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Studio Lighting - The Cheapest Ring Light Ever
Reader B.Stevens has a cool idea for the cheapest most versatile ring light ever (now we have shown some ringlights before, but not that easy to make). The image on the left is using this ringlight (best viewed large). The idea is quite simple: Take a huge apple monitor. If you can get your hands on a 24 incher, you are on the right track. Tape some patterned paper on the monitor. Bring your 1.8 or 2.8 lens and your 1600ISO low noise camera and you are good to go. HEYTHEREWAITAMINUTE you said cheap. So, let me go through this method step by step and see where you can reduce your costs.
First, let's take a closer look on how this method works. First you need a big light source, big enough that you can use a big piece of black paper of cardboard on. Sebastian used a 24" Mac screen, but you can use cheaper light sources one option is to use a softbox, or a diffusion screen. So here is your first cost reduction right here. You can look at the diagram on the left to see how this stuff works. You have the monitor (or GOBOed softbox) on the left, throwing light to the right.
Next you need to cut a pattern on a black sheet or paper. You can go with the traditional tennis balls in a circle pattern, or try something more artistic like the pattern on the left. This is where the "cheap" part comes into play. The piece of cardboard needed to make this pattern is about 1 Dollar. In fact a pattern like this is also referred to as GOBO. GOBO is photographer lingo for anything that goes between the light source and your subject. (Yes, note the slight "typo" the GOBO does not go botween, but... I did not make it). Here is your second cost reduction: make the pattern with big holes so lots of light can go through, and use a white sheet of paper on the back of the pattern. If you are using a softbox, this will help you save light. (And use lower ISO and slower lens).
The best mod I can think about with this "ringlight" is to use it with a shoot through umbrella. Tape one circle in the middle of the umbrella and wham! Instant ringlight.
One word of warning though: if you are using your monitor for light, make sure you white balance the light well. Those monitors give weird casts.
Related links:
- Ring Light set on flickr
- Cheap softbox
- Diffusion Screen
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Comments
Is the paper necessary?
Couldn't you just display the black and white ring image (fullscreen) on the monitor?
no paper
That sounds like a very interesting suggestion. I will have to check it out. Post a link to an image if you have one
- Udi
Perhaps
You'd need a monitor which shows blacks as dark as possible, so a very good contrast ratio.
A lot of monitors show blacks with some light, not a huge amount, but some.
Otherwise, it sounds like a great idea.
Perhaps I could extend this to a 42" LCD tv?
And why would I want a ringlight so badly I'd make this?
That picture you made for the example doesn't seem to be anything special?
because...
there are no shadows when you use a ringlight (as opposed to a point source)
GOBO
I love the idea! My understanding is that Gobo comes from lighting and theater and is short for Go before Optics, thats where the last O comes from. Whenever you see a pattern or somthing projected using light they use a gobo. I'm going to find some cardboard right now.
Monitor ringlight
Hey people, thanks for the interest in this idea!
To be honest i never used a piece of paper to create a monitor ringlight, i just loaded an image on the screen with white circles on a black background that i created in photoshop and bob's your uncle!
But indeed most monitors even cast light even when you load a fully black image on your screen so for the best results it might be a good idea to use cardboard or black paper.
For some people the example picture of my face might disturb the final result of the effect the monitor ringlight gives, so i have one of my sister's face i realy like right here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10470809@N08/956073314/in/set-7215760097505...
You can clearly see the soft light and good contrasts a ringlight should give i think...
By the way; this picture whas made with a 19 inch monitor and those of me with the glass of water where made with a 15 inch monitor, i think they all work out pretty well don't they?
Anyway, i want to thank Udi for putting his time in creating this article and bringing my idea to the world, thanks m8!
Have fun with it people, greetings,
Sebastien
Dude put on a shirt. =)
Dude put on a shirt. =)
Larger pic Reflection
Ha in the large image you can see the light ring in his pupils.
Great idea - and it'll work
Great idea - and it'll work just as well for a window - which on a bright overcast day (or sunny day in the shade) will give even more light, and the ring can be as big as you like.
Ring Light Article Feedback
Just "Stumbled" onto this cool site...Sorry to say, I've got a bit of a bone to pick with the title and claim "cheapest most versatile ring light ever".
The THIRD sentence negates the cheap factor: "Take a huge apple monitor. If you can get your hands on a 24 incher, you are on the right track." C'mon...The 24" monitor is $900!
As for the "most versatile"? Can you please explain how mobile one could possibly be while attempting to lug around a 21 pound piece of delicate equipment?
Creative idea...not so great title or solution. Bait and switch is a pet peeve...
Thanks for sharing, though.
Just plain dumb
The beauty of a real ringlight is that, apart from giving off diffuse light and a halo of shadow around the subject, it moves with the camera. With the monitor lightsource described here, all you have is diffused light, and not intense enough to use at more than a couple of feet. How do you get behind the camera to look through the viewfinder? If you did, you'd be casting a rather large shadow on your subject, wouldn't you?
There's a flat-panel flash out there called a Sunpak FP-38. They're really cheap at around $60 apiece at big online camera shops in the U.S. You can mount two onto a single hotshoe and, at close distances, the light is fairly diifuse. Each unit has a guide number of 38 (feet) at ISO 100—just a single, non-variable output and no auto. The colour seems a bit warmer than other flashes I've used. They're completely portable and run on AA batteries. They also have a built-in photocell, allowing them to be used as slaves for other flash units. Because of the slave capabilities, you could get creative and mount a pair of them on either side of the lens (at this price, you could buy four of them and have a bunch of them around the lens at a fraction of the price of the huge Apple monitor).
By the way, why an Apple monitor? Why not use a huge plasma T.V.? Even if you use the Apple monitor, why use the cut-out paper at all? Is it just to get odd reflections in your models' eyes?
My DIY Ringflash
Hi all, here's the one I did for meself. :D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoule/2142204311/
not THAT perfect, but good enuff to get that surround drop shadow behind me, and that 'o' reflection in the pupil! :D
thanks!
thes example photo is rather
thes example photo is rather underwhelming in many regards this gentlement wears no shirt with clefted nipple , perhaps you are giving suggestion for these photographer myspace page photograph? second why an apple monitor and not a pc are you truly one of the braindead mass of photo/graphic designer generation owning apple computer becuase it is the "vogue" thing to do , how silly , this is a good suggestion i will attempt this practice someday soon
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