Portrait usin Macro Ring Flash?

[mohd rafee]

Has anyone tried it ? need feedback ... using Canon 10D and will be 4

ft away from model. I need only a head and shoulder shot maybe head

only. your advice is appreciated.

[scott_blair1]

Redeye.

[phule]

This is slightly off topic, but I have a question...

 

You have a digital camera. You have /instant/ feedback.

 

Why can't you set the timer and try it out on yourself?

[jmublueduck aim]

never used it, but my assumption would be that it'll create a very flat portrait. If

you're that close, get next to a wall & bounce some light.

[lacey_smith4]

I've not done it, but it was the rage (or one of them) amongst fashion photogs a few years back -- very flat, shadowless lighting. I'm not sure about the red-eye, but I do not remember seeing it much in the mags. Oh, they also were using pretty big ring flashes, not the smaller ones.

[al_kaplan1]

For awhile several companies were making ring flashes powerful enough to ligh a full figure. Fashion, hair, make-up ads were mostly shot with them I guess in the late 70's through the 80's, until the art directers got bored with the look. There was a shadow, diffuse and evenly halo-like around the subject, but there! You might not get red eye but the catch lights in the eyes will look like white donuts.

[elliot]

Does anybody have any information on any of these bigger sized ring flashes? The only information I have come across regarding ring flashes has been about smaller sized ones intended for macro use. I would be interested in finding out more about larger sized ring flashes, and where one might find something along these lines.

[struan_gray]

Try these threads:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000o3

o

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=001oy

S

 

You may need to remove a space or a "%20" from the URLs after

photo.net mangles them.

 

If you're on a budget, I have seen some nice B+W work using

circular flourescent lamps. You won't freeze dancers in mid-air,

but people are doable if they hold still.

[twmeyer]

Yea, I rented one, I think it was an Acute. Very powerful, and painful for the subjects if you want eye contact. The macro flashes aren't really strong enough to give more than a head filling frame, revealing every pore, so only perfect skin and/or makeup, or someone with no ego. You won't get much red eye, but you do get a circular catchlight, which looks really creepy up close. This technique is <i>not</i> out of style, you just don't see it in every shot, like you might have when they first became available... t

[josh_thornton]

those links were no good, i'd like to see some information about the larger ring lights also, can't seem to find them anywhere...not interested in fluorescents though b/c i'm wanting to shoot cross-processed color slides. thanks to anyone who might find something...please email me joshuadt@gte.net if you find something.

 

Josh

[struan_gray]

<p>Josh, photo.net mangles URLs which are entered as text. If

you manually remove the space just before the final letter while

pasting it into the location box on your browser the links will

work.</p>

 

<p>Alternately, click <a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0

00o3o">here</a> or <a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0

01oy S">here</a> (or, for the only brand I've ever held in my

hands, try the Profoto website, <a

href="www.profoto.se">www.profoto.se</a>).</p>

 

<p>FWIW, I prefer to avoid posting direct links because they don't

make sense for email readers of the forum.</p>