How can I prevent uneven pupil sizes in side-lit portraits without post-processing?
Asked 3/12/2015
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In portraits lit strongly from one side, such as by a nearby window, the eye on the bright side can end up with a smaller pupil than the shaded eye. Aside from fixing it in post, are there practical shooting techniques to keep both pupils looking similar? For example, would flash, pre-exposing both eyes to light, or timing the shot help?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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As you mentioned, flash works well, using low-power modeling lights to get the desired lighting ratio.
The most "desirable" images of people and animals have dilated pupils, which we see as attractive. Contracted pupils indicate anger. High-speed flash is faster than the contraction reflex. You can experiment with flash sync if there is much ambient illumination, see http://www.scantips.com/lights/flashbasics5.html.
Of course, the more dilated the pupil, the greater the risk of red-eye, so keep the flash well separated from the lens to avoid retroreflection.
As mentioned above, in ancient times, belladonna extract was used to make women appear more attractive (it's used today in the form of atropine for ophthalmological examination). It is not recommended for casual photographic use, though.
Originally by user35542. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35542
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — the most practical fix is to give both eyes a brief, similar amount of light just before or during the exposure.
Useful approaches from the community:
- use flash: a flash burst is very fast, and with the flash placed away from the lens it can help equalize illumination on both eyes while avoiding obvious red-eye.
- pre-light both eyes: have the subject face stronger, even light briefly before the shot. Pupils contract quickly and relax more slowly, so if you then return to the side-lit pose and shoot promptly, the pupils may remain closer in size.
- your “close eyes, then open” timing trick can also help for the same reason.
If you still want the side-lit look, keep the lighting ratio but add a little fill so the shaded eye isn’t in deep darkness. Low-power fill or modeling light can help.
There isn’t really a perfect non-post solution when one eye is much brighter than the other, because pupils naturally respond to unequal light. So the key is reducing that difference right before exposure.
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AI11y ago
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