buyer or art producer out there who's not going to hire you or a client who's not going to hire you because you're not shooting with uh bronze colors or pro photos or aperture nano like keynotes whatever it does not matter nobody cares i saw a video not too long ago about someone claiming that you're not a professional photographer if you use godox lights i guess i mean i don't even use godox lights this here is this is the first light other than a ring light this is the first light that i ever had i got this in a pack of three identical they're 250 watt seconds and you can see there's i mean there's no branding there's zero branding on it this is just generic digital photo professional studio photo light dp250 so it's 250 watt seconds i had three of those so i had 750 watt seconds total came in a kit with two light stands a seven inch reflector a five inch reflector barn doors some colored gels two soft boxes and a carrying bag for all of that for 400 400 canadian i still use this light i was using this light uh just recently on a stock photography shoot when it got to a point in my career where i needed something more powerful i needed something that i could use to overpower the sun then i picked up this light this is a 600 watt second light from visica the visco's a chinese company they had a distributor here in hamilton it's great it goes from 1.0 to 6.0 it goes in 1 10th increments on the back it's it is a fantastic light i use this light to photograph the arkells for the cover of a magazine just put a 7-inch reflector on there it's one of the few times i've ever used a 7-inch reflector they're a manufacturing waist it is a perfectly good light like it's a it's a great light i use this light still regularly i typically put this in my last delight highlight to control how much white is coming off that that backdrop recently i purchased two of these the battery is dead so recently i purchased two of these this is the newer v4 uh it is a battery powered light uh just like pop that in there comes with an extra battery this is portable i don't have to worry about cables i can move it around freely it's so much easier for me to manage especially when i'm doing editorial work uh i can just take a light stand and a light maybe the second light i have a lot of mobility to do what it is that i need and want to do on a shoot if i didn't need this i wouldn't have purchased it if i didn't need the 600 watt second light i wouldn't have purchased it i would probably still be using only the dp250s you do not need to spend a fortune on lighting light is a physical force that is to say it has physical properties and that doesn't change from manufacturer to manufacturer what does change from manufacturer to manufacturer is the ability for the light to produce a consistent quality of light shot after shot after shot pro photos and bronze colors especially are known to be really good at this but the reality is for most of us we do not need to be able to produce the exact same quality of light for every single shot in fact when we get into capture one we're going to adjust the white balance on our own we're going to make changes to that we're going to make stylistic and artistic changes to our work in post-production it's when you're shooting things like still life or archival materials or food photography when you need to have the light be the exact same color temperature consistently shot after shot after shot that you probably need to spend much more money but if you're not doing that work you don't need to spend that money so when you're thinking about photography and acquiring lighting and acquiring equipment no matter what it is you have to think in terms of is this going to add value to my business i talked in a previous video about uh how to set your pricing and looking at the cost of your goods but one thing that people don't consider is the depreciable cost of their assets my camera cost four thousand dollars after taxes canadian given the number of shoots i will do in a year over the lifespan of how many years this camera is going to last me how much is it costing me per shoot to use my camera how much is it costing me per shoot to use this light i will link to all like the equivalencies of all these uh below if you're looking at making smart choices in your lighting don't spend a fortune only spend what you need this is a business you're running a business if you're if you're a hobbyist photographer you know spend away you you know if you want to spend two thousand dollars on a light instead of two thousand dollars on a set of golf clubs that's your prerogative but as a business owner i need to keep my expenses low while improving the equipment that helped me make my job easier i will spend money if it makes my life easier is it going to make the quality of my photos better no if we look at the light i started with and compare it with the light i'm using now and really look those flash heads this one has some use on it i guarantee you they are the exact same flash bulbs from the probably from the exact same manufacturer in china really the only thing that's changed is what's written on the side of the case and the the form factor i can already hear people complaining about the fact that i'm buying chinese lights and things from china the reality is most of the things that we purchase in our life are made in china or manufactured overseas also i'm in canada not in the u.s there's no there's no canadian manufacturer of lighting that i'm aware of spend your money wisely don't waste it if you don't need something don't buy it if you no longer need something sell it on or pass it on i've given some of the equipment that i've purchased over the years to people because i no longer need it so please do not let me know in the comments below what kind of lights you use it doesn't matter nobody cares i don't care your clients don't care if your lighting works for you great if it doesn't work for you consider a change if it's a business decision that makes sense do let me know in the comments below what you thought of this video please do ask questions i would love to be able to answer your questions and and it helps me consider what topics i should consider for future videos so that's it for today thanks a lot [Music]