DIY Photography LED Studio Lights for Portraits & Headshots – DIY Kino Flo Lights – Diy Lighting

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DIY Photography Tip: This is an easy to build 4 light portrait lighting set-up with LED lights. This DIY Photo studio lighting set-up made from LED shop lights is an awesome alternative to more expensive studio lights or the really expensive Kino Flo lights.

If you are shooting headshots or portraits the DIY LED lights are lighter in weight, easier to build, cost less, last longer, don’t flicker, stay cooler and use less electricity! And best of all they produce incredible light for shooting portraits or headshots. How awesome is that?

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO
Lights of America LED Utility Stoplight:
Conduit Hangars:
3″ Hinge:
20-Gauge Strap:
1″ Square Wooden Dowel:
Door Roller Assemblies:

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37 Comments
  1. Russell __ says

    Thanks Joe.

  2. Smee2000 says

    Great video, but I've never been a fan of the catchlights, even the Peter Hurley ones make subjects look like aliens.

  3. Shane C says

    Are LEDs good for still photographing for outdoor fill?

  4. Debbie Packer says

    Thank you so much for this awesome video! I have my lights on order, and I'm putting my husband to work this weekend. He, too, was wowed with the awesomeness of your video and your DIY skills after watching this and your basement studio video.

  5. Lighta says

    I LOVE YOUR CREATIVITY Joe !

  6. Marco Castellano says

    it's quite impressive how your presentation/video quality has improved over the years! You are also looking a lot better weight/style-wise. Keep it up, this is easily one of my favorite channels.

  7. kevinl20082008 says

    CRI?

  8. Dale Brown says

    Just wondering if you still use these Joe? I'm thinking of using them again, but adding a soft diffusion material in front of them.

  9. Chance Hansen says

    Do you know of any LED T8 tubes that don't flicker on video? I have a set up similar to your T8 build with florescent bulbs, but I want to replace them with LED bulbs without flicker. I've tried a few, but they all have flickered on video. Can you help?

  10. Kashish Kaushik says

    Hi joe. You are doing amazing work. My favourite person to learn lighting. Need your expert advice to build an ecommerce product photography studio. I am planning to invest in godox sk400 II strobes. Would that be a good investment? Or if you can suggest something it would be a great help.

    Awaiting your response.

  11. EMS says

    Thank you sir! You're a gentleman and scholar!

  12. FreiwilligFrei says

    hi joe
    there are some led lights from neewer or yongnuo who have more leds/lightpower and are more practical i would guess if i look at the specs…
    i am thginkimg about to buy the neewer led kit with 3 Neewer 660 bi-color lights or 2 of the Yongnuo YN-600L II.

    i would love to hear your opinion on what I should buy 😉

    thanx very much

  13. Julius Songling says

    You are deserving of your fame and good fortune. Thank you for being a teacher.

  14. good4sound says

    Hey Joe, thanks for your amazing videos. I have watched about 20 and the info is unprecedented. I have read some reviews on Amazon about this light and a competitors version. I have a question: is 2 fixtures bright enough (one placed on each side, forward facing as front key lights) for lighting a model's face? The reviews said they were bright as hell and I wondered why you chose to attach 2 together for front lights. Also, do they buzz at all? One competitors version of the identical light got horrible reviews about loud buzzing. I'm planning to do some video lighting as well and it would be an issue. Thanks for any info you can provide.

  15. Barky Von Schnauzer says

    Joe this is perfect. I have already ordered some of the lights and can't wait to build my new set up. thanks

  16. Mrinal Das says

    Sir, most of the led bulbs flickers at 1/100 sec time, so we can't change the shutter speed. We are bound to use 1/100 sec. or 1/50 sec. shutter speed. Is there anyway we can break this problem while using LED lights for shooting, please Sir make a video tutorial on this. Many of like me are waiting for a solution of this problem.

  17. Neal F. Fischer says

    I can't thank you enough. I was pricing out something similar from Amazon and B&H You saved me several hundreds of dollars. I found the lights on Amazon for $70 (Prime is a wonderful thing) and found some Neewer stands for $30 for a pair. Along with $5.50 at Lowes… Two lights under $150. Here's a picture -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/3QbNKnVNzOiixoMl1

  18. Proud Indian says

    Amazing video. Just love the idea of making the LED lights modifiers. Thanks a lot, Joe. Love from India.

  19. Jerry Faircloth says

    I wonder why they don't flicker when powered by AC. Mine all flicker. Maybe there is a DC power supply in the housing on these from LOA. Guess I will have to take one apart if I can find those exact units. Been wanting to try this for a while.

  20. Terry Guire says

    If you use Honeywell's shop lights, you can connect 2 shop lights together with included cables instead of splicing wires together as you mentioned. The only downside of Honeywell's lights are CRI is 80 instead of 85 for the ones you used. I appreciated your simple design, Joe.

  21. Rick Davis says

    Do you live in Philly?

  22. VTPSTTU says

    This could be fun.

  23. Dante Velasquez says

    very cool. I love DIY.

  24. James Mason says

    Another exceptional video as usual, Joe. Is there any reason why I can’t use speedlights as rim and hair lights along with these LEDs as my main lights?

  25. Alan Luby says

    Joe thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise in this area, if you don't know the CRI of the leds is that a factor and do you have to be concerned about contamination with different sources of light temperature particularly if you lower your shutter speeds?

  26. Rebel Darling says

    Hey Joe! Question. Have you ever experienced the bulb going out as soon as you assembled ? I patiently put this all together and then excitedly turned on the first light and it flickered a bunch and then popped and blew out right away 🙁 it was plugged into a surge protector. I know you're not an electrician but do you think the drilling could have caused damage to the bulb? Now I'm nervous to plug in the other lights. So bummed!

  27. zebstv says

    Just in the process of building my studio here in the UK. So was looking at lighting on a budget, what do you think of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Biard-Panel-Light-1200mm-Natural/dp/B071DSSDPN/ref=pd_sbs_201_9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=58PE4Y6EBR9YH7423VEZ  or would you recommend the tubes to give the lines in the subjects eyes??

  28. Fatmir Hadzimurtovic says

    Where do get the light stands? Love your videos.

  29. upsidedownjim says

    Any idea if these lights would do the trick – https://www.amazon.ca/MW-LED-Daylight-Certified-Lighting/dp/B0743NKZ5L/ref=cm_wl_huc_item – ? Seems hard to find options in Canada for 4500 lumens, 5000K LED shop lights. The ones in the link are rated to 25,000 hours vs 50,000 for the 'Lights of America' brand. For other Canadians looking, I found some other options here: http://www.tscstores.com/SHOPLIGHT-LED-48-40W-P42144.aspx#.WZUR-1GGMuU – but I think they only deliver to the store. So, you'd need to be near one or drive out to it.

  30. Harry Beck says

    Brilliant.

  31. Faiz Rehman says

    Great idea from great Joe. Love from India.

  32. archel francisco says

    finally someone convinced me to use LED lights, thanks a lot to you

  33. Patrick Garrett says

    great idea. 2 ideas. 1)use regular shop fixtures and replaceable led lights $45 at Costco about $11 each, 2) hinge some black barn doors made from poster board on the outside of the fixtures to give better light control.

  34. Thomas Reiner says

    i would never have reconized you… what a transformation

  35. Edris Ca says

    Hey Joe
    great tips and video. im just thinking should i go with LED or Fluorescent T8? also i cant find 6 pcs one in Canada. they only sell with 4 florescent.do you think i can get enough power with 4 each side? i know LED one is much easier but whats ur personal choice if you wanna keep one in your studio for portraits?
    thanks again

  36. Krist Hooghe says

    Another great video by Joe. 4000 or 6000K? I guess their would be round catchlights if you use a round light? thankz

  37. Ricardo Martins says

    Thank you from Brazil

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