Why are ring lights so popular with beauty photographers? Because they give shadowless lighting that makes skin look great, and can be used for photo and video shoots. There are many ring light options out there, so we’re going to take a look at the best professional ring lights for beauty photography to help you find what you need.
The benefits of using professional ring lights include:
- Even, flattering light on the skin
- No hard shadows
- Easy to set up and takedown
- Very portable
- Reflect colours accurately
- Shoot directly through the centre of the light or to the side
Ring lights are a continuous lighting source as opposed to flash, so you can see exactly how your lighting is going to look before you press the shutter. You can shoot beauty photographs without professional ring lights, but you will struggle to get the soft, even lighting and may have problems with shadows on your subject’s skin.
Spectrum Aurora Gold Luxe II 19” Ring Light
The Spectrum Aurora Gold Luxe II 19” Ring Light is the flagship of our range and offers professional, flicker-free lighting with an adjustable colour temperature of 3000K-5500K to go from warmer light to daylight-balanced light with the turn of a switch.
The Spectrum Aurora Gold Luxe II also comes with a bendable gooseneck included. Goosenecks like this allow you to move and position your ring light to exactly the right angle for the job you’re doing. Moving the gooseneck also lets you control how much shadow you want in your images if you are doing creative shots.
The brightness is also adjustable from 0-100%, so you can adapt the brightness of your ring light to match the ambient lighting conditions, or to give you the creative effect you are looking for.
Other accessories that come with the Spectrum Aurora Gold Luxe II lighting setup for beauty photography include a light stand, advanced smartphone L-bracket, smartphone bracket, DSLR camera bracket, a half mirror, welcome pack, and die-cut carry bag.
Spectrum Aurora Diamond Luxe II 18” Ring Light
This ring light costs less than the Gold Luxe II because it’s slightly smaller, but the Spectrum Aurora Diamond Luxe II 18” Ring Light is no less versatile, and it’s a great ring light for those looking to stick to a budget.
This ring light also has an adjustable colour temperature knob that can be used to change the light to suit different skin tones or adapt to any lighting conditions that you may be in.
The Spectrum Aurora Diamond Luxe II ring light also comes with a free bendable gooseneck for adjusting the angle of your light just the way you want it. As well as the gooseneck, it also includes a ring light stand, smartphone holder, 180-degree swivel-design mirror, shoulder carry bag, welcome pack, and camera ball mount.
Spectrum Aurora Mini Pearl II 18” Ring Light
The Spectrum Aurora Mini Pearl II 14” Ring Light would be a great addition to any lighting setup for beauty photography. Especially good for DIY beauty photography, this ring light is portable, compact, and easy to set up as well as takedown.
The compact nature of this light means it’s especially good for small area photography, such as brows and lips, as well as mobile work. Like its larger cousins, it also features an adjustable colour temperature dial.
Other accessories include a ring light stand, smartphone holder, 17 cm mirror, shoulder carry bag, camera ball mount, and welcome pack.
Spectrum-PRO Eclipse 10” Ring Light
The Spectrum-PRO Eclipse 10” Ring Light is from the PRO range, and is the most powerful single-continuous light we stock (Batteries sold separately).
Great for both personal and commercial photo and video lighting, this professional ring light has a padded bendable gooseneck letting you direct the light exactly where you need it.
This light also comes with adjustable brightness and colour temperature, as well as a 15mm camera rail mount that’s compatible with most professional rig systems.
Beauty Photography Tips & Tricks
As well as having a professional lighting setup for beauty photography, you need to take other factors into account if you want to get the best out of your lighting and photography.
- Use coloured paper backgrounds - a smooth and flawless paper background can really take your images to another level. Our coloured paper backdrop collection has all the hues of the rainbow to make your photos stand out.
- Make sure your light stands are safe and stable - It’s all too easy for your light stands to get knocked over during a photo shoot, which can damage your lights - or worse still, injure a client! For your peace of mind, secure your light stands with the Spectrum Heavy Duty Sandbag.
Conclusion
As well as the above, you need to do some planning in advance so that your beauty shoot will run smoothly. It can be helpful to take some of these things into consideration:
- Mood boards - collecting photos and other inspiring things of the look that you are going for can help when planning a shoot. You can share them with others who are involved so that everyone knows what you’re trying to achieve and is on the same page.
- Have a concept - if you want to shoot pastel makeup looks, for instance, work out styling and lighting that compliments this look. Pastels tend to work well with brighter, more diffuse lighting than stronger colours.
- Shoot from different angles - photographing your subject from only one camera angle and height quickly becomes boring. Change the height of your camera, as well as the angle you are shooting from. Don’t forget some close-ups of eyes and lips too.
These days, it’s become more important than ever that your beauty photos are evenly and professionally lit if you want to showcase your work on the internet to land more clients. There are so many great beauty photos out there that you really can’t afford to just get by with daylight anymore.
Spectrum Aurora ring lights are powerful, professional ring lights that are budget-friendly. All of them have adjustable colour temperature and brightness controls, which makes them extremely versatile and great value for money.
Hopefully, this article has given you a bit more insight into the best lighting for beauty photography, and has inspired you to pick up your camera and get shooting!
