PIXAPRO Behind The Scene

Using RGB Rainbow LED Tubes as Props for Portraiture & Beauty with Jake Hicks Photography

Our PiXAPRO Rainbow RGB LED Tubes are often used as a source of colourful lighting, such as an alternative to gels, as a more portable and versatile RGB unit, thanks to their affordability and ease of use.

These Rainbow Tubes come in two sizes: 90cm and 120cm, and offer 320º illumination, with only a small strip at the back blocking the light spread. At full charge, you can get a few hours of use out of the tubes, meaning they're perfect for location and outdoor shoots where you need to be able to work without power nearby.

Rainbow mode, and solid and flashing colour modes mean these tubes can be used as a static lighting source, or even as special effects lighting depending on what you need for your shoot.

CatsDog recently used these for a shoot out in the wilderness at dusk to light up white fur for example, and had amazing results reflecting colours off the dog's fur in the darkness.

But, how often do you use RGB lighting as props and practical lighting in your photos or video? Jake Hicks has recently set out to do just that, and has undertaken a series of shoots using Rainbow tubes in the background.

Jake uses the tubes behind his models as rimlights and hairlights, offering a depth and a glow effect to the images without overwhelming the dramatic effect and contrast between the model and lights.

Even further, by using reflective or shimmery clothing, the lights then reflected off the clothes to add further to the cyberpunk-esque effect.

More tubes are then used in the front of some images to light the face.

The tubes are set up on C-Stands, with makeshift clamps to hold them in place. The steel construction of the C-Stands also helps to reflect the colours from the tubes, whereas matte black stands for example might not.