Creative with LED Continuous Lighting: How to Create Different Reflections in the Eye

Efficient lighting planning in photography allows the photographer to be creative. This light management is primarily defined by the light output emitted by the light source. In this context, not only are different light sources distinguished from each other, but also their performance and power.

The topic of highlights also comes up again and again here. Without light reflections, a model's eyes usually appear dull, dark, and lifeless. When shooting with continuous light, the pupil usually closes more tightly than when using a studio flash. Therefore, the eyes, especially the iris with its color, appear much more intense with LED continuous lights. In this article, we show three types of continuous lights that enable different eye effects.

Photography with the ring light – the perennial favorite for photographers, videographers, and vloggers

Ring lights are indispensable in any photo studio. They enable even illumination of the subject. Different ring light diameters as well as color temperatures (warm, neutral, or cool white) in various brightness levels ensure that creative work is always possible. The classic visual expression of this lighting system is created by the reflection of the circular light source in the eyes of the person being photographed.

Another advantage: The circular lights illuminate the skin in such a way that it is completely shadow-free. For this reason, ring lights are also popular with cosmetic studios and beauty bloggers.

Especially for portrait photography, the ring light, placed on a tripod, should be positioned so that the camera is ideally within the ring. To conjure up the attractive ring lights in the eyes of the model, a short distance to the subject should be chosen. But even here, creativity knows no bounds. The main task of this lighting system, however, is to prevent harsh ambient shadows. The circular light causes the resulting shadows to fall directly behind the portrait.

Light shapes with the stick light – creative work with light

Stick lights create asymmetries or symmetries in the illumination of the subject. The number of LED lights used is the decisive application criterion here. A well-known photographer who enjoys using the lamps creatively is Martin Schoeller.

Schoeller's technique for this effect is always the same: he brings the camera to eye level and uses two stick lights that softly illuminate the face from the right and left – similar to our Lumen Sticks. The stick-shaped light reflections make the eye appear cat-like and thus magically attract the viewer's gaze.

Stick lights are therefore used for creative portrait shoots, where the lighting effects of several stick lights can be used for photographic work. In addition to the popular light reflections in the model's eye, light painting in particular benefits from this type of light.

The rectangular light – the extraordinary combination of different light shapes

Different shapes, different highlights. The use of various lighting systems allows the photographer or videographer to unleash their creativity. A new form of creative work is reflected in the new LUMIS U-Light. This allows it to be used both as a rectangular light and as a stick light.

When all four light panels are switched on, the rectangular shape of the panels therefore creates rectangular reflections in the subject's eyes, which differ from the already known circular and stick-shaped reflections and thus offer new and extraordinary dimensions for creative design. However, if one prefers to see stick-shaped reflections in the model's eyes, a part of the light panels can simply be switched off, so that, for example, only two stick lights are seen next to each other. The LUMIS U-Light is therefore flexible to use and offers many possibilities for individual light painting creativity. Stepless brightness control and the choice of different color temperatures complete the advantages of the LED light. It is therefore ideal for photographers, videographers, or content creators who want more flexibility and more options when creating their content.