Professional ring lights can cost absurd amounts of money. This makes for a prime opportunity for DIY versions.
We’ve shared a handful of DIY ring lights before, but this one might just take the cake in affordability and simplicity.
Created by The Angry Photographer on YouTube, this $2 ring light takes less than an hour to create and will yield some pretty impressive results.
Below are the materials you’ll need:
- Tablet Box/Ceral Box
- Mylar/Aluminum Foil
- Laminated Tracing Paper
- Tape
- Velcro Strap
As the video below details, the cardboard box you’ll be using will act as the frame of the ring light attachment. Cut a circle in the middle, line the box with the Mylar/aluminum foil and construct a cylinder to shoot through—make sure its diameter is large enough for your widest lens.
Once you’ve done that, take the tracing paper, laminate it (either with a dedicated machine or the self-sealing kind) and cut it to size so that it covers the circle you’ve cut out. Then, you simply cut a hole into the bottom of the box for your speedlight and secure the box to your flash with the Velcro strap.
It might not look pretty, but it’ll get the job done.
If you decide to build your own version of this ring light, there are plenty of other features you can implement. Two off the top of my head would include painting the box black to eliminate as much stray light as possible and tapering the width of the box towards the bottom so it’s not quite as boxy when on top of the speedlight.
[via ISO 1200]
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