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Lighting & Flash

Continuous Lighting

Lighting that stays on constantly rather than firing a brief burst, so its effect is visible before exposure.

Measured in lux, W

In depth

The great advantage is that what you see is what you get — no test frames, no modelling-light approximation. The disadvantages are power, heat and shutter speed: continuous sources rarely have the intensity to freeze motion or to overpower daylight, and they cannot deliver the flash-duration action-stopping that strobes achieve.

Examples in practice

A photographer new to studio work learns faster with continuous light because every change to a modifier is immediately visible.