Lately I’ve been trying to find ways to make my studio lighting set-up easier and more natural-looking. Over the last decade I’ve been using strobe lights, and I love them for dramatic, intense lighting for fashion or for product photography. But sometimes, especially for portraits, I’m looking for something more natural and diffused. My husband and I have been in the process of building a photography studio over the last few years (yes… it’s taken us FOREVER to finish), and it’s finally starting to come together. Overall, I prefer to shoot outdoors but that’s not always an option depending on weather or your client’s expectations. I’ve also been filming a lot of YouTube videos for my channel, Cameras & Cats, so I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect studio lighting. I knew that I wanted something continuous with lots of gorgeous diffusion, but there are a LOT of options out there and I wasn’t quite sure where to start. To be completely honest, I find studio lighting to be intimidating and I’m just not the most technical person. I like to keep my photo shoots simple without too much set-up. As I got deeper into my research, the Genaray GXS-200BI 230W Bi-Color Monolight started to make more and more sense for me. It was super important to be to have full control over the color temperature and maybe even some fun effects I could use for photo shoots or video shoots. I also just wanted a single light that was incredibly bright, so that if I had to travel it wouldn’t be a hassle to drag around with me. The Genaray Monolight has 2700 to 6500K Bi-Color Control and an output of 47,701 lux. It’s definitely much brighter than I anticipated and I’m even able to get away with it being the only light in the room when I’m doing video shoots. It’s pretty amazing! Our studio has white walls, which helps with lighting reflection too, so I finally feel like I have the perfect studio set-up!
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For diffusion, I decided to go with the 33” Angler Quick-Open Folding Beauty Dish which comes with attachable diffusers. This is necessary if you really want soft lighting without harsh shadows. I’m surprised by how large the light is with this beauty dish, so you do need quite a bit of space if you want to be able to move it around your subject. The Angler beauty dish actually has an inner and outer diffusion option so you get ultimate diffusion. Also, the fact that it’s 33” means it really helps to create natural, full coverage of your subject. I was a bit nervous about how complicated it was going to be to set up the monolight and beauty dish but it really couldn’t be easier! You literally just plug the light into the wall and then flip the on switch on the back. There’s an LED screen on the back of the monolight that tells you the color temperature and you can adjust by just turning the knob on the back. It’s truly SO simple. And the beauty dish just snaps right into place! It’s a dream to use. It’s also incredibly easy to tear down and transport so it’s perfect for on-location photo/video shoots.
The Genaray Monolight is also a great choice for video because it’s flicker-free and has an ultra-quiet motor so that it’s not picked up in microphones. In a lot of ways, I feel like this light was made exactly for me! I used to consider myself to be 100% photographer but lately my job has become more of a blend of photo & video, so this light really does cover all of my bases. I recently used this set up to film a video for my YouTube channel about the Canon R6 Mark III (I’ll be sharing this video soon!) and I think the lighting looks perfect. Especially as someone who wears glasses, I found the reflection to be a lot less intense than when I use LED panels or ring lights. The lighting is evenly distributed across my face and fills in the shadows beautifully without having to use a million different lights at every angle. My goal is always for my set-up to be simple. I don’t feel like you need a lot of gear to create amazing photos and video, and this light is definitely a testament to that. If you have a large studio and have multiple people to cover, you could get two or three of these for ultra-bright, but still natural-looking lighting. I’m typically only working with one subject at a time, so one light is enough in my situation. I truly think I found exactly the perfect light for me and my style of creating photos and video. It also has bluetooth connectivity so you can utilize all of those fun effects like disco, candle, fireworks, storm, and a bunch more. I haven’t tried them out yet but I plan to do a full youtube video sharing more about this light so make sure to check back if you want to find out more!
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with this lighting set-up. It’s exactly what I was looking for, and I hope this saved you the overwhelming research of trying to sort through the sea of lighting out there. If you want a super simple studio set-up that’s great for flicker-free video, natural-looking portraits and product photography, this is the perfect option. For me, when I’m doing fashion shoots, I prefer lighting that’s more intense and dramatic so in those scenarios, I would still use my stobe lights. However, if you’re looking for soft, even fashion lighting or beauty/makeup lighting, the Generay Bi-Monolight and Angler Beauty Dish may be a better option. You could definitely film some beautiful makeup tutorials or product reviews with this set-up. It really all depends on your style and needs in the studio. I hope this post helped you in your search for the perfect studio lighting!
I always recommend B&H Photo for photography/video gear purchases because they have super competitive pricing, crazy fast shipping and excellent customer services and return policies. I’ve included the links below in case you’re interested!
WHERE TO BUY THE GENARAY GXS-200BI 230W BI-COLOR MONOLIGHT
WHERE TO BUY THE 33” ANGLER QUICK-OPEN FOLDING BEAUTY DISH FOR BOWENS
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If you have any questions, I’m always happy to help! You can contact me here, or leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also check out my B&H Photo storefront & Amazon Storefront for more camera/film recommendations. :) Have a magical day!
<3 Myles Katherine