How does catchlight position in the eyes affect a portrait?
Asked 12/18/2017
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In portraits, you can often get very similar overall lighting while the reflected catchlight in the subject’s eyes shifts slightly. Are there artistic differences between a catchlight near the edge of the eye versus closer to the iris or pupil? Is there any generally preferred position for catchlights in portrait photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for catch-lights, other than maybe, "have them."
The lighting affects, literally, every part of the shot. The catch-light is simply the light's effect on the eyes alone. In order to change the catch-light, one would have to change everything else about the lighting used in the portrait - and that's usually less desirable. Phrased another way - you should set your lighting for the portrait as a whole, and then adjust the light position incrementally to make sure that you are capturing a catch-light. You shouldn't start with a good catch-light and then try to light the rest of the scene.
To expand on good lookin' catch-lights: Single catch-lights, as in your question, do look good. But I don't find them any less attractive when clam-shell lighting is used (producing a circle and rectangle, two rectangles, two circles, etc) or Rembrandt lighting is used (producing only a single catch-light on the lit side of the face).
Long story short - beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but I think we can all agree that when it comes to catch-lights, it's only important that they're there.
Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67377
8y ago
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Catchlights mainly matter because they make eyes look alive; without them, eyes can appear dull or “dead.” There aren’t strict rules about exact placement, though a single catchlight in each eye is often considered most natural. A common preference is around the 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock position, which supports the illusion of a light source coming from above.
That said, catchlight position is a result of your overall lighting setup. To move the catchlight, you usually have to move the light, which also changes the portrait’s shadows and modeling. So in practice, you should light the portrait for the overall look first, then make small adjustments to ensure pleasing catchlights are present.
The shape can matter too: small point catchlights look different from larger rectangular ones, such as from a window or softbox. Multiple catchlights can also work, depending on the style. In short: prioritize flattering portrait lighting, then aim for visible, natural-looking catchlights rather than obsessing over a tiny positional difference.
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