Ring Light

The Ring light is a source of light in the shape of a ring used as a focus for cameras. The ring is perfect for photography, macro photography, making videos, live streaming, filming, dark scenery shoot, emphasizing details, filming, parlous, portraits, make-up artists, and capturing fine details.

The primary purpose of using ring lights is to cast focus and light on the object. Ring lights are also used by social media stars that offer an elegant glow with reduced shadows.

The ring light looks like the image shown below:

The ring light is created such that a camera can easily fit in the center of it. It is also called the glamour light. The light falling from the ring light clarifies the subject on which it is being focused. It also illuminates the eyes of a person in front of the ring light.

Here we will discuss a ring light history, how to use such lights, composition of a ring light, benefits, and many more.

Let's start.

History

• Ring light was first invented in 1952 by Lester A. Dine. It was invented for photography in dental clinics, which gave a detailed photograph of patients' teeth.
• Initially, the ring light was composed of fluorescent tubes.
• Due to more energy required and short life, the fluorescent tubes were replaced by LEDs.
• Today, ring light comes with LEDs that consume less power with a longer life span.

Technical Composition of Ring light

We all know about ring light, as discussed above. Now, let's discuss the technical composition of the ring light. It is listed below:

• The Ring light is defined as an electronic flash of light that covers the camera.
• The light falling from the ring is not too harsh. It does not cause any harm to the eyes.
• The light is produced at low intensity.
• The ring light is composed of multiple LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).
• The LEDs are covered with the lens.
• The main feature of LED is that it is cool.
• Some ring light includes focusing lenses that are used to distribute the light at a particular distance.
• We can also adjust the brightness of the ring light.
• Some ring lights include color effects adjustment feature that allows a user to control visible light characteristics.
• The camera can be adjusted either towards or far from the face of the user.
• The external power supply may be required to operate such ring lights.

Benefits of ring lights

Let's discuss the benefits of ring lights, which are listed below:

• It gives a soft illumination to the object.
• It highlights the fine details.
• It hides the wrinkles and small imperfections of the face of a person.
• It reduces external shadows that may interrupt the photography.
• The circle shape of ring light provides an even distribution of light.
• It is made of LEDs that have a longer life and consumes less power than other lights.
• It brightens the face and illuminates the eyes.
• Inexpensive
• Easily available
• Easy to use
• Different effects can be generated by adjusting the color effects of the LEDs.
• It gives professional and classy images.
• It makes the eyes more glorious.

Components of a Ring Light

The ring lights have different components. Some ring lights without a tripod stand can be used as a selfie ring light or put on a table for pictures and video recording.

The components of the ring light with detail information are listed below:

1. Adjustable Lights

The ring light attached to the stand is adjustable. It consists of LED lights mounted on the ring.

2. USB power supply

Most of the ring lights come with a USB power supply to improve portability.

3. Tripod Stand

The tripod stand can be placed anywhere as per the requirements, such as a table or on the floor. It comes with an adjustable height from 24" to 81" that can also be used as a phone holder.

4. Phone Holder

The phone holder is placed on the top of the tripod stand. The mobile phone holder has a 360-degree rotation. It means that we can adjust the angle of the holder as per our requirements.

5. IR Remote

The IR (Infra-Red) remote is used to control the level of brightness and color temperature. The color temperature modes can be adjusted between 3000K and 6000K. The range may vary depending on different brands. The brightness level can be adjusted, ranging from 0% to 100%.

We can also control the seven modes of lighting with the help of an IR remote. The common three modes of lighting that can be seen in most of the ring lights are Night Light mode, Warm Light mode, and Cold Light mode.

We can easily change the color temperature of the ring light without using any color filters.

Uses of Ring Light

The uses of ring light are listed below:

• Focusing on fine details
  The structure of ring light is circular that helps us to focus on the objects without any shadows. It also helps us to focus on very fine details of an object. Examples include designing, make-up, and clothes stitching.
• Macro Photography
  It is also called close-up photography. A camera or a mobile phone can easily be mounted in the center of a ring light. The even distribution of light helps the photographers to capture the small objects easily.
• Selfies
  Selfies are a popular trend all over the world. Selfies mean the self-portrait photos that can be captured through smartphones or cameras by holding it at arm's length. The ring light helps to capture the best facial features. It also hides the small imperfections on the face.
• Video Production
  Various videographers prefer the use of ring light for recording videos. Cinematographers (crews working on a film) also use ring lights for their video production. They also use a softbox, sidelights, or other fill lights in a combination of ring lights. It gives a better look if the subject is a short distance from the ring light.
• Color effects
  Ring lights also come with the option to switch regular white bulbs with other colored bulbs. We can also apply colored gels on some parts of a ring light to generate color effects.
• Painting Applications
  The painting requires drawing fine details with shading and texture. Proper lighting enhances the focus on the painting sheet.
• Make-up Applications
  Ring lights become the best option when there is less light in the make-up room. Make-up requires highlighting small features of the face. Hence, effective lighting is required for effective make-up.

Feature to check before purchasing a ring light

Let's discuss the features that we need to check before purchasing any ring light. It is listed below:

• Cost
  Cost is the most important factor that strikes our minds before making any purchase. In the past, ring lights were used to be very expensive. Due to this, there were very few photographers incorporating such lights. But nowadays, the cost is low.
• Complete kit<
  We first need to check that the kit we want to purchase has complete accessories with it. The kit comprises the tripod stand (adjustable), phone holder, ring light with USB, color temperature adjustment, and other components.
• Maintenance
  Whenever we buy any ring light, we need to ensure the maintenance parts. For example, we can check the price of the bulbs that we can replace for changing color effects. We can also check the quality and brand of the product. Sometimes, we opt for a low-quality product due to its low price. The same thing applies to a high price. There is no surety that an expensive product must have good quality. We can opt for research, ratings, etc. before purchasing.
• Lightweight
  Many times we need to travel long distances for the photoshoot, etc. For such cases, it is better to buy light ring lights. It is because a huge setup is difficult to arrange and carry.
• Size
  Ring lights are available in different sizes ranging from 8 inches to 18 inches. For self-entertainment purposes, we can opt for a ring light of a small size. For any professional shoot, we can opt for a large size.
• Lumens
  The higher the lumens (lm), the better will be the light output. Lumens mean the measure of light emitted by a LED or light source. It will also lead to better accuracy.
• Brightness adjustment
  It is better to opt for the ring lights that have a brightness adjustment knob. We can easily adjust the brightness as per the requirements.
• Color temperature
  Color temperature refers to the appearance of light. Most of the ring lights have a color temperature adjustment option between 3000K and 6000K. Here, K stands for temperature in Kelvin.
  For a healthy glow, a temperature around 3000K will be enough to produce a soft, warm light. Around 5000K, the light will fall in an intermediate state, neither too cool nor too warm.
  The color temperature around 4000K is also good for photography.
• Warranty
  Warranty varies from retailer to retailer. We should always check for the warranty before purchasing any product.
• Check for the color fringing problem
  The common issue arises when a lens cannot bring all colors' wavelengths to the same focal plane. It is also known as chromatic aberration. We might spend a lot of hours correcting these mistakes on a computer. We can opt for research, ratings, etc. before purchasing.
• Light Intensity option
  It is difficult to shoot at a low intensity. We should opt for a ring light that offers a wide range of aperture so that we can easily shoot with such lights.
• Material
  Check for the material of the tripod stand and other accessories. We should ensure that the product we are purchasing should be made up of good quality plastic.

FAQs

Let's discuss some of the common FAQs about ring lights:

Why is the shape of the ring light circular?

The circular design of ring light helps to hide shadows and highlight the fine details. These lights also hide wrinkles on any imperfection on an individual's face, which makes it the best device to be used in photography.

What is CRI?

CRI or Color Rendering Index defines the accuracy of the LED lights. Increased CRI will result in increased color rendering.

Why were fluorescent lights replaced with LED lights?

Let's discuss some differences between fluorescent and LED lights. It will help us to clearly understand the replacement of fluorescent lights with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).

What is the benefit of using ring light over other external light sources?

Ring light focuses on the light that is evenly distributed over the subject. It means that ring light provides uniformity all over the object.

Other light sources lack in spreading light all over. It only lights some parts of the area, while the other part remains in dark shadow. It means that other external light sources lack uniformity.

Is there someone who might face difficulty using ring lights?

People wearing glasses might face difficulty using such ring lights. The glasses will reflect the ring light, and we may not get the desired output.

Where to buy the ring lights?

We can easily purchase ring lights from a nearby electric store and online websites, such as Flipkart, Amazon, etc. Different types of light with different price ranges are easily available on online websites.

We need first to ensure our purpose of purchasing the ring lights.

Are these ring lights also suitable for making videos?

Yes.

A DSLR or a Smartphone with a good quality camera is best suitable for making videos. Ring lights are commonly used by people to make videos for YouTube and Instagram.

The major benefit is that the light also gets captured in the eyes, which adds interest to the picture.

When ring lights became popular?

After the introduction of Tik-Tok, people starting using ring light for making videos. Tik-Tok is a social network, which offers videos for entertainment. In COVID-19 pandemic, it became popular all over the world. It is also inexpensive. It is used to create videos, photography, etc.

A ring light is a light in a circular shape covered around the phone holder. The holder is present at the center of the ring. It provides an equal distribution of light.

What is the difference between a ring flash and a ring light?

Most macro photographers use a ring flash. It lasts only for a few seconds.

The ring light is used for making videos and photography and can last long till required.

Are DIY ring lights are better?

We may find a lot of videos about DIY (Do It Yourself) ring lights. It might be difficult to find and purchase the required materials for making a ring light. Nowadays, ring lights are inexpensive and easily purchased at a low cost from an online website or store.