The Doll Forum

For those on a budget then the VILTROX L116T LED panel is worth a look. It has a variable colour temperature dial and takes a standard Lithium battery pack. Ideally you would want a pair but they can be found on ebay for around £35 with a battery. Of course these are most effective for close up work but I use mine along side a pair of standard spots fitted with diffusers then the LED's are placed closer and this setup has given me some half decent results. Eventually, when I can afford it, I will probably go for a pair of bigger LED panels for around £200 but for now this little units do a pretty good job.

https://www.photospecialist.co.uk/viltr ... -led-light

Between the photographer and these little units, a very good job Arthur1960
Spectacular has been associated with your posted images

Get 2 selfie ring lights from Amazon. 3 lights even better. They are $20-40 each, depending on accessories. This shot I had one light behind her. One light eye level slightly to her left, another to her right from above. Shot on my cell phone. Play around with your lights to get different lighting effects. Practice makes perfect.

I like blondes wrote:Get 2 selfie ring lights from Amazon. 3 lights even better. They are $20-40 each, depending on accessories. This shot I had one light behind her. One light eye level slightly to her left, another to her right from above. Shot on my cell phone. Play around with your lights to get different lighting effects. Practice makes perfect.

That looks pretty damn good! The only trace of 'phone' in the image, is the wide angle look, and it shows the light fall off, and the background in focus.
Have you tried installing FilmicPro on there? Works great, and especially on phones with multiple cameras.


I'm not a fan of the ringlights, much prefer a large even light source, large soft-box, china-ball, flat panel, or just poly bounce.

Using a bounce scatters the light more, wrapping it around the model better IMHO. The direct light from a ring is too specular for my tastes. Now a ring behind an umbrella diffuser, that would be interesting,..

Bouncing also works really well for those using flash.

It looks wide angle because it was shot close up in my small bedroom lol. Here's a shot not so distorted. I have yet to use my pro lighting & DSLR for a shoot, because this doll is heavy, & I don't plan on moving her out of my room any time soon. Anyway, the question was "alternative to pro lighting", so was just giving the OP the best option for their buck.

What are your thoughts on stuff like these:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Dimmable-Ligh ... 07VDCR4KS/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Neewer-Photo- ... 07CHJ2VK5/

They seem really cheap. Wondering whether they'd be worthwhile or whether they'd just be rubbish. I'm just getting into the photography side and trying to save money while learning.