Hello!  Today I will share one tip on how to achieve bright eye catchlights.  (There are many tips, this is just one that I use a lot)

Catchlights add life to a portrait, & can help draw attention to the subject’s eyes.

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I pulled my youngest away from her basketball for five minutes so I could snap these sample images for you.  End of day, sun is down but still bright outside.

Image A.  Pretty face, nice breeze, but not too much sparkle in the eye :

ISO 640  f/2.5  1/800th

Here’s the pull back shot of where she was standing.  She is facing South, so the sun is setting to her right (our view, left)

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Image B.  I had her squat and look UP at me.  Why?  The light source is UP.

Face your subject TOWARDS the light source.

Someone once told me think of the sun and the sky as a big flash.  I always remember that!

ISO 640  f/2.5   1/800th

Can you SEE the difference?  Those white spots in her iris are from the evening sky.  Her skin is more luminous.

Here’s the drop back image for this shot (except she turned her head the other way lol) :

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So next time you are out shooting, try having your subject look towards the light source and see what you get.  Shoot shoot shoot!!

I’d love to see what you get – leave me a comment & I’ll check it out!

Please do share any tips that YOU may have in the comments, I’d love to hear and share them.

Thanks!

~Kathy

To see last week’s Tuesday Tip on achieving a soft & dreamy background, click HERE.

Portrait Photographer Raleigh,NC