Smartphone photographers, as with all photographers, all over the world have one thing in common. They are chasing perfect light in order to capture the perfect image, and now there is a solution that promises to help them achieve that; regardless of time and place.

Profoto has always been committed to making great lights for the photographers of the world. That obsessive commitment to bringing great light to every image hasn’t changed, and the new Profoto C1 range includes the very first Profoto studio lights designed specifically for smartphones. They are small, super-portable and provide the one thing a smartphone can’t; natural-looking and beautiful light.

“But what has changed,” says Anders Hedebark CEO of Profoto, “is that from today forward, Profoto is committed to supporting all image creators, regardless of what camera they are using, smartphone or other cameras. Great light is the key to creating great images”.

“We recognized that there are many people out there who might not see themselves as professional photographers, but they are great image creators and dependent on professional-looking images in order to build their business and brand. People like bloggers and influencers. That is why we developed the Profoto C1 product range and the new and intuitive Profoto Camera, an app for smartphones”, continues Anders Hedebark.

The light the C1 product range delivers is natural-looking and beautiful with a soft, gentle fall off, and that’s partly because of the shape; each light is round, like the sun.

Anders continued: “ultimately, the new lights needed to be as intuitive to use as a smartphone. You connect them to the Profoto Camera, and then in auto mode, it’s point-and-shoot. Because the intelligent Profoto Camera will calculate the exposure and flash power for you, based upon the surrounding light conditions.”

Profoto’s new products should give users the ability to have fun; to play with light. They’re small, so simple to manoeuvre and to explore different lighting angles from the palm of your hand.

Users can also capture an image from either a click on the little white button on the light or from your smartphone.

The Plus model is compatible with a range of light shaping tools from a dome diffuser to colour gels and grids which means users can be even more creative. These are the same as the ones for the Profoto A1 and A1X. They snap on and off the invisible magnetic mount in an instant. And if you want to switch out the smartphone for a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the C1 Plus is compatible with all Profoto AirTTL remotes. Meaning you can use several of them at the same time, and in combination with other Profoto lights. This really is exciting and something we’re keen to try.

Anders concludes: “Today, smartphone photography changes forever, because with the Profoto C1 product range, you will have natural-looking and beautiful light in the palm of your hand; and this is the secret to fully realizing your creative vision. This is true photography. This is the light that changes everything.”

Pricing and availability

The Profoto C1 will come in at £259 and the C1 Plus £469. Respectfully, these prices are quite high, but for such a portable device it could be worth the extra dough if the quality’s good and its ease of use should also help to justify the price tag. To find out more information visit Profoto’s website or subscribe to our Youtube Channel to stay up to date with all our reviews and how-to videos.