Back in the fall I bought an Alien Bees Ringflash. I love it. I am writing this entry just to tell you how great it is. 

If you don’t know a lot about ring flashes there are a couple of reasons why I really like them. They are perfect for product photography because they produce a well lit image without a shadow. They produce a really striking effect when doing portraiture. Your subject really pops, and their eyes reflect the cool circular shape of the ring flash. These units are really nice for fashion.
You can shoot through it, or with it on its own light stand. It is pretty versatile in this way, and you haven’t spent a lot of money on a flash that only produces the unique ‘ring flash’ shadow.

Here are the facts:

Affordable at about $400 USD.

Versatile for many lighting situations.

Powerful. I lit the entire back of a dark retail store with this for a publicity photo.

Easy to use. Very simple to set up and tear down. Also very light.

When I get myself more organized, I’ll try to post some of my own photographs on here. Until then you’ll have to enjoy this photo above provided courtesy of Alien Bees.