Photoflood

Photoflood refers to a type of incandescent lamp specifically designed for photographic lighting. These lamps produce a high intensity of light, significantly brighter than standard household incandescent bulbs, making them suitable for illuminating subjects during photography, particularly in the era before widespread digital cameras and LED lighting. Photofloods were often used in specialized fixtures that allowed for adjustability in terms of direction and intensity. Their primary advantage was their affordability and availability, offering a powerful light source for amateur and professional photographers alike.

The color temperature of photoflood lamps is typically around 3400 Kelvin, which is a tungsten-balanced light. This means that while they produce a bright light, it tends to be warmer, or more yellow, than daylight. Photographers using black and white film often found this color temperature acceptable or could easily compensate for it. For color photography, filters were sometimes used to adjust the color balance, or the film itself was chosen to be balanced for artificial light.

A significant drawback of photoflood lamps was their short lifespan and the considerable heat they generated. Because they were designed for high output, they consumed a lot of power and their filaments would burn out relatively quickly, often within a few hours of cumulative use. The heat produced could also be a concern, requiring careful handling of the lamps and fixtures to avoid burns or damage to heat-sensitive subjects. Despite these limitations, photofloods played an important role in photographic lighting for many years.