When it comes to light painting for photography you’ll find yourself looking for light sources that make the job easier. Such was the case when I was approached about photographing the interior of a car.
Because of the limited space in a car I had to assess how I would light it correctly. The look that I planned on was not just a simple shot of the interior but something more classy like a light painted imaged.
My first thoughts were to grab a with a continuous light source with a small soft box or some means of defusing the light. Not wanting to deal with cords or since I really don’t have a soft box that lends itself well to this environment my next option was a flashlight.
While the flashlight form factor would be more conducive to the environment it would very difficult to control the light beam and intensity. After doing some research I started reading about light painting with a light wand.
A quick search gave me a myriad of options many ranging from $100+ up to the premium Wescott Ice Light 2 which cost $379 at B&H Photo. While I’m sure that these are all fine lights I just wasn’t quite prepared to lay out that kind of money at the time. Continuing my research I found the YOUKOYI Handheld Light Photography Portable LED Video Light Wand which is what I’ll be reviewing today.
REVIEW
Features:
- Memory function and Dimmable
- 2 colors temperature and 6 brightness modes
- Emit 36 different levels total, 1000LM(max).
- USB rechargable and can work up to 4 hours continuously after full charge.
- Remote Control allowing you to control the light easily at the distance of 7 meters
- 1/4″ thread in handle base to allow mounting to light stand or tripod
First impressions:
Coming in under the $100 mark I wasn’t expecting much in the way of quality, however I was pleasantly surprised. While not extremely heavy it definitely has a solid feel to it. The light itself has a soft diffused cover over it that 1″ wide x 15″ long and has a brushed aluminum cover on the sides/back.
Switching between the two color temperatures (3000k and 5700k) is as simple as a double press of the power button. Just below it are two arrow buttons where you can adjust the light intensity.
The ability to attach to a light stand is a nice bonus, but for my intended purposes not sure how much it will be used.
COST:
$59 on Amazon
PROS:
- Lightweight yet sturdy
- Good light temperature range and color
- Long battery life
- Light stand mountable
- Carrying strap
- Remote control
- Storage bag
- Cost
CONS:
- Only 2 colors of light
Summary:
Well that pretty much wraps up this review. All in all I’m extremely happy with this light. While the addition of additional colors for the light might have been nice, honestly I’m not sure how much I would have used them. My primary purpose for this light is to light painting of car interiors. If I was hard pressed and needed to add color I could always add a gel to the diffuser. I would rate this light a good buy for someone looking to do light painting or want a nice portable portrait light.
SAMPLE:
This is a car interior that I light painted with the YOUKOYI.
Thanks for checking out our blog.
Doug