Nature Photography - Suitable Lighting & Equipment for this style of Photography
Capturing the peace and beauty of nature can be difficult at times, due to a range of different circumstances such as weather conditions or the location of the shoot, so making sure that you have all of the correct equipment for this is vital. In this Blog Post, we take a look at a few suggestions of different equipment that is ideal for Nature Photography, to help make purchasing the correct set-up simple.
Lighting
CITI600 Pro TTL Battery Powered Flash (Witstro AD600 PRO)
The CITI600 PRO (AD600 PRO) is an ideal lighting solution for larger nature shoots due to the bright and powerful light output. The CITI600 PRO (AD600 PR) offers a maximum power output of 600Ws to help to professionally light larger nature subjects, but it is also possible to adjust the power down between 1/1 - 1/256 power in 1/10 Stop Increments, so if you are shooting much smaller subjects, the CITI600 PRO (AD600 PRO) can be adjusted to suit. The CITI600 PRO (AD600 PRO) also offers super-fast flash durations and recycle times, making it perfect for capturing motion in your subject that could include water drops from a plant and wildlife moving freely. The unique flash tube that comes included offers an accurate colour consistency of 5600K +75k, making sure that the colours of your subjects are captured correctly, perfect for shooting vibrant and colourful plants. The CITI600 PRO (AD600 PRO) also offers battery power to be suitable for location use away from mains power, this means you are able to visit more difficult locations with a professional lighting system to capture the hidden wonders of nature.
PIKA200PRO Portable Battery Flash With Light Modifier Set
The PIKA200 (AD200) is perfect for a compact and lightweight lighting solution whilst still offering a professional light. The PIKA200 (AD200) is a portable flash lighting unit that offers a maximum power output of 200Ws which is good for capturing small/medium subjects such as flowers and small animals. The PIKA200 (AD200) offers a unique interchangeable head system, with one head unit being a Speedlight-styled Fresnel lens which creates a direct-focused beam of light to angle better on a specific point, and the other head being a Bare-Bulb head which creates an Omni-directional beam to spread the light over a wider area. The PIKA200 (AD200) is a battery powered flash unit so is perfect for use on location but features a much smaller dimensions and weight compared to standard flash units, meaning that it can be stored much easier for transportation and is even possible to fit straight into your pocket. The PIKA200 (AD200) utilises IGBT Technology which produces short flash durations to capture movement in a subject clearly, perfect for capturing nature in a breeze or the movement of any animal.
Modifiers
65cm (25.5") 16-Sided Easy-Open Rice Bowl Parabolic Softbox with Silver Interior
This softbox is a compact and portable lighting modifier that has been designed for use both in studio and location and offers a selection of different light modifying options. The 65cm Rice Bowl Softbox comes with a highly reflective silver interior, to make sure that the lighting is being properly spread around the interior of the softbox for maximum efficiency and features a black exterior to prevent any unwanted light leakage. The softbox features a unique opening mechanism, similar to that of an umbrella, to allow for quick and easy set-up on location so you are not struggling with each individual rod that could cause you to miss the perfect shot. This softbox comes with two layers of removable diffusion to offer further control of the lighting and the specularity of your light. The diffusion layers help to create a softer and more gentle lighting compared to the light on its own, allowing you to remove any unwanted shadows and to capturing the much finer details in the subjects. When it comes to attaching this softbox to a lighting unit, the 65cm Rice Bowl Softbox features an interchangeable speedring design, allowing this to be changed to be used with a range of different lighting mounts. It is also able to be chosen with a unique bracket to allow this to be used with Speedlites and small battery flashes such as the PIKA200 unit.
65cm (25.5") 16-Sided Easy-Open Rice-Bowl Parabolic Softbox With Silver Interior
55cm (21.6") WHITE Interior Beauty Dish with Honeycomb Grid
The 55cm Beauty Dish is ideal for creating a more natural and softer lighting with a better control of the light. The 55cm Beauty Dish features a White interior which helps to provide a warmer and less contrasted lighting compared to a Silver Interior. As the white surface is also less reflective compared to a silver surface, specular highlights are reduced which helps to create a more natural looking lighting to make any Nature photography look more realistic. Included with the Beauty Dish is a white-translucent diffuser cover that slides over the outer edge of the beauty dish to further help to soften the light and reduce any unwanted shadows that could be caused by your subject. The diffusion will also allow the lighting to fall more naturally onto the subject to allow you to capture the most accurate features and colours being portrayed in your nature subject. Also included with the Beauty Dish is a honeycomb grid that clips onto the outer edge of the beauty dish to narrow the lighting for better control of the light angle, making sure not to lose any light. This is perfect for focusing the lighting onto a smaller subject such as a small animal or flower to make sure the main subject is professionally lit.
Stands
Portable Light Weight Foldable Nanopole Light Stand (190cm)
This light stand has been designed specifically for location use in mind, due to the compact folding design and lightweight build, perfect for use during Nature Photography. Featuring an adjustable height range of between 190cm – 49.5cm, this means you are able to adjust the height to better position your lighting onto your subject, so this can range between capturing small flowers to large animals with ease. This stand features a lightweight yet solid aluminium metal construction, allowing it to hold up to approximately 3KG in weight which is perfect for a PIKA200 with modifier attached. Even with a solid aluminium construction, the light stand itself only weighs approximately 1.2KG, making it perfect for transportation between different locations.
This light stand features a unique design to allow this to be suitable for location use, as the legs retract around the central pole when the stand is lifted, allowing for quick and easy placement adjustments to obtain the correct lighting angle. This is perfect if you are trying to capture nature photography in difficult weather conditions that cause the subject to move into a position currently not properly lit. The adjustable height range of between 74cm – 240cm means allows you to better adjust the position of your lighting to suit the size/space of your shooting area. This light stand also features a unique air cushioned system to prevent the central pole from any sudden collapses which could lead to damage to your equipment.
240cm Heavy Duty Retractable Light Stand (Auto Stand) By PIXAPRO
Kits
CITI600 PRO On-The-Go Portable Twin Kit
This kit has been designed specifically for location use and is a twin flash lighting set-up for ample light coverage over a medium/large area. The CITI600 PRO (AD600 PRO) units are flash lighting units that offer a maximum power output of 600Ws to offer ample light coverage, and super-fast flash durations and recycle times that are perfect for capturing any motion in the subject such as plants in a breeze or moving wildlife. Each features a rechargeable battery that offers approximately 370 full power flashes per charge, to make sure you can last through any shoot without worrying about running out of power. Also included are two 40” Umbrellas that feature a Translucent-White Nylon material to help create a wide-spread lighting for larger areas whilst also creating a softer light to capture smaller details in the subjects. The two included light stands feature an air cushioned design to prevent any sudden drops to minimise the risk of any unwanted damage to your equipment that could be caused by difficult weather conditions during your shoot. Finally, this kit comes with two different carry cases included, with a roller case designed to securely hold the lighting units and umbrellas, and a case designed to hold both of the light stands. These cases help to make this kit perfect for transportation and use on location.
Portable Dual PIKA200 Flash Destination Kit
This kit has been designed with location use in mind and is perfect for nature photography due to the portable design of all of the included equipment. This kit includes two PIKA200 (AD200) flash units, each offering a power output of 200Ws for a professional light quality and featuring an interchangeable head design with a Fresnel Lens head for a direct beam of light to better focus this onto a specific point and a Bare-Bulb head for an Omni-directional light to help spread across a wider area. Also included in this kit is our Dual Bracket, which allows you to combine both the PIKA200 (AD200) units together into one 400Ws flash lighting unit. This makes them perfect for shooting larger areas or subjects without the worry of not offering enough light coverage. The dual bracket also comes with Bowens s-type fitting as standard, to allow it to be used with the include beauty dish. This beauty dish features a collapsible design to reduce the weight and allow it to be stored and transported between locations much easier, and also features a white interior to create a warmer and more natural light source to capture the natural beauty in Nature photography. The included stand offers a height range of between 87cm – 220cm to allow you to better position the lighting onto your subject and a unique foldable design to make setting up and putting away much easier compared to standard light stands.
Double Power Combine Twin PIKA200 Location Flash Kit (GODOX AD200 & AD-B2)
Conclusion
Whilst Nature Photography comes with a lot of unique challenges to deal with, the rewards can be beautiful and capture a perfect shot. Using the correct equipment goes a long way to capturing the best possible image, so hopefully this selection of different options helps you find the best set-up for you.
