The first thing you notice about a person when you see their face is their Eyes. It is no wonder why, that the eyes are said to be the open windows to the soul of a person. It’s one of the most spectacular shots and at the same time one of the hardest shots you an get right. It’s important t capture them in the right way.
Here are some of the best tips and tricks to get those sparkling eyes in your photographs.
Light – Natural light is best. Shoot in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun is low. Shooting when the sun is directly overhead would cause deep shadows and pockets under the eyes in your photographs.
Photo Credit : Helga Birna Jónasdóttir
Catchlights – The tiny reflection of the light source seen in the pupils of a subject’s eyes is called a catchlight. It adds more drama and a new dimension to the eyes provided lighting is proper. It’s only the magic of these catchlights, which makes the portrait alive. To get catchlights when shooting outdoors, you would need to place the subject in a shaded area. You can get the same effect indoors as well, if you make your subject look at the window placed directly behind the camera. You can use a reflector or white card as well to get that light into the eyes.
Photo Credit : Upsilon Andromedae
Focus – Make sure that eyes are in focus. Try to keep them in the center of the frame.
Photo Credit : Sestoo Studio
Direction – To create more impact in the Portraits, have the subject look directly into or at the lens. This has the most impact on the viewer.
Photo Credit : Steve Tulk
Props – Minimal props are sometimes useful.Props like scarves or hats covering the head and the face of the subject can really make their eyes stand out in the photograph. You can use these items but make sure that the items do not hide, shadow or cover the eyes when shooting.
Photo Credit : rana ossama
Depth of Field – Shooting at shallow depth of field gets the eyes in sharp focus keep the rest of the image softer. This effect makes the eyes to pop out in the image.
Photo Credit : Ahmed Sinan
Avoid direct on-camera flash – On-camera flash should be avoided as it causes a nasty red-eye effect in the subject’s eyes. Use a much softer fill light. You can use bounce the light source off a wall or ceiling to soften it.
Photo Credit : Vanessa Kay
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