When shooting on location, to ensure the lights have cooled, the operator should

• A. Put them away last to give them time to cool off
• B. Turn them off immediately and unplug
• C. Leave them running until ready
• D. Move them to shade

Answer: (A)

Hot lighting gear stores a lot of heat, and touching or packing hot fixtures can cause burns or start a fire. The safest approach on location is to let the lights cool before you handle and store them. Putting them away last means you keep using them until you’ve finished with them and then power down and unplug only after they’ve had time to cool. This gives heat dissipation a chance to bring the surfaces and internal parts down to a safer temperature, reducing risk to crew and protecting gear. Turning off and unplugging immediately still requires waiting for cooling before handling, leaving them running until you’re done wastes power and increases risk, and moving them to shade doesn’t reliably speed cooling or eliminate the hazard.