When Funds Allow..... (PIXAPRO RIKO 400)
Written By Awthurm
Like most people, I would like this, and Iād like that, I may even āneedā something, but that list is pretty much endless and unfortunately my finances are not, (fairly far from it, and I like being married, and having a house)ā¦.
So what can I do āon the cheapā to acheive the results I want⦠OK maybe not the exact results I want but a close approximation until āwhen funds allowā¦ā
Now I love all sorts of photography, and really enjoy weddings, commercial family portraits etc, but I have a definite passion for headshots and fashion/beauty photography!
Now with these type of shots, especially close up headshots, itās all about the lighting and the catchlights, (those little bits of light in peopleās eyes), nice catchlights in the eyes can just āmake the shotā⦠Now I have ātoysā like a Lastolite Tri Flector, which sits below a beauty dished Lencarta light and makes 4 little catch lights in peopleās eyes, like so:
But I want a ring flash, and I want one nowā¦. oh hang on the good ones are Ā£400+ ( example PixaproRiko400) now then, I see a small problem (roughly Ā£380+, I have Ā£20 in the kitty), I want the shadowless shot with nice little ring catchlights⦠how do I get the ring flash without the cash? Well I suppose, Iām studio based for this, so I donāt need it to be portable and really I donāt āneedā it to flash, so I only need a ring lightā¦. still Ā£100 ish⦠so now I see a smaller problem (roughly Ā£80)ā¦. I guess it stops hereā¦.
Or at least until, as we all do, I got lost in IKEAā¦. on one of the many wrong turns and laps of the store I ended up in the Childrenās section, and stood in front of the lights⦠where I saw LJUSNING āFrame with LED lightingā which is a circlular frame to go around a picture with LED lighting to light up the picture, (but importantly just about big enough to go round a face)⦠price Ā£14.. (problem now -Ā£6, I like that, thereās food in IKEA, might cost me Ā£20 after allā¦)
So, purchase made I put the light on the desk in the studio, (Iād eaten the food and the wrapper already in bin), and left it thereā¦. Ā Now a few days later, Iām in SimpLee Studio, hosting our Portfolio Night, the light had just been sat there, but now I need a 3rd shooting area to have something to keep people interestedā¦..
A quick test shoot by me, using only the light around and that produced by the frame itselfā¦. (settings: best check)
I guess that worksā¦. So, now I let the rest of the photographers looseā¦
A few examples by David Richardson who attended the Portfolio night at http://www.simpleestudio.com
Now I own a Ā£20 Meike ring flash, which is great for macro, but small, now Iāll admit I still want a more expensive ring flash (such as the Pixapro Riko 400 but Iāve given myself time to save up and still enjoy the basic effect, of course I may have built a bigger DIY ringlight along the way, but for now, Iāll enjoy the āplug & playā of my Ā£14 IKEA light..)
Images copyright of photographers and words (and my images) copyright me⦠Iāve started moving model photography fromPumpkin Pictures (Facebook) to AWThurm Images (Facebook).
Models Ashley Robinson (Triflector), Alisha Cowie (my test shot) and Jazmine Nichol (Davidās shots), Hair of Alisha and Jazmine by Gemma Lousie Douglas and make up by ELB makeup Artistry..













