Upgraded Lighting Kit: 600D & Diffusion/Flag Frames

This year I decided to upgrade my lighting kit, and I’m really glad I did. It paid off almost instantly. I have been working as Director of Photography for a while and I have learned a lot about lighting. So I thought it was time to start picking up more work as a Gaffer. So in order to be ready when I someone hired me as a Gaffer, I started investing in more lighting equipment. I bought an Aputure 600D, a couple of 6x6 frames with rags, a couple of 4x4 frames, and both Fresnel and spotlight attachments for my lights. I also grabbed more C-stands, extension cables, and sandbags. Now I’ve got a solid little lighting package that’s great for small to medium sized productions. I’ve been using diffusion frames for a few years now. I had a cheap one I bought a while ago, but it took me a bit of time to really understand how powerful they can be. I’ve also started to appreciate negative fill more, so I knew it was time to invest in some proper frames and rags. I bought 2 6x6 frames and 2 4x4 frames. Two of each is a solid frame and the other two are lightweight easy and easy to travel with and setup quickly. Right after I bought them, I used them on a commercial shoot that was mostly outdoors. Using them to bounce and block sunlight made such a difference. It felt like I somehow predicted I was going to need them. Sometimes when you buy gear, it ends up sitting around. But this stuff has already been super useful. Another thing I’ve really come to love is hard backlight. I was working on a short film called The Last Exit and the DP wanted an edge light in every shot. We used an Aputure 300D with a Fresnel, and it really made me appreciate this lighting style. They’re not expensive so I picked one up, and it paid for itself within a month. I ended up using it on a few shoots and renting it out as well. Once I saw how helpful that was, I decided to go ahead and buy a spotlight mount too. That thing is incredible. It really focuses the light and lets you make sharp edges or add patterns with gobos. On a recent true crime reenactment, I used it to make it look like moonlight was shining through trees onto a car. When the Director of Photography saw that shot, he was very excited. After getting the new frames I realized my 300D wasn’t bright enough to punch through my Magic Cloth on the 6x6. So I invested in the 600D, and I’m glad I did. I just used it with the Fresnel to light up a 12x12 frame with Magic Cloth and it worked perfectly.

The 600D is also going to be super useful for interviews where I need to compete with sunlight coming through a window. My 300D did an okay job with that in the past, but I always wanted a little more punch than it could give me. Now I finally have the firepower to get the exact look I want, even in tougher lighting situations. I’ll probably keep building the kit. Aputure just announced some new color-changing lights that are also super bright. If they release lights that matches the output of the 600D or the 300D and are color changing, I’ll definitely be interested.

For now though, I’m in a great spot. My lighting kit is working great, and it’s already helped me book more jobs. If you ever need a Gaffer in Atlanta, let me know!.

600D shining through a 6x6 with Magic Cloth.

Using my 6x6 as a bounce outside. The 300D with a fresnel is shining on the ultra bounce to bring up the level.

6x6 being used a a flag.

My 6x6 being used as a bounce. My 300D is in the back with a fresnel lens to create a hard backlight.

My Litepanels Gemini 1x1s shining through my 6x6 with Magic Cloth.