What are Catch Lights?

You have all seen them. But you may be unaware of them or the term we use for them. Catch lights are the reflections in the eyes of your portrait subject from the light source that is lighting their face. This reflection is what gives the eyes their life and sparkle.

This reflection can come from the sun, the moon, a flash, any light source at all.

Different light sources create different catch lights.

A catch light is going to reflect the light source you choose. If you want a certain look, then consider your light source selection. Look into people’s eyes and notice how the light reflects in them.

A reflection from a window is going to look softer and be shaped like the window you are using.

A star shaped, octagon shaped, round soft box, or umbrella is going to give you a the same shaped catch light.

A parabolic reflector around your flash tube will give you a crisp very round catch light.

You may notice a ringflash is a very different kind of catch light. It is used mostly in commercial work and television commercials. A ringflash creates a catch light that is a circle of light right in the middle of the eye around the iris. You can see what a ringflash looks like at http://www.adorama.com/Als/FAMRFNK.html?sid=1282234929182028 This is not a product recommendation by the way, I have not purchased a ringflash yet.

Outdoors will give you this natural look in the eyes.

How many catch lights should you see in the eyes?

This would depend on your preference but I am convinced that for portraits only catch light is acceptable.

The logic for this comes from the fact that there is only one sun– one light source.

Many professional photographers who photograph with a secondary fill flash tend to take the secondary catch light out of the eyes in post production.

I prefer not to use a fill flash in most of my work and use a reflector as a fill instead thus eliminating the need for any additional post production work.

Start studying people’s eyes and play with different light sources. You can achieve different looks to tell your subject’s story.

Photography expert Barb Gordon, Master Photographer, weekly publishes Barb Gordon Photo Coach’s Shooting For Success, a free ezine. If you’re ready to take your photography to the next level, get your FREE reports “Make Photography More than a Hobby” and “15 Ways to Make More Money with your Photography” now at http://www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com