A photographer paid hundreds in baggage fees just to pack lights, so he created a water-bottle-sized light that unfurls into a 21-inch light, no softbox required

The larger the light source, the softer and more flattering the light is – but the larger it is to pack. When one photographer and YouTuber paid more than US$500 in airline baggage fees just to get his lights to a shoot, he started sketching solutions. Now seven years later, that sketch has turned into a light that fits in a water bottle holder but unfurls to act almost like a 21-inch softbox.

The Maven Talon is a portable LED video light series that unfolds into a three-armed fan shape in order to create the softer look of a much larger light source. The light comes from Maven Filters – and founder, photography educator, and YouTuber Michael Andrew, better known as Michael the Maven.

The Maven Talon is launching with three different LED flights, along with a compact light stand. The Talon Mini folds down to 15 cm / 5.9 inches long and weighs 178g / 6.3 oz. Unfurled, the Mini stretches to 13 inches and outputs up to 55 lux from 1 meter / 3.3 feet away.

Both the Talon Pro and Talon Max pack down to just larger than a standard 12 oz water bottle – or in photographer terms, around the size of a 70-200mm lens, the company says. But both lights unfold to create a 21-inch light source. The Pro creates 287 Lux from 1 meter / 3.3 feet away, while the Max delivers twice that.

As with any light, moving the light closer to the subject creates more light and softer shadows – so the lights are designed without fans, eliminating noise. From 1 foot / 30 cm away, the Mini offers 490 lux, the Pro 2,130 lux, and the Max up to 4,340 lux.

Besides making a small light look big, the fan-shaped design uses independently articulating arms that allow creators to adjust each arm independently to shape the light. Each light is also color-adjustable.

Compact lights, of course, have less room for a built-in battery – but all three lights can also run on continuous USB power. The Mini has a run time of 45-60 minutes without plugging in. Maven Filters didn’t list a runtime for the larger lights, but those kits pack a larger 4,000 mAh capacity battery over the Mini’s 1,000 mAh.

The three lights are also launching with a portable light stand that folds down to 36.5cm / 14.37 in but stands at 205 cm / 80 inches at full height.

The new lights are launching on Kickstarter, where the campaign has already reached its original goal. All crowdfunding carries some risk, and the Talon lights haven’t yet completed final testing and production. But if everything proceeds as planned, the company expects to begin shipping in April 2027.

Early pledges that include the Talon Mini start at $129 (about £97 / AU$187 / CA$183), and the Max and Pro at $159 (about £120 / AU$231 / CA$226), while multi-light kits are also available.