Light is crucial when it comes to portrait photography. Shooting during golden hour sunset or having access to a large window are both great tools for harnessing the power of the sun when shooting portraits, but sometimes the weather isn’t going to be on your side. The best portrait lighting kit will go a long way in improving the creative control you have as a photographer when shooting portraits.
These lighting kit setups will help you control the light, so you can feel confident shooting portraits regardless of location or what time of day you might be shooting. These are some of our favorite lights and lighting kits for shooting portraits.
- Best portable lighting kit: EMART 15W Tabletop LED Lighting Kit
- Best studio portrait lighting: EMART 5500K LED Continuous Photo Lighting
- Best Budget portrait lighting kit: EMART 24"x24" 1000W Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best LED lights for photography: EMART Dimmable 176 LED Panel Video Studio Light Kit
- Best portable LED lights: EMART RGB LED Photography Light
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Best portable lighting kit
EMART 15W Tabletop LED Lighting Kit
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Best studio portrait lighting
EMART 5500K LED Continuous Photo Lighting
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Best Budget portrait lighting kit
EMART 24"x24" 1000W Softbox Lighting Kit
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Best LED lights for photography
EMART Dimmable 176 LED Panel Video Studio Light Kit
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EMART RGB LED Photography Light Here are some of the best portrait lighting kits
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Best portable lighting kit: EMART 15W Tabletop LED Lighting Kit
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| 15W LED light bulb |
| Check Price |
Why It Made The Cut:
EMART tabletop lighting kit is a fast and reliable tool for inside the studio or on location, plus they are a fraction of the price of other lighting kits.
Specs:
- Height: Min 12.8"-Max 18"
- Save energy up to 85%
- 15W LED light bulb
- Adjustable light head with reflectors
Pros:
- Affordable compared to other lights
- Lighting for video,images,collocation with all kinds of tabletop studio,Can also be used for makeup,reading books.
- It can be used for professional photography studio, and you will find the quality of your image improve a lot.
- Portable and compact for quick and easy travel or storage.
Cons:
- Cord is a litter short
- The blue and orange color bulbs covers cannot be used
The table lighting kit is the best portable portrait lighting kit for a photographer looking to build out a studio lighting kit.
The package includes LED bulbs,2x 18" tabletop light stand and 2x Tabletop studio light heads with reflector.These lights are an excellent place to start when building out a full portrait lighting kit.
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Best studio portrait lighting: EMART 5500K LED Continuous Photo Lighting
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| EMART 5500K LED Continuous Photo Lighting |
| Check Price |
Why It Made The Cut:
It uses new design.The retractable bracket which has new spring design can neatly be folded away into the base of the light itself for quicker and more convenient storage.
Specs:
- Lumen: 570-600 lm (equal to 70W incandescent bulb output)
- Height: 10.2"
- LED quantity: 12
- The lamp head swivels up and down 180 degrees
Pros:
- This product is perfect for photography, especially for its price.
- Well worth the money! I was skeptical but they pack a punch for little lights.
- Two color gel filters can change the kelvin temperature for cooler or warmer photos.
- What a great set of lights. They’re light and bright as advertised
Cons:
- The wire may not be that long
This product is one of the most highly regarded lighting products in our shop.This kit comes with four gel filter for LED Light. With the addition of two light stands and some modifiers you will be ready to shoot products in the studio.
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Best Budget portrait lighting kit: EMART 24"x24" 1000W Softbox Lighting Kit
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| EMART 24"x24" 1000W Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Check Price |
Why It Made The Cut:
A great choice for beginners, EMART’s 1000W all-in-one lighting kit allows you to explore portrait lighting techniques without breaking the bank.
Specs:
- All-in-One Kit
- Continuous Lighting
- Includes two photo studio bulbs
Pros:
- Inexpensive kit, great for beginning photographers
- Includes bulbs, softboxes, lighting stands and carrying case
- E27 socket makes it compatible with all types of bulbs for versatile lighting
Cons:
- No wireless option, must be plugged in
Using lights while shooting portraits can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. EMART’s 1000W socket light kit is simple to use, has a non-threatening price tag and is a great starter kit to learn the way that light can change the mood of a portrait.
The 1000W socket light kit comes with two light bulbs, although the E26/E27 socket means you can screw in any color temperature or color of bulb you desire.
This kit comes with softboxes, lighting stands, and a carrying case as well. They require an outlet to operate—so these aren’t going to be ideal for working on location and photographers looking to stretch their creativity will likely soon grow tired of the simplicity of this kit, but if it’s a low cost basic lighting setup you are looking for this is the best budget portrait lighting kit for you.
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Best LED lights for photography: EMART Dimmable 176 LED Panel Video Studio Light Kit
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| EMART Dimmable 176 LED Panel Video Studio Light Kit |
| Check Price |
Why It Made The Cut:
These dimmable, 176 LED panel video studio light kit with adjustable tripod stand offer professional quality continuous light, for a fraction of the price, making them an excellent choice for new photographers or videographers.
Specs:
- 5500K color temperature and 95 high CRI
- weight 0.7 lb
- The light stand can be adjusted from 1.1 to 4.3 ft.
Pros:
- Affordable price point
- Powerful heat dissipation capability, no worry about over-heating issue, extending light working time.
- Dismountable & Rechargeable Battery provides longer lifetime and gives user more confidence while photo-shooting.
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Adjustable light Stand
Cons:
- Short power cords
LED lights are well-loved by continuous light photographers and videographers and this set from EMART is the best LED lights for photography. They’re also a great option for experienced shooters on a budget or amateurs looking to explore their options.
This EMART kit includes video light, stands and carrying cases so you will be ready to start shooting as soon as you unbox. The lights can create a variable color temperature 5500K.
It has two way to charge:Dismountable & Rechargeable Battery.These are decent-quality LED lights for such a low price.
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Best portable LED lights: EMART RGB LED Photography Light
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| EMART RGB LED Photography Light |
| Check Price |
Why It Made The Cut:
EMART RGB LED lights are extremely portable, making them a great choice for the portrait shooter who wants to travel light.
Specs:
- RGB light panel is comprised of 50PCS LED beads
- Color temperature: 5500K
- 3 light modes(white, yellow and warm white), 7 colored lights(red, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange, pink).
Pros:
- Extremely compact light source
- Powered by USB, you can plug in your desktop computer, power bank, charging plug or your USB socket at any time.
- It can be mounted on DSLR cameras or camcorders, tripods and light stands.
- Versatile, great for portraits, video shoots or vlogging
Cons:
- Build your own kit
If you are looking to build something that’s ideal for travel this pick for the best portable LED lights is a great place to start.
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How we picked the best portrait lighting kits
When selecting our picks for best lights and lighting kits we considered price, brand recognition, size and style of lighting tool.
The monolights listed in this story are more expensive options and often require photographers to build their own kit by buying modifiers and light stands, but ultimately we believe these lights are more reliable when shooting portraits in the studio or on location. When shopping for lights paying more up-front often means getting a product that will serve your needs for much longer.
The continuous lights in this story were more often sold as package deals. Both of the selects are low-cost options that are great for either beginners or photographers who are looking for something inexpensive. Ultimately these lights offer less flexibility than the monolights, give photographers less control and won’t last as long as higher priced alternatives. The light demonstrates just how far LED technology has come in recent years. This pocket-sized LED panel won’t be ideal for shooting full body portraits, but can be a great way to pop some creative color on a tighter portrait sitter.
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Things to Consider Before Buying Portrait Lights
Shooting style
Ultimately your budget should be the number one thing to consider when purchasing portrait lights. If you are just starting out and trying to figure out how quality of light can enhance your images a set of continuous lights will serve you well. The continuous lights in this guide are all moderately priced, most of them come with included stands and diffusers and because they are always on you can see how subtle changes in light will create changes in your portraits.
Head type
If you’ve been shooting for a while and are looking to invest in more traditional studio strobes for creating portraits, you can’t go wrong with the monolights in this guide. Although these lights don’t come bundled with modifiers or light stands, that actually gives you the option to build out a customized kit that makes sense for your photography. The Flashpoint monolights are an excellent option for a shooter on a budget, but if money isn’t a barrier and your budget is sky-high we’d recommend going for the Profoto lights.
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FAQs
Q: What should I look for in a lighting kit?
If you are opting to buy an all-in-one kit look for lights that come with lighting stands and some kind of lighting diffuser (a softbox or a shoot through umbrella are both great options for beginners). Keep in mind that the all-in-one lighting kits that you can buy online are usually packaged with lower-quality lights.
Q: Are LED lights good for photography?
LED lights are a versatile tool for both photography and videography. LEDs are a continuous light source, meaning you can see how small changes to the light like intensity and color temperature will change the feeling of your portrait in real time.
Q: What lighting is best for portrait photography?
Ultimately the “best” lighting for portrait photography depends a lot on what you are trying to accomplish with your portrait. A dark and moody portrait will use very different lighting techniques than a standard head shot or family portrait. Large diffuse lighting sources will make for the most flattering portraits, while more direct light sources will give you portraits that are moodier with more shadows.