Adding strobes to your photography kit opens up a world of storytelling possibilities that were not always available with ambient light or even continuous lighting. There are many different models for strobes. When we hear of the word flash, most people picture an image of the classic mounted light in cameras that is used extensively in photography. No doubt this is a fantastic tool. But this article will concentrate on strobes or studio strobes. This instrument tends to be much larger, more powerful and has faster recycling time than the common flash. Recycling time refers to the measure of time between flashes that the unit needs to cycle back up in full power.
There are three main types of strobes:
- Pack and Head. This holds the energy in a generator and releases to a proprietary cable to a flash head or heads. Pack and head systems tend to offer the most power and the fastest recycling times. They require a bit of time to set up because of the cables required for it to function.
- Mono lights. It is a combination of a generator and head in a single unit. It requires a single cable to power. And though not as powerful as the pack and head system, mono lights offer a respectable recycling times and faster set-up and breakdown.
- battery Powered Strobes. This simplifies set up even further by eliminating the need of cable of any kind. This also allows the photographer to shoot on location without the need of powering up the strobes. However they don’t offer the power output and fast recycling times of the mono lights and the pack and head system.
The energy of strobes varies. Using a strobe depends on the photographer’s needs.