Compact Lighting Setup for Photography

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Lighting is a huge game changer when it comes to photography.

While I LOVE shooting in natural light, sometimes the use of light can help brighten and balance a photo. Lighting can also be used to give photos more drama or impact depending on how you use it.

And with lighting, you can pretty much take photos any time of the day and are not limited to daylight for natural light shots.

Below, I’ll share my compact lighting setup so that you can also get pro images at home and wherever you go.

What’s in my Lighting Kit

I prefer to keep my lighting kit minimal and lightweight. I travel often, and lugging around heavy equipment is not ideal.

Here are the products I am currently using in my lighting kit. I use this equipment for both portrait, lifestyle, and product photoshoots.

GODOX ML-CD15 Flash Dome Diffuser
GODOX V1-S Flash Speedlite for SONY
Manfrotto | Compact Action Tripod
Godox X3s Trigger For Sony
SONY – Alpha 7V DSLR Camera
ULANZI TT43 Photography Light Stand
LapGood Softbox 24” 60CM Handheld Quick Set-up (I really wanted the Angler Fastbox, but it’s more than double the price, and adapters are sold separately.)

Before and After Lighting

Below is an example of an image I took with and without lighting. The first image is in natural light, and with lighting, you are able to brighten the objects in the image, making them visible and clearer.

I use the TTL (through-the-lens) setting, which is an automated light metering mode, rather than manual.