One day a friend of mine proudly posted her new ring light she purchased for all things social media. She loved it but was pretty disappointed she wouldn’t be able to use it for her selfies because of the pesky reflections in her glasses.
A simple solution of course is to quit wearing glasses when you take your photos. Wear contacts? Sure, but I personally can’t stand to wear them anymore. It’s part of my brand! What if you want to use the light while in a video call? What if you are recording any video longer than 1 minute? What if your so blind you wouldn’t be able to see and take your photos without them? Nah. It’s not the best solution.
Ring lights were originally used by fashion photographers. The light is intended to be placed in front of the model and the photographer positions the camera to shoot through the ring. It creates a beautiful, even light and an exquisite ring of catch light around the pupil of the model’s eyes (a catch light is the light that is reflected in a subject’s eyes and is a MUST in a proper portrait). The images are dramatic and beautiful. Not the lighting choice, though for glasses.
I use a ring light for every-day use, zoom calls and the occasional cell phone video or selfie. I wear my glasses every day and it IS part of my brand. I can’t imagine teaching a class without them! How would I see my notes? Here’s how I do it:
1.Move your light slightly to the side, about 45 degrees from the front of your face. If you are only using it as a light and not also as your cell phone or camera tripod, this is easy. Simply move the whole stand. If your light is on a stand with a cell phone holder, and it’s adjustable like mine, tilt the light to the side, then move the cell phone holder slightly to the opposite direction. If it clips onto a shelf or your monitor, move it to the edge of your screen.
2.Raise the light to 1-2 feet above your face. Don’t go too high or the shadows cast under your brow line, nose and chin will start to look totally unflattering. PLUS, you will turn your forehead into a blindingly bright attention grabber. If your light is clipped to your monitor, figure out how to either sit lower (lower your chair) and/or raise your monitor. I sometimes place a box under my laptop to raise it up a few inches. This has the side benefit of hiding a double chin!
3.Now look at the results and adjust. You still won’t be able to move your head all over the place, but it should be much better. You CAN also tilt your glasses down slightly. I might do that for a still photo, but not for a video. Just because it feels annoying.
That’s it! Visit me on Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions!
Here's the ring light I use! 10.2" Selfie Ring Light with... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H16NV3X?ref=ppx_pop_m...
