Catch light (or catchlight) is a photography term used to
describe either the specular (the bright spot of light that appears on shiny objects when illuminated) highlight in a subject’s eye from a light source,
or the light source itself. Below are
listed ideas, not hard and fast rules.
They are guidelines you might find helpful.
1. Specularity
By their vary nature, catch lights are specular highlights that
will often “blow out,” meaning they will be pure white. There are many highlight purists who think
there should never be any area of a photograph that is overexposed. Think about your image and in the case of
catch lights, experiment with your highlights and their value and density.
2. Shape
Many photographers prefer round catch lights to square or
rectangular but that’s not always possible to achieve. Square and rectangular softboxes exist and
often you have to improvise. The reason
is simple - the Sun is round so your light source should more closely mirror
what nature has to offer. You are trying
and mimic the most natural lighting – the sun.
3. Position and Balance
Pay close attention to
the position of catch light in the eyes of your subject BEFORE you shoot. While
there is no perfect or “correct” position, there are less flattering ones. Catch lights are more flattering if they look
natural, so try to place them at 10
o’clock or 2 o’clock. Is there a wrong catch light position? Below 9 o’clock or 3 o’clock can be unnatural, so watch your light sources before you make the final lighting decision.
And remember, catch lights need to balance. If the catch light in the left eye is
positioned at 10 o’ clock, be sure to balance that out by placing the catch
light in the right eye at 10 o’clock, too. Subjects appear cross-eyed if the catch lights
otherwise.
4. Number of catch lights
Depending on the lighting, It can be distracting to see more than one catch light. So while it’s often unavoidable to
have more than one, it’s not difficult to either add or remove catch lights using Photoshop. You can decide which catch lights are most
flattering and natural looking and
remove the rest.
Experimenting with and paying attention to catch lights will
make you a more observant photographer.
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The triangular catch lights here are at 7 o'clock, not ideal but not unnatural-
the light source was bouncing off the floor but only hit the eye to the left. |
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| Uneven catch lights. |
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| Duplicating the catch lights from the right eye to brighten the left eye. |
Due end of class April 18
