Double Catch light: opinion and help
Adrian Hood
lights in the eyes of the people I take portraits of. I usually set up with
my main light (softbox) about 25 degrees to my left and a umbrella fill
about 45 degrees to my right.
I remember reading a while back about placing the main light AND the fill
light on the same side. I still do not see how this would work.
Also, I'm curious to know if there are opinions concerning double
catchlights. Is it a dead give away that the photographer is a novice or do
most people not care?
Thanks,
Adrian
James Meckley
>
> I'm looking for a studio technique to consistantly avoid getting two catch
> lights in the eyes of the people I take portraits of. I usually set up with
> my main light (softbox) about 25 degrees to my left and a umbrella fill
> about 45 degrees to my right.
You could use a large, flat reflector instead of the fill umbrella to
eliminate the secondary catch lights. This would probably result in a
more pleasing portrait in other ways as well. Or you could simply
retouch-out the secondary catch lights if you are committed to your
two-light set up.
James Meckley
fscd1
"Adrian Hood" <ho...@eng.umd.edu> wrote in message
news:9kejgk$l2c$1...@dailyplanet.wam.umd.edu...
As you have each light at a different angle you will get double catchlights.
If they are borth at the same angle of convergence with the convergence
point being behind where the subject sits then you should end up with one
catchlight.
A simpler method is to use one light and nearer to the subject you have a
white reflector. Then you get "fill" coming from reflected light off the
subject and the main light.
Garoo
I'll answer as a "most people" here since I could hardly be considered an
expert (though I am a perfectionist, and that's a good start :)).
> I'm looking for a studio technique to consistantly avoid getting two
> catch lights in the eyes of the people I take portraits of. I usually
> set up with my main light (softbox) about 25 degrees to my left and a
> umbrella fill about 45 degrees to my right.
I suppose you could either use a very large reflector as a fill light
(white floor or wall) so that it wouldn't be visible in the eye; or place
the fill light on the model's side (ie, not in front or 45° from them, but
on their 90°).
> Also, I'm curious to know if there are opinions concerning double
> catchlights. Is it a dead give away that the photographer is a novice
> or do most people not care?
I never cared to notice the number of catchlights :)
The only thing that really irritates me as a viewer is the circular light
you can see in some movie closeups (I'm thinking Alien 4, but I think it's
been a trend some time).
Apart from that extreme, the number of catchlights wouldn't necessarily
indicate a very unnatural light, so what's the problem :)
zeitgeist
a lot of photogs have them retouched out.
but listen, if you have double catch lights like that, then that means
you have double high lights. Its a physical fact, light don't make
shadows, they make high lights. Shadow is what you start with before
you light. If you are getting deep shadows without detail its because
your (main) light isn't getting enough light there.
Now that sounds like duh so obvious, but the solution of placing another
light on the other side is completely unnatural, and places a second set
of highlights and, since they are being covered by the other light you
can't see them as well, but there are a second set of shadows. (look
along side the nose, especially by the nostril and the inside corner of
the eye, and in the furrows of the smile lines.) It seems so logical
to place the two brollies equal distant or at least equal angles, but as
a light style it sucks. Twin sets of high lights give you fat noses
and puffy cheek bones and greasy foreheads, that wet shiny look. And
it makes the image look like every cheesy high volume portrait place
that ever set up in a shopping mall or church, though even they are
catching on.
feather the softbox towards a reflector, use your other light for a kick
or hair light. put both lights on same side of the camera, this gives
you an extended single light source.
I go on and on about this kind of cross lighting. you can check out
some articles on lighting in the back messages of the z-prophoto mailing
list at yahoogroups.com
Paul Ferrara
but it's far enough from the subject that the catchlight is very tiny.
As others have said, you can use a reflector to fill in shadows but that's
not really the way that a fill light is supposed to be used. The fill
should illuminate the overall scene while the main light is creates your
highlights.
Paul
Adrian Hood <ho...@eng.umd.edu> wrote in message
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