Ring Light Photography: How to Use a Ring Light for Portraits

A ring light is a circular light with a hole in the middle that you look or shoot through. Because the light surrounds the lens, it lights the subject almost straight on, filling in shadows and creating a distinctive round catchlight in the eyes. Ring lights are popular for beauty portraits, video calls, social media, makeup and close up macro work.

You have probably seen ring lights everywhere, from video creators’ desks to makeup counters. They are simple to use: put the camera or phone in the middle, switch it on and point it at the subject. The results can be bright, smooth and flattering. But a ring light has a very particular look, and knowing when it helps and when it hurts will make your photos much better.

This guide explains in plain words what ring lights are, the main types, what the light looks like, how to set one up with step by step settings, how to avoid common problems like flat faces and glare in glasses, and the mistakes beginners make. There is a 10-minute exercise at the end and answers to common questions.

What a ring light does

Most lights sit to one side of the camera, which creates shadows on the opposite side of the face. A ring light sits around the lens, so the light comes from almost exactly the same direction the camera is looking. That has several effects:

• Very few shadows on the face. Light reaches every part of the face evenly from the front.
• Smooth looking skin. Without side shadows, texture like pores and fine lines shows less.
• A ring shaped catchlight in each eye, which many people find attractive and which is a recognizable signature of the look. See catchlights.
• A soft shadow halo around the subject on a background close behind them, because the light spreads evenly in all directions around the lens.

Types of ring lights

LED ring lights

The most common kind. A circle of LEDs gives continuous light, so you see exactly what you get. Sizes range from small clip on rings for phones to large rings around 45 cm (18 inches) or more across for portraits and video. Many let you adjust brightness and color temperature. They are part of the wider family of continuous lights.

Ring flashes

A ring flash is a circular flash that fits around the lens. It is far more powerful than an LED ring, freezes motion and overpowers daylight. Ring flashes are used for fashion photos with a bold, shadowless look and for macro photography of insects and flowers. See flash photography.

Small macro ring lights

Small LED rings that screw onto the front of a lens give even light for very close subjects, where a normal light would be blocked by the lens itself. See macro photography.

Ring light modifiers

Some modifiers turn a normal flash into a ring shaped light by redirecting its output around the lens. They are lighter and cheaper than a dedicated ring flash, but usually less powerful.

What ring light looks like

Ring light has a clean, bright, modern look. It suits:

• Beauty and makeup photos, where even light shows color and smooth skin.
• Video calls and video content, where the face needs to look bright and clear. See vertical video for social media.
• Selfies and self portraits, because you can see yourself in the middle of the ring.
• Fashion with a bold, flat, graphic style.
• Close up products and macro subjects.

It is less suited to moody portraits, where shadows give shape and drama, or to faces that benefit from contouring, because front light can make faces look wider and flatter.

Setting up a ring light for portraits

1. Mount the ring on a stand at about the subject’s eye level, or slightly above.
2. Put the camera or phone in the center of the ring, using the mount most rings include, or shoot through the ring from just behind it.
3. Place the subject about 0.6 to 1.5 meters (2 to 5 feet) from the ring. Closer gives softer, brighter light and larger catchlights. Further away gives harder light and smaller catchlights.
4. Set color temperature to match the room if the ring allows, usually a neutral daylight setting around 5,000 to 5,600 K, and set your camera’s white balance to match.
5. Set brightness to about half, then adjust.
6. Camera settings: a starting point is ISO 400, 1/125 second and f/2.8 to f/4. Increase ISO if the image is too dark, or raise the ring’s brightness.
7. Take a test shot and check the eyes for the ring catchlight and the skin for even light.

Setting up with a phone

1. Clip the phone into the holder in the center of the ring.
2. Use the main rear camera if possible for better quality, with the screen facing away, or the front camera for selfies.
3. Turn the ring on at about half brightness.
4. Tap on the face to focus and set exposure, then slide the brightness control down slightly if the face looks too bright.
5. Turn off any beauty filter if you want a natural look.

For more phone tips, see phone camera settings.

Making ring light more flattering

Pure front light can look flat. A few simple changes add shape while keeping the ring look.

• Raise the ring slightly above eye level and tilt it down. A small shadow under the chin and cheekbones adds definition.
• Move the ring a little to one side, so the light is not perfectly centered. This creates gentle shadow on one side.
• Add a second light from the side as a key and use the ring as fill, at lower power. The ring now just softens shadows and adds the catchlight.
• Turn the subject’s face slightly away from the camera, so the light skims across one cheek.
• Use black card on one side to deepen shadows. See negative fill.

Ring light and backgrounds

Ring light creates a distinctive soft shadow around the subject if they stand close to a wall, a thin dark outline on all sides. Some photographers love this look for fashion. If you do not want it, move the subject further from the background, at least 1 to 2 meters. The background will also get darker as you move the subject forward, because the light falls off with distance. See photography backdrops for more on choosing and lighting backgrounds.

Ring light and glasses

Because the ring sits directly in front of the face, it often reflects as a bright circle in glasses, which can hide the eyes. To reduce it:

• Raise the ring higher and tilt it down.
• Ask the subject to tilt their chin down slightly.
• Move the ring a little to one side.
• Lower the ring’s brightness and increase camera ISO.
• Use glasses with anti reflective coating, if the subject has them.

Worked example: a bright beauty headshot

Imagine you are photographing a friend’s makeup look for social media. You have an LED ring light about 45 cm across and a camera.

1. Sit your friend 1.5 meters from a light grey wall.
2. Place the ring light 80 cm in front of them, slightly above eye level, tilted down.
3. Put the camera behind the ring, with the lens looking through the center. Use a short telephoto, around 85 mm on a full frame camera, for flattering proportions.
4. Set the ring to 5,600 K and half power. Set camera white balance to daylight.
5. Set ISO 400, 1/160 second, f/4. Take a test shot.
6. The face looks bright and smooth, but slightly flat. Move the ring 10 cm to the left. A gentle shadow appears on the right cheek.
7. Check the eyes. A clear ring catchlight shows in each. Done.

For more headshot tips, see headshots.

Worked example: macro flowers with a ring light

1. Fit a small LED ring or ring flash to the front of your macro lens.
2. Set the camera to manual. With an LED ring, start at ISO 400, 1/200 second, f/8. With a ring flash, ISO 100, 1/200 second, f/11.
3. Get close to the flower. The ring lights it evenly, even deep inside the petals.
4. If the light looks flat, switch off one half of the ring, if your ring allows it, to add shape.

Features worth looking for

• Size. Larger rings give softer light and bigger catchlights. Around 30 cm (12 inches) suits desks and selfies. Around 45 cm (18 inches) or more suits head and shoulders portraits.
• A diffuser. A frosted cover over the LEDs makes the light smoother and removes the look of many tiny dots in the eyes.
• Smooth dimming. Fine brightness control lets you balance the ring with room light and avoid squinting.
• Adjustable color temperature. Useful for matching daylight or room lights.
• A tall, stable stand. It should reach above head height for standing subjects, with legs that spread wide. Weigh it down if it carries a camera.
• Battery or mains power. Battery models are portable. Mains powered models run for hours without stopping.
• Half ring control. Some rings let you switch off one half, which adds shape for portraits and macro work.
• A sturdy phone or camera mount in the center that holds the device steady and level.

Start simple. A medium ring with a diffuser, dimming and a good stand covers most beginner needs.

Ring light versus a softbox

Beginners often ask whether to buy a ring light or a softbox. They do quite different jobs.

• Direction. A ring light lights from the front, along the lens. A softbox usually lights from the side, at about 45 degrees.
• Shadows. Ring light gives very few shadows and a flat, even look. A softbox creates soft shadows that show the shape of the face.
• Catchlights. A ring gives round, ring shaped catchlights in the center of the eyes. A softbox gives square or rectangular catchlights off to one side.
• Space. A ring light needs only a stand in front of you, which suits desks and small rooms. A softbox needs room to the side.
• Versatility. A softbox suits a wider range of portrait styles, from bright to moody. A ring light is excellent at one particular bright, even style.

If you mainly make video calls, selfies, makeup content or beauty shots, a ring light is a great first light. If you want classic portraits with shape, a softbox is more flexible. Many photographers own both and use the ring as a fill light in front of a softbox key.

Ring light for video calls, step by step

1. Place the ring directly behind your screen or webcam, slightly above it, so the light comes from the same direction you are looking.
2. Raise it so the center is a little above your eye level. Light from slightly above looks more natural than light from below.
3. Sit about an arm’s length away. Closer can look too bright and cause squinting.
4. Turn off overhead lights if they cast shadows under your eyes, or keep them on at low brightness if the room looks too dark behind you.
5. Set the ring’s color to match any daylight from windows, usually around 5,000 to 5,600 K. In the evening, a slightly warmer setting may match lamps better.
6. Turn brightness down until your face looks bright but not shiny, and your eyes feel comfortable.
7. Check glasses. If you see the ring in your lenses, raise it higher and tilt it down.

This simple setup makes a huge difference to how you look on screen, and it costs very little.

Color temperature and mixed light

Many LED ring lights let you choose a color temperature, from warm orange to cool blue. Color temperature is measured in kelvin (K). Lower numbers like 3,200 K are warm, like indoor bulbs. Higher numbers like 5,600 K are cool, like daylight.

The most important rule is to avoid mixing different colors of light on the face. If a window lights one side of the face with cool daylight and the ring light is set warm, the face will have two different colors that are hard to fix in editing. Either match the ring to the strongest other light in the room, or turn other lights off. Then set your camera’s white balance to match. For more, see white balance.

Ring light for products and flat lays

Ring lights are also handy for small product photos and flat lays shot from above. Mount the ring above the table, facing down, with the camera or phone in the center. The light is even across the whole surface, with very few shadows, which suits clean catalog style images and social media posts.

Shiny products can show a bright circle reflection of the ring. To avoid it, tilt the product slightly, move the ring a little off center or use a diffuser over the ring if it has one. For more product lighting ideas, see product photography.

Common mistakes

• Using it for every portrait. Ring light is a style. Choose it on purpose.
• Too bright, too close. Squinting subjects and blown out skin. Lower brightness and increase ISO.
• Mismatched color. Room lights and ring light at different color temperatures create mixed colors. Turn off room lights or match settings.
• Reflections in glasses. Raise and angle the ring.
• Subject against the wall. Creates a dark outline shadow. Move them forward unless you want the effect.
• Flat, wide looking faces. Offset the ring slightly or add a side light.
• Heavy beauty filters. Ring light already smooths skin. Keep editing light.

Try this: a 10-minute ring light test

1. Minute 1: Set up a ring light at eye level, with a subject or a mannequin head 1 meter away.
2. Minute 2: Put the camera or phone in the center. Take a photo.
3. Minute 3: Raise the ring 20 cm and tilt it down. Take a photo.
4. Minute 4: Move the ring 15 cm to one side. Take a photo.
5. Minute 5: Move the subject closer to the background. Take a photo.
6. Minute 6: Move them 2 meters from the background. Take a photo.
7. Minutes 7 to 8: Compare all five photos: shadows, catchlights and background.
8. Minute 9: Zoom in on the eyes and check the catchlights.
9. Minute 10: Note the setup you liked best.

Frequently asked questions

What is a ring light used for?

Even, shadowless front light for beauty photos, video, selfies, makeup, fashion and macro photography.

Is a ring light good for portraits?

Yes for bright, clean, modern looks. For more shape and mood, use a light from the side, or use the ring as fill.

What size ring light should I get?

Small rings suit phones and close ups. Rings around 45 cm or more across give softer light for head and shoulders portraits.

Why are there circles in my subject’s eyes?

Those are catchlights, reflections of the ring. Many people find them attractive.

How do I stop ring light reflecting in glasses?

Raise the ring, tilt it down, move it slightly to the side and ask the subject to lower their chin a little.

Ring flash or LED ring light?

LED rings are easier to learn and work for video. Ring flashes are more powerful and freeze motion.

Want to know why those eye reflections matter? Read about catchlights.

Curious how continuous lights compare with flash? See continuous lighting.