Introducing my favorite new toy, the Husky 180 LED floodlight. You mean that thing from Home Depot? Yup.

Ok, ok. What’s so great about this little guy? First off, it’s pretty bright. In fact, it works for practically any situation other than bright daylight outdoor shooting. I’ve used it several times indoors and during late afternoon/early evening shoots with amazing results.

What I love about it is the fact that it’s a cordless LED floodlight. You don’t need a power source. Once it’s charged up, it’ll last for up to 4 hours. Plus, it weighs only 3.5 pounds. I attach it to a light stand using a standard reflector clamp, and use it either as a main light or fill.

Above, this picture was taken outdoors on South Congress in Austin, TX at around 7pm. Still bright for summer standards, so the Husky LED floodlight created a perfect spot light for this downtown look. My intern stood off to the subject’s left with a daylight reflector to fill the shadows.

This picture above was taken indoors inside a fairly dark bar area. I used the Husky as a fill light to counter balance the contrasting light from over the bride above the bar. Again, it created a really nice fill, with a little more edge definition than shooting with a light modifier such as a beauty dish or umbrella.

I find that I prefer shooting with the Husky straight on without any modifiers to get that original Hollywood lighting effect. Keep in mind though that the color temperature from the LEDs is fairly cool, so I use an orange gel to create a more natural skin tone colored light.

Oh, and did I forget to mention its only $60?

Here’s the link: Husky 180 LED Portable Worklight

Do you have any experience working with LEDs lighting? If so, I’d love to hear about it…

This post is sponsored by SnapKnot.com

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Today’s lighting tip is something that I think many of photographers tend to overlook during the rush of wedding day shooting… available light.

Sure, sun flare and the shady side of buildings are great. But what about other places you are forgetting? How about the great indoors?

When I walk into a bridal room and say hello to the bride and her family, the first thing I do is turn off all the lights. Of course, I make sure there are plenty of windows open. Why do I do this? First off, it removes the unnecessary task of trying to balance multiple light temperatures. Secondly, windows are wonderful light sources, acting as large soft-boxes. Sure, you may get some strange looks. But if you show them a sample shot after the lamps are off, they’ll be amazed.

The photo to the left is a simple bridal portrait. The windows are to my right and slightly behind me. Notice, the chandeliers in the background are not lit. Again, it eliminates that unnatural tungsten glow while allowing the softer more natural light to become the main light source for the image. There were no light modifiers used in taking this shot. Just a simple analysis of where the light was coming from and shooting from the best possible angle.

Too many times we are in such a hurry to get the perfect shot, and too many times we feel as if we must control every aspect of every image. However, I challenge you to let go and find your photo-mojo. Go with the turn of the universe rather than against it. You’ll find that beauty hides around every corner and shines through every window pane.

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And as promised, here’s the lighting layout I used.Also, don’t forget to post your comments below, thanks!