The circle of light
PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine|February 2022
James Paterson helps you get creative with ring lights for pet photos
James Paterson
The circle of light

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.

This story is from the February 2022 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.

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This story is from the February 2022 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.

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