or many years now I've been using alternate sources of light in my photography most notably flashlights.

It started many years ago while walking down the isles in Costco and I came across one of the first reasonably priced LED flashlights after asking permission my wife allowed me to add it to the basket. I consider this one of my first evolutions in lighting. At first I just kept the lights in my bag in case I needed it. Finally one day on a portrait shoot I pulled it out to see what I could do and was very surprised by the power and how the color temperature was very close to daylight. For the next several years I continued exploring this style of lighting. Fast forward to today and it's like we're in the golden age of lighting. LED flashlights are so powerful and inexpensive that they found a permanent place in my lighting kit. Recently I've been using flashlights made by “O Light” they have an extensive variety of lights on their website, if you're into flashlights it's worth checking out.

If you've ever been to a Click Monkey Event, Preston Castle Photo Day, or have just come along on a shoot with me, then you know that one of my favorite tools is the LED lenser P7. I first came across it in 2009 at Costco. It was on sale and you who know me, I hate to pass on a good deal! I’m always on the lookout for cool lights. I kept it in my bag for a few weeks before I discovered what it was capable of.

I was shooting some portraits in Tahoe with natural light and just grabbed the flashlight to see what it could do. WOW, was I impressed with it! The P7’s quality of light, power, and color temperature was spot on! The way it put light out was smooth with no crazy patterns or hot spots. I had tried a Maglite flashlight in the past and was always disappointed with the result, so I didn’t expect much from this light. The next revelation was that I could focus the beam with one had very easily. This was a huge help in getting just the right light on the subject.

Now, I must say that I warn my models when I’m going to use it on them and also to not look directly into the light. I also try not to keep the P7 shining straight in my subject’s eyes for very long. It is a tactical flashlight and VERY bright!

I have since built up my collection to around 14 different LED flashlights. I was even able to get 3 prototypes of a true red, a true green, and true blue flashlight from LED Lenser. I was very fortunate because only two color flashlights were ever made. Those prototypes gave me an additional option when shooting, as they add a very interesting splash of color to my images.

Working the P7 in one hand and the Nikon D4 in the other.

Most recently my P7 proved handy for one of my larger shoots for HTC. At the time of the shoot, my clients were amazed that a little flashlight could do so much.

I think the moral of the story is to never be afraid to try new and different lighting tools.

Happy Clicking!

Is that a flashlight in your hand?

Little Light That Could