Lighting Gifts for Studio Photographers

With the deluge of new cameras hitting the market, it has been easy to miss the latest studio tools that have been released over the past few years. Never fear! We’ve rounded up the most-wanted studio gear from our holiday wish lists so you can treat your favorite photographer—or yourself.
The season of lights is upon us and nothing brightens up a studio more than a new set of lights. Two new releases this year top my personal wish list: Profoto’s B10 Plus OCF Flash Head and Rotolight’s Titan X2 LED DMX Light Panel. Profoto has done an admirable job in recent years of creating lights that are both up to studio quality and extremely compact and lightweight. The B10 Plus doubles the power of its predecessor B10 while remaining very portable. Its lithium-ion battery lasts for up to 200 full-power flashes per charge, so you can shoot without tripping over wires, or take it on the road with confidence. Finally, its LED modeling light with adjustable color temperature is perfect for setting up shots or using for video applications.

Profoto B10 Plus OCF Flash Head

The second light I can’t stop dreaming about as the holidays approach is Rotolight’s Titan X2. Offering 15,525 lux at 3200K and 16,800 lux at 5600K, this light is a powerhouse. Among its laundry list of capabilities, the Titan X2 allows you to tweak diffusion, focus, and spread electronically using its new SmartSoft Technology. It also provides high-speed sync flash (1/8000s) with no recycle time for shooting stills and CineSFX capabilities for simulating the lighting of fires, lighting, televisions, and other effects when shooting video.