catchlights in candid shots

J

jann1033

Member
i have been using natural light so guess that is not as "controllable" as external flash( i mean once i actually know how to use external flash ;))but want to start experimenting with external flash and wondering how you would light a photo so you got catchlights in both eyes, particularly in candid type shots where you wouldn't have lights set up? posted a link since it has nothing to do with disney(in this case one light (window ) was toward right side of her face and behind her but another window above and to the left of her which i am guessing made the right catchlight) how could i get a catch light in her left eye? would fill flash do it ? i like that the left side is a little shadowy so could i get that and still use fill flash or would it fill it all in?

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this might belong in 101 topics but wasn't sure since it's flash


note from tim - this is fine where it is. i changed the post to show the photo....
 
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I hope you don't mind, Jann, but I took the liberty of adding a catchlight to your beautiful photo. All I did was use the clone stamp tool in PhotoShop. I got a "brush" of 11 pixels wide, alt-clicked on the catchlight in her left eye, then cloned just the catchlight itself onto her right eye. You can experiment with putting the catchlight in different places on her eye, just keep doing that until it looks "right".

copy_4ee.jpg
 
wish i had remembered i asked this sooner ::) thanks! i was trying to figure out how to do that. will check out the reflectors as well.
 
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You can create this kind of lighting with external flashes. Notice I said "flashes". You would need a couple of studio and/or flood lights to do it correctly OR, as been previously suggested, something to reflect light into the other eye. A simple while or grey posterboard you can get at a craft store will work fine for this.

Using your window as the light source, have someone position the posterboard until you see the catchlight in the eye. You will also see how the reflected light looks on the subject's face. Natural light portraits look wonderful and this one, catchlight or not, is beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
 
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