How to Mix LED and Flash Lighting for Creative Portraits

Want to add more depth, drama, and color control to your portraits? In this video, photographer Daniel Norton, @DanielNortonPhotographer, demonstrates how to mix LED (constant) lighting with flash to create dynamic, professional portrait setups—right from his NYC studio. Learn when and why to use both lighting types together, how shutter speed affects your ambient light, and how to control contrast, color, and fill using RGB LED lights in tandem with flash modifiers. 💡 What you’ll learn: - Why combine LED with flash for portraits - How to balance exposure using shutter speed - Using LEDs as fill, rim, or background lights - Leveraging RGB color to enhance skin tones or backgrounds - Pros and cons of using LEDs as key vs background lights - Techniques to avoid motion blur when working with slow shutter speeds - Creating high-end color effects without complex setups ⚙️ Gear used: RGBWW LED lights Beauty dish with flash TTL strobe setup Capture One for live image monitoring 🧠 Perfect for: Portrait photographers exploring color and contrast Studio shooters working with mixed lighting Creators looking to add dimension and storytelling through light 📸 Bonus Tip: Daniel shares why shutter speed is your best tool when balancing flash with constant lights—and when not to rely on LEDs as your primary source. ➡️ Subscribe for more tutorials from top PPA educators and drop your lighting questions in the comments! Get more tips, tricks and educational videos at https://www.ppa.com/education. 💻 Like, comment and subscribe for more content like this. Follow us on our other social channels 📲 Facebook 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/OurPPA/ Instagram 🔗 https://www.instagram.com/ourppa/ Twitter 🔗 https://twitter.com/OurPPA/ LinkedIn 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourppa/ About PPA: Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the world's largest non-profit photography association organized for professional photographers, by professional photographers…and with over 35,000 creative members in more than 50 countries. Join at PPA.com here 👉 https://www.ppa.com About Imaging USA: Start your year energized at the premier photography conference & expo. Spark your creativity and learn new skills to grow your business alongside a community of fellow photographers. No matter where you are in your career, you’ll gain actionable insights that have a real impact on your business. https://imagingusa.com Read the digital edition of our magazine, Professional Photographer 📖 https://www.ppa.com/ppmag/digital