JPG: Stories: How To: My new $40 Ringlight.

How To

My new $40 Ringlight.

By Rudy Harris

18 Aug 2008

I have always liked the look of Ringlights. It offers a surreal quality to your subject. It's basically a flat light, but it makes it a dramatic base for your photographs. However the price associated with ring lights and flashes...Is just ridiculous. But there are much cheaper ways to do it. You can google ring lights and you will find many people boasting that they have the best way to do, which they might. But I found the easiest way to do it for the cheapest.

Go to your local hardware store, I went to Lowes. I lead myself to the fluorescent lighting section and when I looked up...there it was. A circular light with two circular bulbs...even with a hole in the middle! FOR $20!!! Once I picked up one of those, then a replacement wall cord for around 6 bucks and a roll of $2 electrical tape...I was off to my house to put it all together. After a little bit of wiring, and a little elbow grease (to make the whole big enough for my 77mm lens), it was done.

Once I got to my video production workplace, I simply put it onto a c-stand using just any old clamp, and there it was. A thing of beauty. For much cheaper and with a lot less work than the other solutions. And I love it. All my co-workers/friends have loved it too. They are very curious about it at first but once they see the results, they are shocked how nice it can make them look.

I suggest shooting your subjects in front of a dark background. This lends itself to making the people, completely the subject of the pictures. No distractions whatsoever. It also brings out all the imperfections in the face, which ultimately for me, is what makes us real. In fact, most of the people I have shot, wanted to do a goofy face rather than a serious face....ringlights I guess do that to a person.

So ringlights, not only a cool little light, but a way to bring out the best in us all.

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