Ring Flash Boudoir Photography

Ring flash is a type of lighting often used in fashion photography and commercials. It gives a very specific light effect because the camera lens is right in the middle of the flash - which forms a ring around it. The light is very flat and quite flattering, so it can lend itself to boudoir photography.

The shots on this page were taken with a bowens ring flash - an attachment for bowens studio lights. As a photographer, the beauty of these lights is their simplicity; there is almost no setting up to do! Other than calculate the exposure (and you often want to over-expose the shots slightly) you just position the light in front of the model and shoot through it.

Studio or Speedlight Ring Flash

The bowens ring flash represents the high end of ring flashes - it requires that you have already invested in (or rented) a bowens studio flash head.

There are a number of cheaper solutions, such as the Ray Flash style adapters, which funnel the light from your speedlight to a plastic ring around the lens.

There are a huge variety of these on the market, varying in price and efficiency, but for many people this is much more cost effective approach, unless you see yourself using the ring flash technique a lot.

You are likely to be no more than 2 metres away from the model to get the strength of flash needed. I found that my trusty 28-70mm zoom worked well at this distance; at 70mm you get the head and shoulders portrait above and the longer shot to the left was taken at 35mm.

Ring Flash Shadows

Many photographers choose to shoot the model against a wall when using ring flash because of the unique shadow it produces - a kind of dark halo all around them.

Keep it Simple

I think the secret to this style of lighting is to keep everything simple and go for a very strong look- the poses are direct and provocative, the colours and shapes are primary and high-contrast.

Boudoir photographs are often set in plush locations with lots of glamourous textures and materials to create a sumptuous feel. If you are limited on time or location then this style of shot can be a perfect choice; you are almost guaranteed strong results!

You might also like to have a look at the Boudoir Photography Ideas section as well.

If you are doing the shoot yourself, you might like to consult Photography Tips & Techniques which gives some more advanced photography advice, the Lighting Workshop will give you invaluable info on what light sources to use (such as candles, bedside lights, window light etc)