DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Catchlights 101: Why they matter and how to get them right

Apr 14, 2020 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

The eyes are the window to one’s soul. What truly brings out the eyes in your portraits is a small, yet important detail: catchlights. In this short but very informative video, Joe Edelman takes you through the basics of catchlights – the psychology and science behind them, their importance, as well as plenty of useful tips to get them right and make the best out of your portraits.

Catchlights are reflections of light in the subject’s eyes. You can see them in the form of the bright, specular highlights. They can come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the light source. Despite being such a tiny detail, catchlights are incredibly important as they add dimension to your portraits and draw more attention to the eyes.

Most of the times, we’re used to seeing the light coming from above. Therefore, the catchlights are mainly seen in the top part of the eye, at 2 or 10 o’clock. However, this is not a rule (except in some contests), you can experiment with catchlights depending on the context and the concept you’re going for. A general rule is to only have a single catchlight visible in each eye. If you have two or more, they can be a distraction rather than a useful addition to the portrait. But once again, depending on the context, you can experiment with this as well.

When it comes to the shape of the catchlights, they will reflect the shape of the light or the modifier that you use.  A direct flash will generally create a tiny speck of light, a rectangular softbox will create rectangular catchlights, and a round softbox will make them appear round. Natural (available) light will reflect in the eyes as well. Interestingly enough, you can study which lighting was used for a portrait by studying the catchlights in the eyes.

Another important thing to have in mind is the distance of the light source from the subject. The closer you place the lighting to the subject, the larger the catchlights will appear. Similarly, the further away the lighting is from the subject, the smaller the catchlights will appear.

Joe shares an interesting trick for determining the catchlights before taking the shot. Take a black marble and squeeze it in your hand to mimic the eye (see the screenshot below). You’ll see the light reflecting if you use continuous lighting, or you can take a test shot if you use strobes.

Make sure to watch the video above for plenty more useful tips, tricks and facts. Even though it only lasts 10 minutes, you’ll learn a lot about catchlights: a small, but important detail in portrait photos.

[Catchlights for Portraits – LIGHTING TUTORIAL | Joe Edelman]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This is why catchlights are important for both portrait photographers and their audience How to use catchlights to make your portraits more powerful This is why your camera shoots 29.97fps (not 30fps) and why it doesn’t really matter any more How To Post Process For Beautiful Eyes & Catchlights

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Catch Light, catchlight, catchlights, eyes, human eyes, Joe Edelman, portrait photography

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Photographer captures super detailed moon shot with a Sony a6400
Couple posts 2019 vacation photos to Facebook, police fines them for violating the lockdown »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy