If you’re looking for a lighting setup to build on a budget, Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter has a useful video for you. In his latest tutorial, he guides you through buying the stuff for the LED light kit for only $150. This doesn’t only include the lights, but also stands, batteries, modifiers, and even accessories. Furthermore, he also guides you through setting up and using the kit for getting the best results. So, if your pocket is not too deep, this can be a great solution for you.
For starters, here’s the list of the gear you’ll need.
NEEWER CN-304NEEWER CN-160Battery kit (2 batteries and a charger)Light Stand Kit (includes 2two stands)UmbrellaUmbrella Stand MountUmbrella Stand Mount (cheaper model)Extra diffusion
At the moment when I summed up the prices of these items, I got the result of approximately $180. It’s a bit more that $150, but still pretty affordable for a light kit. Note that the prices may vary with different retailers, and change with time. Also, if you already have some parts from other lighting kits, you don’t include them into the math. All in all, you can go a bit above or under $150, depending on the time, circumstances and the retailer. Caleb uses NEEWER CN-304 as the key light and NEEWER CN-160 as the background light. Of course, you need batteries to start them up, and if you don’t already have them, you can find them at some pretty good price. And then, when your lights are all powered up, you need the stands to mount them. You can get the kit that includes two light stands – just what you need for this setup. Now, you want the light to be soft, so you need something to diffuse it. Caleb suggests using an umbrella, as they are affordable and very easy to set up. Additionally, you’ll need an umbrella stand mount to attach it. Both of these cost around $20 or less together.
Finally, for some additional diffusion and even softer light, you can get some diffusion fabric and add it over the umbrella.
The setup
The key light is in front of Caleb, hitting the left side of his face. It’s the NEEWER CN-304 mounted onto the stand with an umbrella. Caleb’s suggestion is to keep the umbrella as far from the light as you can because it makes the light even softer. And as I mentioned, for extra softness, use that diffusion fabric.
The backlight is the opposite from the key light, behind Caleb’s right side and hitting the backdrop. This position of the backlight does two things. First, it brightens the shadow the key light creates on the unlighted side of his face. And second, it separates the subject from the background. You can adjust the brightness and make the backlight more or less intense.
This is a pretty decent setup at a truly affordable price. If you’d like to check out more LED light suggestions, you can find a great comparison here and here. And if your pockets are a bit deeper, then you might be interested in the $500 LED lighting setup. [Complete Video Light Kit for $150 and How to Use It | Caleb Pike]
