What Does an LED Ring Light Do for Photography

It's hard to take a decent close-up photo without tinkering with lighting in a skillful way. Erratic lighting casts harsh shadows, distorts contours, and increases glare. Fortunately, there's no shortage of tools that help manipulate lighting.

An LED ring light is one of them. Let's find out what it is.

How Does an LED Ring Light Work?

An LED ring light is a popular lighting device used in photography and video recording. Depending on the version, it may consist of a circle of small bulbs or one whole circular bulb. In the center of this ringlike arrangement, there's an opening where the camera is placed or mounted.

Thanks to such design, an LED ring light from TrueTop5 is able to distribute lighting in a very smooth fashion. This helps bring out the fine features of the subject or the object in the photo. And allows to eliminate the areas where intense glaring or harsh shadows may distort the contours.

Furthermore, the bulbs in LED ring lights are designed to emit lighting that is warm and white. As a result, they basically reproduce the effect of the natural daylight. This makes the subject or the object of the photo look lively and fresh, despite the picture being taken indoors.

Finally, LED ring lights come in a variety of sizes. They may also include special features, such as an ability to adjust brightness level. Regardless of the version, though, LED ring lights tend to be compatible with all camera types.

At this point, we have a firm grasp of what LED ring lights are all about. What about their applications?

Main Uses for an LED Ring Light

Despite their versatility, LED ring lights seem to be especially common in:

Close-up photography - Using an LED ring light helps accentuate the contours and naturally highlight the subject or the object of the photo. This makes an LED ring light an indispensable tool for creative beauty shots, various forms of portraiture, and macro photography.

DIY Videography - Besides their ability to instantly solve so many issues with lighting in one go, LED ring lights are also inexpensive. This turns them into a decent option for the do-it-yourself kinds of video recording, such as indoor filming and vlogging.

As you can see, an LED ring light is a handy tool. How do you go about choosing one for yourself, though?

Selecting a Decent LED Ring Light

For most uses, almost any LED ring light will do the trick. But it pays to put some thought into choosing one.

Consider these key factors:

Lighting Duration - Some LED ring lights provide steady lighting, while others give a flash of lighting every time you click the shutter. Steady lighting gives you a lot more room for maneuver and lets you make adjustments on the go. Flashes, however, allow for power saving.

Size - The size of an LED ring light determines how intense the effect comes out to be. The larger an LED ring light is, the more light it will cast on the subject or the object. And the more pronounced all the contours will end up looking in the photo.

Adjustability - Many LED ring lights come with adjustable brightness settings, allowing you to dim the lighting as much as you need. Such LED ring lights are typically the best, since they let you control the intensity of lighting. And adjust it based on the distance you're dealing with.

Default Color - The closer the default color is to natural lighting, the more you can tweak it if you want. Some of the best default colors for an LED ring light include warm white, fluorescent, and stark white. Likewise, options like bright white or warm yellow can be somewhat limiting.

If you need an LED ring light for simply evening out the lighting, any model will get the job done. If, however, you're after something more sophisticated, keeping these key factors in mind will help you make a thought-out choice.

LED Ring Light: Putting Fun Back Into Lighting

Despite their simplicity, LED ring lights are amazingly handy devices. They fix a slew of common issues with lighting in an instant. And they leave you no shortage of options for getting creative with lighting in your photos and videos.

Hopefully, our guide has helped you learn more about LED ring lights. Now you know exactly what an LED ring light is. And how to pick the best one for your needs.