[Gunfitr]

I have a Profoto Acute 2/1200 generator and the matching ring light.

I must admit, I bought the thing on sheer "envy" or hoopla, or whatever you want to call it. I saw some shots that had been done with a ring light and thought "hey, that's cool".

While I haven't been dissapointed, I don't use it every shoot, and it's certainly not my favorite light modifier or "trick".

But I am going to tell you right now, it's not some "magic" thingy.

I've found 3 uses for it:

First, for that "halo shadow thing" that is unmistakeably "ring light". I have to warn you, photographers think it is cool, but sometimes models think you have messed up the shot because there's a "weird shadow" all around.....LOL.

Second, it is wonderful outside as a fill light.

Third, if you pull the model off the background, it's simply a very flat even light source and you will get a noticeable dark "fringing" on the legs and arms and sides of the torso where the light is not bouncing back, which is a look some people like.

After about 100 shots, the models will complaim about seeing "donughts" as it is very very bright.

I've tried mine with some rosco diffusion material taped over it, and didn't like it.

I don't have the big dish reflector that goes with it.

My profoto is noticeably "cooler" than any of the other lights I have so I have to do a custom white balance every time I use it.

If the girl has oily skin, you will get hot spots from the direct bounce back.

I've shot some really nice shots on a black background using only the ring light. So, you don't have to set up a ton of lights.

But again, I'm just warning you.....if you think it's going to do "magic" it isn't.

Luckily for me, I have a good job that has allowed me to "throw money" at my hobby. I have more stuff than just about anybody I know, including a 7 ft ocotobox, a set of profoto lights, the ring light, 6 photogenic monolights, an ac/dc strobe, several 3x4 softboxes, a big beauty dish, a 7ft umbrealla,, a 5 ft octobox, a bunch of snoots and grids, several strip boxes, and about 20 lenses including a 300 2.8 Silent Wave.

Guys like J.T. Smith, Andy McFarland, Marc Grant, Andy Pearlman, Jimmy D, and a whole host of others on this site kick my ass with a whole lot less on a regular basis.

If I had it to do over again, I would go with my beauty dish, a couple of big shoot through embrellas and maybe one big softbox, and then the snoots and grids.

It's not what you have but using it effectively.

While I am getting the hang of it, you can do good stuff with a whole lot less.

The kind of money you will put out for a ring light might be better spent on a lot of other things.

There are some images up here in my portfolio of a girl in a yellow bikinni that were shot with just a single main with the beauty dish, a snooted rim light with rosco gel, and one light with some gel hitting the the back drop or coming back as a rim light from the other side.

By all means, if you are dying to get one, get one, but like so many other things in photography, there is a "mystique" to ring lights that may be a bit overblown.

Mark