Photoblog - DIY Ring Light & Test Shoot With Vajola.

Finally finished my ring light and took it for a spin!

Inspired by legendary portrait shooter Dani Diamond, and disappointed by the options on the market, I've long been threatening to make my own ring light. I love the catchlights, reflected in the subjects eyes in portraits, and larger ring lights produce very soft, flattering light. Truth be told, I'm something of a ring light fanatic already. I'm on my second Ray Flash adapter, and own a Roundflash modifier which I absolutely love. This however, needed to be quite a lot bigger.

It's made of MDF

... a 26 inch diameter circle of 1/2 inch MDF, to be precise, with a 16 inch circle cut out of the middle. Those initial measurements were something of a guess, but it turned out to be perfect. Any bigger would have been very heavy, and smaller, perhaps less impressive. I drilled 12 large holes for the wiring to the bulbs, then sprayed it metallic silver to squeeze a bit extra light efficiency out of it.

The bulbs are halogen

12 small 42w bulbs at the moment, but the bayonet bulb holders allow for a wide variety. Wiring was a massive pain in the neck. There are a number of ways you could go about wiring up 12 bulbs to a single socket, and none of them are quick and easy. It looks neat up front, but behind is a mess of wires. Finally, I fashioned a tripod stand from an industrial "L bracket", and it was ready for testing.

This sucker is bright.. and hot!

I wasn't expecting such an intense wall of light from 12 small bulbs but the output was impressive. I can shoot subjects at ISO 100 and get zippy shutter speeds no problem. Also worth noting: What you spend in extra electricity costs, you save in heating expenses. 12 halogens burn hot, but hey, I live in Ireland so I'm not complaining.

Why not use fluorescent bulbs?

Fleuros are cool, in every respect. They don't get as hot as halogen bulbs, nor do they use as much electricity. Unfortunately most domestic fluoros have an ever shifting colour temperature, which can cause minor inconsistencies in colour reproduction. Not cool if you're as OCD as me. There are professional fleuros out there which mimic natural light very well, but they are expensive, and well, any film nerd will tell you halogens do an exceptional job at producing consistent, natural looking light. "Science, bitch."

What did it cost?

MDF and custom cut = 30 euro
Bulb Holders x 12 = 18 euro
Bulbs x 12 = 36 euro
Silver Spray Paint = 6 euro
Total = 90 euro (around 100 dollars, July 2016)

There really is no way of doing it much cheaper than that. Bulbs aren't cheap. Either way, you're going to be putting in a lot of labour with the wiring and drilling, so that should be of at least equal concern.

Here's a few test shots I did with my lovely buddy Vajola

(100% Crop)

I'm really happy with the look so far. The catch lights in the eyes are beautiful. It was also fun to shoot posed shots without flash. I could shoot at f1.4 and in burst mode if necessary.

The next test I'd like to do will be something punchy, something fun and more family orientated. I'll be grabbing my sisters kids for some funny poses on a colourful background. I also want to try it off to the side. Just because a ring flash allows you to shoot through the centre doesn't mean that's the only way you should use it!

Any questions or comments, please fire ahead below!

More soon!

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