Lighting Kit For Travel

[Chris Tompkins]

I just spent a week traveling and shooting.
I choose to rent a light kit in each city. Travel with gear is a royal pain. I brought sticks in a hard shell golf bag. Camera, Laptop. I was loaded down. Choose not to bring my light kit which is in a carry hard shell/HEAVY.

Next time, I’m renting sticks as well as lights.
Just my 2 cents.

Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta LLC

[Mark Suszko]

Well, as the COW’s unofficial Lowell fanboy, I would suggest one of their Rifalights and an Omni-pro and stand. You might be able to cram these two into the golf bag container with the tripod.

The Rifa is an exceptional light for interview shoots, fast and easy to set up and take down, has a lovely wrapping quality to the light that looks good on women and elderly folks, you can get it with the ability to swap lights from tungsten to fluoro in the same unit.

Rifa for the key, Omni for a fill or back or back wall light, to bounce off the ceiling to raise overall level without shadows, or use it’s stand with some foam core as a bounce opposite the Rifa key as your fill. This is what I would choose if I only could have two lights. The Rifa comes in a sturdy travel bag that will hold the additional omni and stand without a problem.

[Chris Tompkins]

Airlines had a weight limit of 50 lbs for the golf bag.
Big fees for over weight.

Chris Tompkins
Video Atlanta LLC

[Bill Davis]

Current “travel” interview kit is 2 600 Coollights LED 600s and a Coollights 250. Paired with lightweight stands, these are both compact and pretty portable. (tho I wish they’d make a version in a lighter box since the metal boxes increase durability but makes them a bit heavier than they actually need to be.)

I picked these because they’re relatively inexpensive and can be driven by V-mount batteries. Lithium tech makes batteries lighter and more portable – but you can also rent higher capacity V-mounts cheaply in most larger cities.

I’d agree with Mark’s Lowel suggestions, but that requires you to be near reliable power – and I’ve had too many shoots in large areas like convention centers and hotel ballrooms where the outlet might be 60 feet away. Traveling with stingers is kinda nuts. LEDs on the other hand sip power so daintily that you can get away with much lighter gauge household extension cords if you must work at distance.

LED’s have limitations, but for standard interviews and broad-brush close to medium range general lighting, the output/power/reach proposition is hard to beat.

I used to drag an Arri kit around, but while I love the lights, it’s just no longer practical.

For what it’s worth.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner