- The Short Version
- Back to Basics, Quickly
- Shoot: Position Your Modifier with intention
- Shoot: One Speedlite with Fill Reflector
- Shoot: Creating Soft Fill Light with a Big Umbrella
- Shoot: Broad and Short Lighting
- Shoot: Think of The Shutter as a Light Modifier
- Shoot: Just a Slash of Light
- Shoot: RING The Lens with Light
- Shoot: Nose to The Gridded Light
- Shoot: One-Light White Seamless
- Shoot: Speedliting a Silhouette
- Shoot: Does Softbox Size Matter?
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Shoot: RING The Lens with Light
As I covered in Chapter 14: Go Ahead, Mod Your Speedlite, ring light adapters are specialty modifiers that capture the light from your Speedlite and redirect it to a panel that encircles the lens.
The Distinctive Look Of A Ring Flash
Ring lights are often used by fashion and glamour photographers to create snappy, yet soft, light. When the subject is close to the background (as Brittany is in Figure 19.25), the geometry of the ring light around the lens casts a distinctive outline shadow that surrounds the subject. Circular catchlights in the center of the pupils are another tell-tale sign of ring lights.
The RoundFlash Is My Favorite Ring Light Adapter For Speedlites
Of the three ring light adapters that I reviewed in Chapter 14, my favorite was the RoundFlash. While it appears to be a cumbersome modifier (turn back to Figure 14.27), it adds very little weight to the camera. As importantly, it sets up quickly and, when not in use, folds up into a compact pouch that you can stuff into a corner of your camera bag. The other adapters that I featured are rigid plastic, which means that they take up more room in the bag and potentially could be damaged more easily. Another great advantage of the RoundFlash over the other adapters is the size of its diffuser panel. Measuring 20″ in diameter, it creates beautiful, soft light, as you can see in Figure 19.25.
Lighting Details
Environment: Studio
Time of Day: Not a factor
Ambient: Not a factor
Speedlite: One 600EX-RT
Mode: E-TTL
FEC: 0
Zoom: Zoomed to 35mm
Modifier: RoundFlash ring light softbox
Distance: About 4′
Height: About 5′ (camera-mounted)
Trigger: Sitting in camera hotshoe
Camera Details
Camera: 5D Mark III
Lens: 24–105mm f/4L IS at 45mm
Distance to Subject: 4′
Exposure Mode: Manual
Exposure: 
″, f/8, ISO 400
White Balance: Daylight
)
Figure 19.24 Lighting diagram
)
Figure 19.25 Ring light has a distinctive look. The clues that I used a ring light adapter are the circular catchlights in Brittany’s eyes and the soft outline shadow on the wall.