Ring-a-ring

James Paterson gets creative with ring lights for stunning pet photos and flattering portraits

- James Paterson

The Mission

– Learn how to use a ring light for pet photos and portraits

Time

– One hour

Skill level

– Intermediate

Kit needed

– Ring light

– Stand

– Tape

– Blanket

Ring lights have been used for distinctive photos for a long time, but in the past couple of years – thanks to the pandemic and endless video meetings – they’ve become increasingly popular.

A ring light eliminates shadows, resulting in simple, flattering lighting over a face. The 360 degrees of illumination helps to give skin a flawless look, it fills out bags under eyes and reduces wrinkles. As such it’s a popular choice, not only for Zoom meetings but also among YouTube vloggers and for fashion photography. Besides the characteristic shadow-less illumination, it also results in wonderful circular catchlights in the subject’s eyes. It’s this that makes a ring light a great choice for pet photos, as eyes are such an important feature for conveying the character of subjects.

In this project we’ll explore several creative uses for a ring light. For our pet portrait here we’ve used two rings – one inside the other – to create a double ring catchlight. We’ll also look at other ring light tricks, from using it as a backdrop to breaking up the ring shape with tape.