As a photographer, you’ve got plenty of ways to manipulate light and make it work in your favor. Using props is an excellent way for many advanced picture-takers to get their desired results; one of the most beneficial props is a ring light.
Ring lights have several uses in photography. You can set them up in several ways, and they’re also pretty versatile. So, how exactly do you use a ring light for better photography? What are the ways that you can set one up? Let’s find out.
How Can You Set Up and Use a Ring Light?
How you set up and use a ring light depends on why you want to use it. You can use this tool for DSLR and mirrorless photography, but it’s also a handy addition if you’re taking pictures with your smartphone.
In most cases, you’ll want to attach your ring light to a tripod; holding that while trying to grab shots with your camera would be unnecessarily complicated. The YouTube video below gives you a good ring light before and after by walking you through the process of setting one up to film yourself (you can use the same tips if you’re taking photos):
However, you don’t need to attach your ring light to a horizontal surface. You can get exciting results by asking your model to hold the light in some cases.
When Should You Use a Ring Light in Photography?
Now that you’ve got a basic idea of how to set up and use a ring light (and seen a real-life example of how to do so), we can move on to looking at when you might find this prop come in handy. Below, we’ve outlined three occasions you should consider using a ring light in photography.
1. Portraits
Perhaps the most common use for ring lights in photography is portraits. Adding extra light can make your model’s skin look healthier, which will make your images of them more flattering.
But adding extra light isn’t the only reason you might want to use a ring light for portrait photography. If you get your subject to hold it, it can also lead to unique results—as you can see in the picture below.
2. Self-Portraits
Self-portraits are an excellent source of creative freedom, but that isn’t their only benefit. Taking pictures of yourself can teach you more about posing and provide valuable ideas that you can use for your next photoshoot.
Self-portraits are also an excellent way to build your confidence and get you to feel more comfortable in front of a camera. When you take self-portraits, you’ll most likely place your camera on a tripod. So, who’s going to hold the ring light? You, of course!
3. Food and Product Photography
When you take pictures of food, you want it to look appealing—especially if you’re doing work for a client. And if you’re photographing products, such as your favorite pair of AirPods, the same is true.
Using a ring light for food and product photography is a great way to add extra lighting to the things you’re taking a picture of. But since it isn’t direct, you won’t need to worry about horrible glares that might ruin your image.
Ring Light Photography Ideas
The list of scenarios in the previous section was more of a guideline than something you need to stick with religiously. In reality, you can use ring lights for any photography you want.
Below are five ring light photography ideas that you might want to consider giving a shot.
1. Standing in Front of the Ring Light
Many ring light photos you see will involve the model standing or sitting behind it. You can try that (as we’ll point out in a moment), but it’s not your only option.
If you want to change things up a bit, consider getting your subject to stand in front of the light. You’ll get an almost eerie effect that is perfect if you’re interested in taking moody portraits.
3. Standing Behind and Holding the Ring Light
Standing behind a ring light in photography is popular for a reason—it gives excellent results most of the time. If you want to make your model look cool and get amazing results, getting them to do this—while holding the light—is a tried and tested method.
If you want to shake things up and get creative, consider buying a different-colored ring light and seeing what you can do with these. For this tip, you’ll need the light to face away from the subject.
4. Making the Ring Light Shine on Your Subject From Afar
Have you ever thought about making your subject look angelic? If so, getting the ring light to shine toward your subject from a distance is an idea you might want to consider trying.
For this, you’ll need to place your ring light on a wall or tripod; make sure that you don’t do anything dangerous. You’ll also need a wide-angle lens and to stand quite far back.
5. Having the Ring Light Face You
If you don’t want to hold the ring light and copy a pretty typical photography style, you can always use it as a standard lighting source. Regardless of whether you’re photographing yourself or someone else, stick the ring light on a tripod and pose as you usually would.
Place the camera in line with the center of your ring light; you’ll probably need an extra tripod for this. Once set up correctly, you should be able to add different lighting to your scene with minimal effort.
6. Using Your Ring Light at Night
While it’s common to use your ring light indoors, you can have a lot of fun with it if you step outside. Once the sun has gone down, try setting up the light—or holding it—and see what you can come up with. And If you live close to a busy downtown area, consider taking it with you and see if you can shoot something special.
Ring Light Photography Gives You Interesting Results
If you’re thinking of ways to spruce up your photography, you can do much worse than a ring light. Using one can help you achieve exceptional results that will help you stand out to clients. Most importantly, though, they’re simply quite fun to play around with.
Even if you don’t creatively use your ring light, you’ll still find it a valuable light source to make your pictures pop with the ring light effect. It’s worth purchasing one to see what you can do with it.