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With the help of a ring light, you can get the vibrancy that you need when shooting videos or taking pictures. Besides, ring lights are a favourite among photographers because they give the user full control over the lighting and are equally easy to use.
Best of all, a ring light will allow you to take colourful photos and videos in different lighting conditions without having to invest in expensive photography equipment.
To get the best results, you need to position your ring light properly. The placement of a ring light not only affects the lighting quality, but will also determine the type of pictures and videos that you will get.
Read through to learn about how you can set up and position a ring light for perfect lighting. If you haven’t bought one yet or looking for a replacement for your current ring light, click here to have a look at the top-rated options that you can find in Australia.
What Is a Ring Light?
As the name implies, a ring light is a circular lighting equipment that is fitted with multiple LED beads or a fluorescent bulb designed to focus light on a subject.
When used correctly, a ring light creates lighting that is not only uniform but also soft. Ring lights can also help you create a halo effect to make the eyes and face of your subject look more radiant.
The good thing about ring lights is that they illuminate the subject from all directions, thereby allowing the camera to capture the tiniest details. However, you can only achieve this if you consider the positioning of your ring light.
Tips for Setting up a Ring Light for Perfect Lighting
A ring light is very easy to work with, but there are things that you need to think about when setting up these units. Most people often overlook some of these factors, and that is one of the reasons why many videos and photos you see online are not as bright as they should be.
Before we discuss the factors, always remember that ring lights work best when used as the primary light source in photography. With this point in mind, you will have an easy time positioning your ring light according to your photography.
Here’s how you can position a ring light for vibrant and colourful pictures/videos:
1. Consider ambient light
This is probably the first thing that you should take into account when positioning a ring light. The light from the environment can greatly affect the quality of your photos and videos, so you should see to it that the ring light is well-placed to avoid external interference.
If the room that you are in has windows, it would be wise to seal them. This way, the camera lens will only get light from the ring light, allowing you to capture detailed images.
2. Set up the ring light directly in front of your subject
Ring lights work best when placed directly in front of the area that you intend to illuminate. That being said, ensure that you position your ring light in such a way that it beams light directly toward what you want to capture.
This applies when shooting portrait selfies or when taking photos of products. You should never set your ring light at an angle when tackling the aforementioned tasks as this will result in partial lighting which can lower the quality of your photos.
And because ring lights are versatile, you can mount them onto a tripod and can as well use them as props in photography. You can have your subject hold the ring light at the correct position as you snap the pictures.
Also, you should avoid placing your ring light behind the camera or microphone, as this will lead to the formation of shadows.
3. Position your camera at the centre of the ring light
The best way to eliminate shadows when using a ring light is to place your camera in the middle. You will be happy to know that most ring lights come with phone holders that will ensure the camera lens is close to the light source.
Some models feature additional tripod accessories that will securely hold a standard-sized DSLR camera. Moreover, placing a camera at the centre of a ring light will make your work a lot easier since you won’t have to make frequent adjustments.
4. Set up the ring light a few centimetres away from the subject
You should consider placing your ring light at least 60 cm away from the subject for crisp pictures. This may, however, vary depending on the type of shot that you are going for.
Some projects may require you to place the ring light closer to the subject, so you should experiment to find the most ideal distance for your photography project.
Try as much as you can not to place the ring light too far away, as this will make your videos and photos dull. You also won’t be able to create the halo effect if the lights are not correctly placed.
5. Place the ring light away from reflective surfaces
To get the best out of your ring light, ensure that you use a non-reflective background. Reflections can create unwanted shadows that will make your videos and photos less vibrant.
Additionally, reflective surfaces can cause uneven distribution of light, resulting in the distortion of the final image. If you are looking to get a balanced video/photo, ensure that the person sitting in front of the camera isn’t wearing glasses to avoid glare.
Conclusion
The way you position a ring light determines everything at the end of the day. Always keep the light centred and ensure that it is not placed too far away from the subject. In addition to this, you should consider the ambient lighting and other external factors that may lower the quality of your photos/videos.
If you do everything correctly, you will be able to create masterpiece after masterpiece. Ensure that you go for a ring light with high Colour Rendering Index (CRI) to get the actual colours of your subjects.
