Long before the days of the Internet, online gaming and 200+ television packages, magazines, books were just some of the ways we kept ourselves entertained. Magazines like National Geographic was our Discovery channel where many of us would spend hours discovering new lands and new cultures through the eye of a photographer’s lens. Some of [...]
Long before the days of the Internet, online gaming and 200+ television packages, magazines, books were just some of the ways we kept ourselves entertained. Magazines like National Geographic was our Discovery channel where many of us would spend hours discovering new lands and new cultures through the eye of a photographer’s lens.
Some of the most memorable pictures were those that were close up portraits of people with very distinct and intriguing features. The eyes are always the best place to look as you are trying to understand the subject.
Let’s look at the above picture a little closer. Just by looking at the light reflection on the eyes, you can tell that this young girl was either standing or sitting near a window. If a reflector or camera flash was used, we certainly cannot tell based on her eyes.
This sparkle we are referring to in photography terms is called “catch light“. In short, it is a way to make the eyes pop in your photography. If you are used to dealing with a standard point and shoot camera, then chances are you will only notice the catch light right dead in the center of the eye for most of your subjects. Why? Because point and shoot cameras do not provide a way to position the flash off camera. For those pictures you took without flash, you probably have not notice the catch light at all. Professional photographers are quite aware of the positioning of the catch light because it is one of those things that can turn a good picture into a great picture. While a picture of a young Afgan girl with greenish eyes is certainly an attention-grabber, it was the catch lights that help make this picture something that can easily be remembered.
Some photographers will tell you that it is best to position the catch light between the 1 and 11 o’clock. Others will tell you between 10 and 2 o’clock. What it really boils down to is what you are trying to achieve. In other words, listen to your own creativity.
In this next example, you see that the photographer opted to use two catch lights. This could either be two light sources or one light source and a reflector.
The catch lights in this next picture show not only that the subject was standing in front of a wide light source, but if you look closely enough you can see the silhouette of the photographer.
So if you are used to just pointing and shooting your subjects, why not put in a little more effort and try to get a little more creative with how you use your light source. The more you experiment with catch lights, the more you will see just how important this little feature is to your photography.
Related posts:
- Venturing into the land of portraits
- Tossing your camera
- Two interesting photography journeys
- Are you maximizing your point and shoot camera?
- Flash techniques
Tags: catch light, eyes, light source, photography, portrait
