How to DIY a ring light for under 400 pesos and five minutes of assembly
If you’re working from home for the foreseeable future and are in video calls day in and day out, you might be thinking about getting a ring light. Lighting is everything when it comes to looking presentable online, after all! However, if you don’t want to spend on a fancy rig, I’ve got a super easy DIY solution for you that you can source from the hardware store and/or the department store and do in five minutes. Let’s go!
Here's you need:
Desk lamp. I've had mine for like three or four years. As I recall, I got it at the department store for less than P250. Any cheap desk lamp will do, as long as it has a socket for a light bulb. You probably already have one at home!
Circular fluorescent lamp. I got mine for P299 at Ace Hardware. The brand is Omni, but there are other brands available with the exact same price. I wanted to get a LED lamp but it was P1,399 a pop! I was worried this fluorescent lamp would feel too hot while I'm shooting, but I find that it's at a comfortable warmth at close quarters.
Socket converter. I thought this would be difficult to find, but I just asked for it and the Ace SA knew what I meant immediately. This was only P70! Just show them a picture to be sure. I needed this so I can fit the light to my desk lamp.
Once I had everything, all I had to do was attach the light bulb to the socket converter, then attach that to the desk lamp. Done and done! I just have to be careful about tilting the desk lamp as the "neck" so to speak can bend downwards due to the weight of the circular lamp. I just prop it on something (like a small perfume box), or just angle it correctly to support the weight.
So is this DIY ring light exactly as good as the real one? Well, I have a ring light now, and it really is brighter and has a bigger circumference to allow for more even lighting. It also has a useful camera attachment which allows it to be used as a tripod for DSLRs. However, for video calls or just brightening your work area, this is quite useful and a complete steal! Best of all? This cheap DIY takes little extra space in your desk.
Let me know if you have other hacks for lighting!
