Tony Zumbado
Cameraman

For the last five years I've been asked, "What, NO TUNGSTEN? and my answer has been "Hydrargyrum Medium-Arc lodide" All the TIME. Translation: HMI All the Time!

I used to be a tungsten kind of guy. A lot of it had to do with the high cost of purchasing an HMI lighting system. But with today's technology, prices are reasonable. I am an HMI guy All the Time now -- the proud owner of two K5600/800 Jokers, one Bron FA/400 (all weather-proof), one k5600/200 Joker, two Kino Flo Diva Lite /400 and one Aton Bauer Ultralight-2 HMI. Do I need to go any further? Maybe, yes.

There are several reasons why I have chosen to go HMI All the Time. HMI lights are more efficient, use less power and run cooler. Most Directors of Photography will tell you that. They are 2 to 5 times more efficient than incandescent (Tungsten) lights. The loss of candle light when gels are used with Tungsten. Using HMI lighting gives me more flexibility when I want to get creative with tungsten. The color temperature of HMI lighting not only looks good, but it also helps out on skin tunes. I noticed quit a BIG difference when I used to used tungsten, I felt it exaggerated skin tones. I feel the cool temperature of HMI lighting relaxes the skin, therefore not allowing wrinkles and blemishes to appear more detailed. The countless hours I used to spend blocking out daylight with Gorilla cloth. Gorilla cloth is heavy, expensive and nasty to pin up. I don't have to worry about confined places to shoot in. HMI lights generate less heat than tungsten.