Ask how you can capture great photos
and videos, and people may tell you that
you need the latest and greatest camera,
or you need good lenses. Some might
suggest you learn more about photo
composition, understand the rule of
thirds, watch the background, etc. While
this is all useful advice, one thing not a lot
of people talk about is the importance
of light.
With no light, there is no photo. With
bad light, there is no good photo.
Understanding how light affects your
photo is essential, yet it is an aspect
that is very often neglected by a lot of
photographers. A good photographer
can see the beautiful natural light and
capture it with the camera. A great
photographer can create light with lighting
gear. Unfortunately, most lighting gear is
large or heavy — or both — so you would
normally just leave it at home or end up
not being able to use it if you do bring it
with you.
Wouldn’t it be great to have some small
yet powerful lights that you could carry
with you all the time? If that’s what you are
thinking, you need to have a look at the
two products we are reviewing today: the
Lume Cube and Lume Cube Air.
Both Lume Cubes are small, portable
LED lights that can provide constant
illumination for photography or
videography. As its name suggests,
the Lume Cube is a cube-shaped light,approximately 3cm wide, 3cm tall, and
3cm deep. The Lume Cube Air is even
smaller, at approximately the same height
and width but half the depth. Because of
the small size and weight, you can leave
these lights in your camera bag all the
time, even if you are not planning to use
them, as they don’t take up much space or
add much weight.
Both lights are powered by an internal
rechargeable battery. Charging the
Lume Cube Air’s battery is very easy;
you just need to flick the switch on the
little cover at the side then connect a
USB power source to the micro USB
port underneath. With the Lume Cube,
it’s a bit harder, as you need to use a
screwdriver or a coin to unscrew the metal
cover to expose the micro USB connector.
You can also power the Lume Cube
and Lume Cube Air directly from an
external USB power source, and that
allows you to run the lights continuously
if you are planning to do a long photo or
video shoot.