subject: Using a Ringflash for Nude and Glamour Photography [print this page] Ringflash; otherwise known as a ringlight is a circular shaped flash that fits around the lens of your camera and while it is often thought of purely as a flash for closeup macro photography it has also been a favourite choice of professional photographers shooting models for many years due to the unique and very particular lighting effect it produces.
Some people say that ringflash produces shadow free lighting but this is not entirely accurate. Try placing a model next to a wall and you will see a uniform shadow outlining the model's body. One of the noteworthy effects of a ringflash is the way it tends to evenly illuminate the centre of a subject and then go slightly darker towards the edges, however this fall off is often invisible until you are quite far away from the subject on a full body shot. This can be particularly effective with nudes and glamour images because it helps to sculpt the appearance of the body.
When shooting in a situation with plenty of natural daylight, ringflash is an ideal option for adding punchy even lighting that separates your model from the background, though it's often quite tricky to handle due to its size. Considerable practice will be required at first but when you get this right the result will really sparkle.
In a studio situation the ringflash requires some special attention because it has no model light and also because there is a risk of red eye with any flash that is on the same axis as the lens. Sometimes it can be useful to place a small tungsten light unit in the room, which is not strong enough to alter the overall effect but sufficient to remove the red eye and also assist with focus.
Most macro photography is done with small portable ringflash units but for photographing nudes or glamour images you may well need a larger studio sized unit that plugs into a powerful pack. These are considerably more expensive and require more care in use. You will also be unable to use the built in TTL metering of your digital SLR in most cases, so a hand held flash meter will be required for accurate results and the use of a tripod is generally recommended.
Some ringflash units have the facility to change the front diffuser, so you can vary the light quality from quite soft to remarkably hard. It's important to note that ringflash can often produce extremely punchy results, contrary to common belief, which then requires very extensive skin retouching in postproduction, so it will take time and experimentation to find the right balance.
Using a Ringflash for Nude and Glamour Photography
