How to make a ring light at home

A do-it-yourself ring lamp is made in a short time. In terms of characteristics, it is not inferior to ready-made options, and at a price it turns out to be at least half cheaper. Therefore, it makes sense to understand the features of the assembly in order to buy everything you need and make a lamp at home.

Advantages over studio lighting

The ring lamp has many advantages that make this option more preferable than a stationary studio light. Due to the simplicity of the design, even an inexperienced photographer can use the lamp and the result will be much better. The main advantages are:

1. Mobility. The ring illuminator can be easily rearranged from place to place, transferred to different rooms or carried with you. It does not require a fixed mount.
   The ring lamp is easy to move from place to place.
2. Ease of setup.Unlike studio lighting, you do not need to select the location of the lamp for a long time. It can be used immediately after switching on, putting it in a suitable place.
3. The ring light can be used indoors and outdoors. This option will help you take high-quality pictures anywhere.
4. This type is much better for shooting children. It grabs their attention and they always look in the right direction.

By the way! The energy consumption of a ring lamp is much less than that of a fixed system. This is important for professional photographers and those who often spend long photo shoots.

What light sources can be used

The principle of operation is always the same - the light elements are located on a round base. This ensures uniform illumination without shadows or glare, which is very important when shooting close-ups. As light sources, one of the three options described below is most often used.

LED lamp

Use a furniture pipe as a bracket.

The option involves the use of small light bulbs with a diffusing shade, which are located on the base in the form of a ring. Making a lamp is not very difficult:

1. A piece of plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm is selected, a ring of the selected diameter is cut out. The easiest way is to first draw a contour, and then cut it out with an electric jigsaw.
2. The location of the light bulbs is marked around the perimeter. They must be evenly distributed over the ring and marks must be made strictly in the middle. Holes are cut, their size depends on the diameter of the cartridges that are bought in advance.
3. To drill holes, use a drill or a screwdriver with a crown on a tree of a suitable diameter.The size does not have to match perfectly, it can be a little larger, this does not affect the quality of the fastening.
4. Cartridges are mounted in prepared places, wires are connected to the rear contacts and connected parallel. Because every light bulb has driver, you do not need to install the power supply. A wire with a plug is connected, which is directly inserted into the outlet. You can add a switch to the system.
5. For such a lamp, it is worth making a stand and considering its fastening with the ability to adjust the angle of inclination and height. You can also use ready-made solutions.

If you need to change the brightness or color temperature, you can rearrange the bulbs in a couple of minutes. The main thing is to have at hand a kit with the desired characteristics.

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Ring energy saving lamp

With the help of an annular fluorescent lamp, it is easy to make a compact lamp. It will provide good color reproduction and brightness, but we must remember that the finished lamps are only small in size. The lamp is made as follows:

1. First of all, a light source with suitable characteristics is acquired. Next, you need to choose a base, it can be either plywood or thick cardboard, the surface does not heat up much during operation.
2. For fastening, special clips are used, which are selected according to the diameter of the lamp. The main thing is to securely fix the light source, the easiest way to fix the switch is also on the base.
3. A power cable is connected to the connector through a plug. It must be led through the switch. It is also worth considering the method of installation, it can be a ready-made tripod or any other suitable solution.

Energy-saving lamps are small in size.

Carefully! Mercury is used in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps. Therefore, when they damage there is a risk of harm to health.

Light emitting diodes

The LED ring gives uniform light and is easy to manufacture. This is the most popular solution, which is most often found both in finished and home-made form. Features are:

1. LEDs consume the least amount of electricity. At the same time, they give even light without flicker and have a resource of 50,000 hours or more.
2. Assembling a lamp is within the power of almost everyone. The process is detailed below as it should be disassembled in detail.
3. Selection of LED strips very big. They differ in power, color temperature and the number of light sources per linear meter. This simplifies the selection of the optimal solution.
4. You can also use point diodes, but it is much more difficult to make an annular lamp from them. Have to prepare the printed circuit board and solder each element separately.

Read also

Easy ways to connect LED strip

 

Useful video: Ring light for $7

Warm or cold light

It is important to determine in advance which option is best suited. It all depends on the characteristics of photography and the environment. There are three main options:

1. Cold light. Used by makeup artists and stylists, also suitable for food photography. Can be used in modern photography, but distorts the colors, making them colder.
2. Warm light. It has a yellow tint and can be used in some cases.
3. natural light. A versatile solution that provides natural color reproduction and close to sunlight.Can be applied almost everywhere.

By the way! Using multicolor LEDs to adjust the color temperature is not the best solution. They don't provide good quality light.

Read also

What to choose - warm white light or cold

 

Step-by-step instructions for making a ring lamp from an LED strip

A do-it-yourself ring lamp with an LED strip is assembled in a couple of hours if you have everything you need at hand. The work must be organized correctly, so it is worth remembering a few simple recommendations:

1. The diameter of the lamp is determined in advance. It all depends on the purpose of use. The dimensions should not be very large, as in this case a darkened zone is formed in the middle.
2. For the base, you can use plywood, hard plastic or a sanitary metal-plastic pipe. The latter solution is convenient in that it is easy to bend and form a ring.
3. LEDs are better to take monophonic. The value is brightness (depends on the number of diodes per linear meter) and color rendering index (at least 80, the higher it is, the more natural the colors are transmitted).
4. You also need copper stranded wires for connection and a power supply. It should be selected according to the total power of the diodes used. For convenience, a switch is placed.
5. The base is made first. Then an LED strip is glued onto the surface, it is better to use a moisture-resistant option. It must be positioned evenly, you can first draw a line for a guide.
6. To adjust the brightness, it is better to use 2-3 rows of tape pasted side by side. They can be turned on separately and thereby make the light brighter. It is undesirable to use a dimmer, as it can distort colors and worsen photography.
7. It is best to provide two types of food. The first is from the network through a suitable block power. The second is using the source 12 V supplyto provide mobility. To do this, you can purchase a ready-made version or adapt an external battery to charge your phone. In this case, you need to remove the connector.
8. As a bracket, any element that is at hand is selected. The easiest way is to buy a ready-made, used version, it will be cheap.

Assembling a ring lamp using LED strip is not difficult.

You can stick tapes with different color temperatures on both sides of the ring if you want to change the lighting when shooting.

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How to photograph with a ring light

There are several recommendations, following which will help to get high-quality photos even for those who do not have much experience in shooting:

1. Avoid direct light entering the lens. Therefore, it is better to take pictures from the maximum possible distance.
2. The optimal location of the ring lamp is one and a half to two meters from the person. But the indicator may vary depending on the size of the ring.
3. The use of wide-angle lenses is recommended. The flash should be turned off.

What to look for when choosing a new lamp read in this article.

It is not difficult to select angles and distances according to the situation, it is not difficult to deal with the peculiarity of conducting photo shoots using ring light.

Assembling a ring lamp with your own hands is easy if you study the design and purchase everything you need for work.An LED strip is ideal as it gives good light, is easy to install and safe to use.