About Us

Paul and Debbie

Paul C. Buff was a creator, lighting innovator, and adventurous pioneer. His career began in audio recording and the manufacturing of professional audio equipment. In 1980, Buff turned his attention towards studio photoflash and formed Paul C. Buff, Inc. His new focus was on creating a practical and affordable studio flash and the many advantages that would be available over the ubiquitous camera mounted speedlite.

With a heavy focus on accuracy, versatility and affordability, Buff introduced a fully featured studio flash known as the White Lightning™ 130 in 1981. Following the success of the White Lightning™ 130 and with its success, Paul continued on by creating the White Lightning™ X-Series monolights.

Embracing the new and ever-changing market of younger photographers in a now digital era, Buff launched AlienBees™ in 2001 to offer a smaller and more compact consumer-friendly package.

Paul was more than just a founder and innovator to us, he was our leader, our mentor, and our friend. In March of 2015, Buff passed away at the age of 78.

Since Paul's passing, his beloved wife of 16 years, Deborah, has championed our continued commitment to Paul's innovation by ushering in a new line of TTL/HSS capable battery powered lights. We honor his memory by continuing to serve our customers with the outstanding products, support, and Golden Rule standards that he initiated.

Headquarters

Located in the heart of Berry Hill, we are minutes away from downtown Nashville. Our offices, in-house production of Bees and X-Series Units, warehouse, and shipping facility are all housed in Berry Hill building where our staff enjoys colorful walls populated with Paul's vibrant, surrealist paintings! If you find your self in our neck of the woods, be sure to stop by, meet our team, and check out our incredible showroom!