Okay, so I almost forgot that I said Thursday would be photography day, but I did remember before midnight, so all is well.
The first time I ever read anything about catchlights, (it was a layout by Cathy Zielske in the 2002 Scrapbooking Hall of Fame book entitled "Catchlights") a whole new world of photography opened up to me. Ever since that moment I have worked to perfect it, and now it comes fairly naturally to me.
First, let's define the word. Catchlights are the spots of light that are literally "caught" by the eye: a reflection of the light source or a reflective surface such as water or snow. Catchlights make the eyes look alive and make a significant aesthetic difference between okay and really great photography, especially when it comes to portraiture. When there are no catchlights, the eyes, and therefore the subject, look somewhat dead and uninteresting. In fact, I recently read that cinematographers edit out the catchlights of evil characters to make them seem even more horrible than they already are.
Taking pictures with a flash provides automatic catchlights, but they are generally a boring, round pinpoint of light. In contrast, the catchlights that natural light is capable of providing elicit much stronger emotion and beauty. So, again, please turn off your flashes and start experimenting with some of your other settings!
For me, getting great catchlights is as simple as paying attention to my subject's eyes and moving them around until I get the look that I want. I often take pictures next to windows (the photo of Chloe above is taken in my living room near the sliding glass door) and get superb catchlights that way.
For catchlights in outdoor photography, the trick is to keep your subject in the shade, but turned toward the light (late afternoon sun is best), so that you get beautiful sparkly eyes, but no harsh shadows. Sometimes I even create the shade for my subject with my own shadow, as in this picture of Bria:

This picture of Sophia was taken while she was still in the car, but the door was open. She was therefore still in the "shade," while her eyes still reflected the light coming in from outside. In this case, you can also see my reflection too!




The farther away you are from your subject, the less catchlights matter. Also, if there are more than two or three people in a photo it is difficult to get them, mostly because you become further away from the subjects. Remember, the most important thing is to just start noticing how the light affects your subject's eyes, and look for things that can cause catchlights. You can use a reflector, car bumpers, water, snow or the sun itself and even wearing a white shirt as a photographer can help.

ETA: Anne-Marie mentioned that it was harder with a point and shoot to get catchlights. It shouldn't be, except in very low light situations. Catchlights have absolutely nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the way light hits your subject, so just start being aware of it. If you have more than one focus point to choose from on your camera (I have 9) try to focus on the eyes to make the catchlights more clear (and a better overall picture), but even the delay that comes with digital point and shoots shouldn't cause issues with catchlights.
Enjoy catching the light!
I LOVE the b&w of Chloe at the top and the one of Bria at the bottom! Great photos!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are beautiful, Lara! Those catchlights are much trickier with a not so great camera, though.
ReplyDeleteThe glasses thing is sooo tricky! We've gotten to the point, that Hank just has to take them off in pictures. Which is too bad, because I think he looks great with his glasses.
Chloe is so photogenic. What a beauty!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about catchlights. I should pull out my manual and see if my point and shoot has many options. I do have a film camera that's pretty nice, but, well, it's film. :)
Now I understand catchlights. You go Lara, Lara, Lara, Lara, Lara!!
ReplyDeleteYour getting good Lara! Another friend of mine also does photography. Her name is Annie Ballard and her blog is "chick-that-clicks.blogspot.com" Check it out.
ReplyDeleteYour kids are growing up and changing so much. Hope you have a Merry Christmas.
Love,
Esther
Your tutorials are great! And I'm glad I found this one. I never knew ANYthing about catchlights, but I can see that it makes a big difference between an OK picture and a really great one. Thanks so much - I will definitely have to try this.
ReplyDelete:~D
You are soooooo lucky to have willing subjects! My kids generally throw a fit the moment I whip out the camera...
ReplyDelete