The circle of light

James Paterson helps you get creative with ring lights for pet photos

- James Paterson

THE MISSION

Learn how to use a ring light for pet photographs and portraits

Time needed One hour

Skill level Beginner

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. So it’s a popular choice not only for Zoom meetings, but also among everyone from YouTube presenters to 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 the subject.

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. These all serve to add interesting details to your pet portraits as well as to more creative people photos.