Kerry-Ring Flash Series

[Bill Schuman]

This was shot last month with a borrowed Ring Flash (Thanks Igor) I Just thought it was time to start showing my work. Please CC...
The Model is Kerry Mayhem #648970
She was great to work with and fun to shoot, and brought along a great wardrobe!

[RSStory]

I would suggest that you upload images into you album here so that you can post the larger version in your posts. I see that you do have images in the album so may as well utilize that feature of the site.

As for these shots.

1. Her expression is working for me and you have some hot spots on her belly and breast.With the belly being hot and then the shadow it is making her belly look like it is bulging out.

2. Again, I am not liking her expression. I would also suggest having her drop her right shoulder a bit and hold her head up where it belongs. She just looks very scrunched up in the neck and shoulders area.

Ring lights can be fun once you get the hang of them.

Scott

[r_fredrick_smith]

You have to be very careful with ring lights to accentuate what they do well and minimize their problem areas. The halo light all around shadow behind the model is one of these problem areas. If you put the ring light off to the side, rather than shooting through it, you can avoid some of this problem. You can also use different types of "ring" lights. Here is an example:

Cheers,
rfs

[RSStory]

Originally Posted by r_fredrick_smith

You have to be very careful with ring lights to accentuate what they do well and minimize their problem areas. The halo light all around shadow behind the model is one of these problem areas. If you put the ring light off to the side, rather than shooting through it, you can avoid some of this problem. You can also use different types of "ring" lights. Cheers,
rfs

I dont see the shadow as a problem. It is simply different. I think it has become a bit boring but not really a problem.

If you dont shoot through the ringlight then it just becomes another light head and that is fine, but a regular lighthead is generally cheaper. I like to use a ringlight as a fill light, but I will still shoot through it. I have only used them a few times but am getting ready to buy one of my own.

Scott

[PhotosbyChuck]

Sometimes a ring light shadow is the desired effect -- so maybe you intended it. If not, taking the light off camera or shooting against black can definitely help as does distance from the background, of course.

As far as the lighting is concerned, the shadow doesn't bother me as much as the hot spots. Her face is dark compared to the other portions of the shot -- especially in #1. This makes me wonder -- how far from the model were you?

As for the expressions, since you linked to MM, I could see her port. She's got a good range of photos up and shows a range of facial expressions in them. It might just be she needed more direction from you.

[r_fredrick_smith]

I think they are more useful for outdoor work where you have a moving model and you want her well lit as she moves. So you have one of the portable ring lights that you can walk around with (within limits). The shadows then become less of a problem because usually they are not even seen. But the ring light doesn't have to be the classic type that surrounds the lens, but can just be a back of lights that you shoot through such as shown in this photo:

The above setup cost about $100 to build (4 standard 40" shop lite housings that each hold 2 40 watt bulbs - and then buy daylight balanced bulbs as shown). The Lindsey shot in my previous post in this thread was shot with a portable version of a light just like this. The tip off will be the catch light in the eyes.

Here is another example (this one overly soft and has a color cast, but it was one I could find right off hand shot with the above pictured unit):

Because of its size, you generally get no background shadows.

Cheers,
rfs

[Bill Schuman]

Thanks for the feed back....

[F Stop Fitzgerald]

If you don't shoot through the ringlight, what distinguishes it functionally from any other kind of light? Doesn't not shooting through it sort of defeat the purpose of using a ring light?

I'm not being critical here, I'm just trying to learn.

Skip

[F Stop Fitzgerald]

What a totally cool image!