Ring lights, iPhones and Workbench Photos?

[Bravo Six]

I really like it when folks here post photos of their WIPs and finished minis in a workbench setting. I don't have an expensive camera and find my iPhone 8 takes pretty good pics. The trouble is, I find the worklights insufficient for photos and was thinking using one of those ring lights all the kids are using for social media content to alleviate the lighting issues.

Anyone use one of these with any degree of success?

[modelwarrior]

 I had to google a ring light to find out what is was . Never used one myself but lots of google hits for people using them to take pictures of miniatures with success. To be honest any extra light you can get onto the model is going to help. I just use the blue daylight bulbs in a standard desk lamp.

[Bravo Six]

Actually, I'd never heard of them before but saw a few commercials where people were doing some kind of broadcasting on a YouTube channel and I saw the ring light around their phone and had to ask the girlfriend "what that was". 

I just found a decent website for miniatures called "Tangible Day" and there's a section about the best ring lights for photographing minis.

https://tangibleday.com/5-best-led-ring-lights-for-miniature-photography-review/

[joekano]

I just recently started using my wife's ring light while taking pics with my phone, and so far it's worked fairly well (though I'm still experimenting). Hers allows you to adjust to brightness and change from warm yellow tones through colder blue tones, which is really nice.  Having light source above and below the camera has also helped with the shadows on the figures.  Here is one of my attempts:



One thing I would recommend is getting one where the stand lets you get light pretty low to the table surface, or placing your figures up on a raised platform.