Does anyone shoot weddings with the new AB ring flash?

[giggles]

I have an outdoor wedding with indoor reception scheduled this summer and am

really curious about the new Alein Bee ring flash? Will it work better than my

SB600 or is the same? I love AB strobes so I was hoping that the ringflash will

be the next best thing. I like large catchlights with minimum shadowing. If any

of you use a ring flash could you post an example of the type of shot it

creates? Thanks!

[shawn_mertz]

It is ac powered, so would either have to drag an extension cord with you everywhere you

move, or carry a battery power ac supply. In my opinion neither is practicle at a reception.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Ican't post it here becasue I don't have permission here but I recently shot a wedding using

the ABR as my fill light. Using it as a ring light with the lens poking throug the center wasn't

making great light so I moved it slightly away from the camera with the Moonlight diffuser

attached and used it as my fill light. I was very happy with the results.

[giggles]

Thanks Ellis & Shawn for the info - I thought it was battery powered so that makes my decision much easier. I was hoping it was like a shoe mount but with a better fill. It looks like I will be dragging my studio units with me and use the SB600 for more candid reception shots. Are there any ring flashes that are battery powered?

 

I got your email Ellis - thanks! I was hoping not to have that much equipment with me. The lighting in the example you sent was very appealing.

[jaimie blue]

I personally love ring lights but I do not have an example to post. Many fashion shooters use ring lights and if you used them on weddings that could be a feature that many photographers probably do not use. I am only guessing tho about other photographers and what they use I have no idea. Often fashion photographers use ring lights, not necessarily on top of a flash but a ring light.

[ellis_vener_photography]

the light gear was

 

1 Balcar Rapid 600 (600 watt-second pack) 2 Balcar heads: 1head in a large Chimera

softbox and the other as background /hairlight with a 20 degrre softbox.

 

1 ABR800 with Moonunit diffuser as fill

 

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark 2 & EF 24-70mm f2.8L lens

 

Canon does makea true TTL controlled ring light but it is best suited for macro work

 

Nikon makes a fabulous ring mounted lighting system: the R1C1:

 

http://www.ppmag.com/reviews/200610_nikonr1c1.pdf

[fotografz]

Ring Lights generally produce a very specific type of lighting. Smaller ones are often used

for macro work because of the even light. Larger ones are sometimes used for fashion

work because of the dramatic effect.

 

Used as a true ring light with the lens barrel in the center of the ring, the light is direct and

casts a halo shadow around the subject if they are close to a background or wall. You can

often literally see a ring reflection in the subjects eyes.

 

Other than the ones like Ellis has provided a link to, they are portable generator driven or

AC powered as far as I know. I use 2 different ones: A profoto ringlight requiring

connection to an A/C generator box for studio work, and for location stuff a Hensel ring

light powered by a stand alone battery powered "Porty" generator box. Neither are all that

practical for wedding work, but I intend using the Hensel at a couple next year.

 

Here's a shot from the Hensel with a Leica DMR/9 and 90/2 lens<div></div>

[conraderb]

Emily - the ringflash is a pretty big piece of gear - not something you would want to hold up too much unless.

 

personally, I think that for most clients, a portrait with nice sidelighting is much more flattering than a straight on ringflash. there is a reason that all models are tall, thin and attractive - most people aren't flattered by flat lighting compared with a variable lighting from the side.

[fotografz]

Conrad is right, but it can be modified like Ellis mentioned ... there are different reflectors

and diffusers that can be added to a ring light, but some of them dimminish the ring

effect. For example, Profoto makes various reflectors for people work as well as close up

stuff. I've added a copper mesh around the aux reflector to warm the skin tones.

 

It's also correct that most don't lend themselves to hand held shooting. The Hensel one I

mentioned is designed for hand held work and is made of light weight materials, plus has

a handle. Still unwieldy, since you're tethered to a portable battery powered generator.

 

Unless they are the camera mount, smaller ones, they are quite expensive for the amount

of use you'd get from them.