system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do studio photographers use flash bulbs to light their subjects? Wouldn’t continuous lighting be more time-efficient because you could see what you’re lighting as you light it?
gpt
There’s more to it than time effectiveness. Studio photographers often use what’s called strobe lights. Strobe lights can have two types of bulbs in them that offer different functions:

1. One light is a constant light, called a modeling light. It’s purpose is just to provide light so you can see what you’re lighting as you light it. 

2. The other light is the flash tube. This basically puts out a much brighter source of instantaneous light. 

The benefit behind using a light that flashes is as long as it’s brighter than the light around it, it freezes motion. This allows you to maximize your camera settings to get the best quality picture with sharp settings. 

Some photographers do use constant lights, such as Jason Lanier. He likes using them because he knows they’ll always work, and he can always see what they’re putting out. So they can work well. They can also help restrict the iris and allow the subject to show off their eyes. 

However, cost wise, a really good set of constant lights will set you back a pretty penny compared to flashes or strobe lights. Those cheap one’s on amazon are garbage. Your camera settings will often be higher quality with regular flash then constant lights and allow you to freeze motion more easily. Some constant lights will also heat up much more quickly, and you don’t want the subject getting sweaty. Lastly, it’s really not that hard to guess and check lighting, and experienced photographers will have already set the lights up before the subject even gets there.