They may be the tiniest details in a portrait but they’re possibly the most important. Yet many photographers don’t understand catchlights.
You may not need catchlights in every portrait. The most famous portrait, the Mona Lisa, doesn’t have catchlights:
But catchlights are very important in a business portrait. Catchlights bring attention to the eyes which are the most important facial feature for conveying emotion.
Catchlights add life
Catchlights suggest friendliness and they add a sense of liveliness to the eyes and face. They help show that the lights are on and someone is home. Catchlights can help make the eyes “smile” which creates a sense of warmth.
In a studio business portrait, you can, and should, control everything about the photo including the catchlights.
Traditionally catchlights mimic the sun or a window. As such, catchlights are placed in the upper half of the iris. Catchlights at the bottom of the eye look unnatural.
Catchlight Size and Definition
Catchlight size is controlled by the size of your light source relative to your subject. A bigger light source produces bigger catchlights.
Catchlight definition is controlled by the distance between the light source and your subject. A closer light source will give sharper, more noticeable catchlights.
Edge sharpness is also controlled by the edge contrast of your light source. For example, a flash in a softbox has very defined edges but a reflector has no edges since it’s not a direct light source. All things equal, a reflector will produce a softer catchlight than a softbox or umbrella.
Catchlights that are too large can obliterate the eye by covering the pupil and iris:
This photo, shot in a tiny office, was lit by one softbox placed closely on the left and two, very close reflectors.
Too many catchlights can look odd and distracting:
This photo used a medium softbox on the left and two, very close, silver reflectors. The reflector catchlights are, unfortunately, sharp and well-defined.
Hollow, circular catchlights from ring flashes and triangular or striped catchlights from fluorescent or LED setups may be trendy but they’re distracting. Portrait lighting has to be invisible. All attention should be on your subject.
Eyeglasses and catchlights
Catchlights are especially important for subjects who wear glasses:
This portrait use two softboxes, one of which was far away and only filled some shadows, and two large, 72-inch reflectors that produced no noticeable catchlights.
Iris and Pupil
Catchlights should be placed on the iris (the eye colour) and maybe a bit on the pupil (the central black spot). If you put a catchlight on the white of the eye, it will lose effectiveness. Why place a white highlight on the eye white?
The size of the pupil affects the amount of eye colour visible. Dilated pupils have more black and less iris colour.
Larger pupils suggest openness and honesty and make the person appear more attractive. Very small pupils (i.e. “beady little eyes”) tend to suggest that the person is angry or less trustworthy. If you’re shooting with flash, you can make pupils slightly larger by lowering the available light in the room or by having the person face toward a darker wall and not a bright window. Fully dilated pupils may look odd especially in a business portrait.
A catchlight placed on the iris can create an internal reflection and some light will bounce out the opposite side of the iris. This will bring out more shape in the eye.
In fashion photography, you can make the catchlights as unnatural, weird and eye-catching (no pun intended) as you want. But for business portraits, leave the fashion tricks at home and play to the expectations of the viewer. This will make your business portraits more effective by having your subject appear more friendly and trustworthy.
