Neewer 160 LED CN-160 - Perfect lights for Photographers and Videographers

I take a lot of photographs, a lot of those are either studio, inside or lightbox shots. For those I need all the light I can get, the problem with that is traditionally lights get hot and that can make for an uncomfortable situation over time.

That is until I found the NEEWER® 160 LED CN-160 . Whilst designed for Video production they serve as an excellent constant light source without heat for still photography as well. Surprisingly they do not come with the high cost you would expect from video/photography equipment costing (at the time of this post) only $28 + tax on Amazon.

As you can see in the photograph above, the light panel is all LEDs which means long lasting with little to no heat and great power usage. The Neweer light also comes with some colored gel panels that you can slide in place like the basic diffuser I have showing in the shot, they simply slide in and out from the top of the light.

Turning to the back of the light you can see in the image that you can use standard AA batteries (quantity 6) or one of the support battery packs (see the product link for actual details on batteries supported). There is a button to check the battery level which is 4 red LEDs that indicate how much is left. You turn the light on from the side and can adjust the brightness level on the same control, this is great for reducing shadows at low level or full on power main light source.

Battery life is excellent and the light has a standard tripod thread on the bottom for easy setup and positioning, it can also be attached to a standard hot shoe and secured in place with a screw thread lock. I use lights on the base stand that came with my Canon 580 EXII flash unit which makes it great as a free standing light in a setup or on a surface that I need to light but hide the light source in the shot.

I have included below a couple of images in which I used two of the lights, I was so impressed when I got the first from Amazon that I immediately ordered a second one. I thouroughly recommend these lights to anyone needing simple easy to use lighting without the cost of a studio setup. They are also small enough to pack in a camera bag and travel around with you for those times you wish you had more light.

Beach Soap Alternate by Peter Witham on 500px

Stuhrling Watch by Peter Witham on 500px

Here is a link to the NEEWER® 160 LED CN-160 on Amazon.com

Photography is like Fishing

When it comes to taking photographs with a view to either creating an amazing piece of art or capturing something because you want to share it I've reasoned that people I respect and admire are all right about one thing ... practice regularly without the need of greatness every time.

Simply put, if the goal of going fishing was to catch fish every time then you would become disheartened and eventually give up out of frustration and a high failure rate. Or alternatively you get lucky and the fish you catch get bigger and bigger until eventually they have to start getting smaller again based on odds of success over time.

And this has what to do with taking photographs..?

Easy, if the goal every time you pick up a camera is to create a winning master piece then you are doomed to fail. However if you was to say the goal of picking up the camera is to practice my craft, improve my understanding and skills and perhaps get a new piece of art that I can be proud of at the end of it, then surely success will be attained every time!

So make a pledge to yourself to shoot images without expectation of a win every time, maybe the light is wrong, maybe the lens is wrong, maybe there is no amazing scene in front of you, but there is the chance to improve for the next one and the next.

So shoot, learn, create, find the win in every click.