If you’ve taken photos on your smartphone but are dissatisfied with the results, you may need some new photographic equipment to step up your content-creating game. A ring light is a perfect choice that can help you take photos and videos that look pristine and beautifully lit.
Every day you come across professional charismatic photographs. Do you ever wonder what techniques are used in taking such amazing, jaw-dropping pictures? The ring light is still a professional technique used by many photographers and models and even if you have never seen one, you have definitely seen a photograph taken by using it on Instagram, Twitter, and definitely OnlyFans.

First of all, let’s talk about it for a little bit. As the name suggests, these are lamps whose bulbs (well, LEDs) are arranged in a circle. The advantage of this approach is that you get an even spread of light across your face, making it much easier for the camera to focus and balance both the exposure and color temperature.
The ring shape is deliberate as the idea is that you place your phone, webcam, or another camera in the middle and provide an even spread of light. Basically, using a ring light can make the color and quality of your content really pop.

Now, how do you use it? The correct way of using a ring light is to use it around the camera lens to capture the focus in the eyes. But if you are feeling experimental, try using it from the side. If you manage to place your light properly, you can get unique results. Most ring lights come with a cold shoe mount for you to place a camera, smartphone, or tablet in the middle to shoot through. Ring light setup should take only a few minutes and then you’re ready to go.


One thing you should be careful about is that due to their high brightness, the power draw can exceed what most USB ports can deliver, and could potentially damage a laptop or PC if plugged directly into a USB port. I would recommend using it with a phone charger, or even a USB power bank if you need to stay mobile or use it outside.

Another thing you need to do is set the color temperature. You’ll find that some ring lights also come with controls for the color temperature. This is essentially how warm or cool the light is. High color temperatures lead to harsh, bluer whites (which can be appropriate for making it look like daylight, while lower temperatures are softer and more forgiving, like candlelight. Spend time playing with different settings to see what you like or what works best with the type of content you want to produce.


There you have it, now that you know what is it, how to set it up, and how to use it, all you have to do is to charge your camera, empty your hard drives and get to the fun part: Creating that beautiful content. Have fun!