Professional lighting equipment for photographers

Bowens is our premium manufacturer of professional lighting equipment for photographers. The origins of Bowens go back to 1923, when the company was founded in London as a camera repair company. By the 1950s, Bowens had grown to be one of the largest repair businesses in Europe, at which point the company turned its experience to manufacturing.

Bowens’ first flashbulb units were produced in 1947 and by 1950 the company started to produce the first electronic studio flash systems. Investing heavily in research and development, Bowens led the way in photographic lighting design and would go on to develop a revolutionary product that would completely transform the way photo studios worked. In 1963, the company produced the first ever monobloc, an electronic studio flash unit with capacitors, control and flash in a single unit.

Over the next three years, the company became dedicated to the design and production of studio flash equipment. Bowens Sales & Service grew out of the Bowens Camera service company and, in 1966, Bowens made its first appearance at Photokina.

Since its inception, Bowens has gone on to develop many trusted product lines such as the Quad, Prolite, Esprit, Gemini and, more recently, the XMT, XMS and XE ranges, all of which have played a part in making Bowens a favourite amongst pro photographers. 

The Bowens brand was acquired by the European Imaging Group in 2016 and continues to manufacture high-end flash heads and studio gear.