What’s a Ringlight, you say? Maybe you’ve heard the term Ring Flash instead. Or Circle of Light. Or “that round flash thingy that attaches to the front of your macro lens.” Strobist has made this Ring Flash Week and the first article is up on their site.

Ringlight flashes have been used for many years by macro photographers. They are circular flash tubes that are meant to be used on the front of your lens. Since light is hitting the subject from all directions, there’s virtually no shadows. Then you can see all the details of the bugs you’re shooting.

If you look at Nikon’s latest offering for a ringlight you’ll find the R1C1, which uses a ring that holds multiple mini flash units. You can stick with the standard configuration of one left and one right (watch any CSI show and you’ll see them using this setup), or add more as needed. You can change the power of each unit to create shadows and give some depth to your subject. And it’s wireless.

A number of years ago, some photo genius decided this would make a great lighting tool for fashion and glamour photogs. They just had to make a bigger and more powerful unit. Soft shadowless light in one unit! And if you put someone up against the wall, you get a shadow all the way around them. Cool and unique. Check out the AlienBees site for details on one of the best ringlights available.

Give a read of the Strobist article on ring flashes and check out the DIY details linked there. Try building one of these and take some family portraits or chase down bugs in the backyard. Personally, I’m going to try the Tupperware version described here.

You’ll have another tool in your photo arsenal to make your pictures different than anyone else on the block.