The
guidelines for this assignment were to photograph your subject with a "catchlight" in the eyes to add a sparkle and life to the viewer's perception of the subject.
I already talked a bit about a similar version of Jaime's
Our Nana image in the "Breaking the Rules" assignment. In that discussion I concentrated on the composition and lighting used for the image, but didn't mention the catch light. One reason I didn't mention the catchlight in the version of the image Jaime submitted for the previous assignment was because Jaime's processing for that version of the image was a bit higher contrast, and that high contrast (darkening the eyes) served to mask and subdue the highlight in Nana's eyes. I must say that between the two versions of the image, I like this one much better. I think the softer skin tones are more pleasing, and more than anything else, the eyes are very captivating, with wonderful catchlights. The excellent rendition of Nana's eyes in this version of the image produces a wonderful "liquid" reflection of catchlights that conveys a "sparkle" and intensity that is just missing from the other version. I find it interesting and instructive to see how slightly different processing can change our perception of an image so dramatically. I encourage you to view both versions of the image side-by-side so that you can observe the difference for yourself. Wonderful capture and processing for this image Jaime! I liked the version you submitted for the "Breaking the Rules" assignment, and like this version, which does such a wonderful job highlighting Nana's captivating eyes, all that much more.
our NanaPhotographed by Jaime Dorotan
I must admit that the watermark in Peggy's
Elk image was distracting enough to me that it stole my attention away from the catchlight in the eye, and prevented me from "connecting" with the subject in the way that I might have if the eyes had not been partially obstructed by the watermark. If I ignore the watermark, I think Peggy did a great job capturing a nice catchlight in the Elk's eye.
ElkPhotographed by Peggy Warren
Congratulations Nana on capturing catchlight in your brother's eyes. I like the way you captured his wide open eyes and curiosity.
7:49 PMPhotographed by Nana Dorotan
More than any other image submitted for this assignment, the catchlight in Kaya's eyes in Jaime's
Our Kaya image are what "make" the image. By making this a high key image, Jaime effectively reduced the contrast in other areas of the image, thereby reducing their likelihood of drawing the viewer's attention away from the eyes. The varied and layered catchlights produce a wonderful perception of depth in the eyes that draws the viewer into these "windows to the soul." Because the catchlights were such an integral part of the success of this image, I've awarded this image
Editor's Choice for Artistic Merit. 
our KayaEditor's Choice for Artistic Merit.Photographed by Jaime Dorotan
As I was reviewing Jaime's image, I thought back to one of our previous assignments where we talked about how the viewer's eye is drawn to the highest contrast areas of an image, and I wondered if leaving just a bit more contrast in that area of the image would have served to draw the viewer's attention even more strongly to the eyes. I added a duplicate layer in Photoshop, added contrast back into the image by adjusting the black point in levels, and then used a layer mask to let only the eyes show through in the adjusted layer. It was a subtle change, but I wanted to make sure to not overdo it. (Depending on your monitor, you might not be able to see much of a difference. I can see a difference on mine, but can't really see much of a change on Rebecca's screen which is set for a brighter display.)
our KayaPhotographed by Jaime Dorotan, contrast added to eyes by Keith
Lars'
Catchlight from sun image was a very nice composition, with beautiful colors. The light on the flowers was directional light from the sun lower on the horizon, and gave the feeling of a crisp clear morning during the change of seasons. It did indeed convey the sense that the flower was "catching" the light of the sun. The flower and bud were nicely separated from a background with pleasing bokeh, adding a nice sense of depth to the image. Nicely done Lars.
Catchlight from sunPhotographed by Lars
Lars'
Sunshine Snail image was another image with beautiful sidelight. The most fascinating part of this image was the sense of depth added by the fleck of dirt on the snail, and it's "shadow" just to the left. This small detail added a tremendous depth to the image, effectively conveying the almost translucent nature of the slimy surface of the snail. This was another great macro shot from Lars that helped the viewer to observe things about the subject that they might not otherwise have noticed.
sunshine snailPhotographed by Lars
Michele's image titled
She is soooo gonna get me was an imaged that immediately captured my attention. It's a very strong composition with an almost primal aura. Michele effectively used the high contrast in this image to help concentrate the viewers attention on the dog's eye. Very well done Michele.
She is soooo gonna get mePhotographed by Michele Bollhalder
Michele's image of
A perfect flower was a wonderfully creative image that allowed one to imagine all sorts of creative possibilities for reflections in the eye. Very well done Michele, it's obvious that you studied catchlights quite a bit in order to create this image.
A perfect flowerPhotographed by Michele Bollhalder
Dave's
Get that Spot Light Oughta My Eyze was a beautifully composed image with wonderful color and beautiful transitions from sharp detail to soft foreground and background. The wonderful surprise in this image was the shadow of the bee on the petals of the flower. What an amazing macro Dave!
Get that Spot Light Oughta My EyzePhotographed by Dave Leiker
Rebecca's
Catch you Later image was a great example of how a flash can be used to add a catchlight to an eye. Comparing this catchlight with the catchlights in other images submitted for this assignment can help you understand the difference in catchlights created by a "point" light source like a flash, and a large diffused light source like an overcast sky or bank of windows.
Catch you later!Photographed by Rebecca
Rebecca's
Swan natural catchlight image is a good illustration of the catchlight you will get from strong, contrasty direct sunlight. In this case, the sun is much like a "point" light source that will result in a relatively small catchlight as opposed to the larger catchlight from an overcast sky.
swan natural catchlightPhotographed by Rebecca
I had a tougher time getting a catchlight in the eyes of the flamingo than what I expected, probably due to the angle of the sun at that time of day. I can see the catchlight in the reflection in the water, but not much of one in the actual eye itself. Interesting...
Reflected CatchPhotographed by Keith
Rebecca and I had fun on our outing to the zoo, but this was one of only a few creatures that cooperated by coming out of the shade long enough for us to photograph. You can again see the tiny, bright catchlight produced by direct sunlight.
"My eyes are my best feature ;-) "Photographed by Keith
Congratulations to Marilyn, whose
Jaws: the light in my eyes image won the vote for
People's Choice. Marilyn did a wonderful job creating an image that could effectively tell a story, and it is easy to see how the catchlight really does add sparkle and life to Steven Speilberg's eyes. Great job putting these two images together in a double exposure to tell a story Marilyn.
Jaws: the light in my eyesPeople's ChoicePhotographed by Marilyn McKinney
Sue did a great job capturing a catchlight in the eyes of
Missy.
MissyPhotographed by Sue Pepin
Just out of curiosity I decided to see what this image would look like with no catchlight. The cat has light colored and very interesting eyes, so removing the catchlight has less effect than removing it from darker eyes; however, it does seem to make the eyes more flat, with less depth than in the version with the catchlight. What do you think?
MissyPhotographed by Sue Pepin, catchlight removed for the sake of experimentation
Chris'
Don't make her mad was another wonderfully creative image, with a great use of color and lighting to portray the potentially evil look.
Don't make her madPhotographed by Chris Franklin
Chris' two
Sad Eyes images were another great study of the difference between catchlights created under natural diffused lighting and those created with flash. In general, I tend to prefer catchlights created with natural diffused lighting. If you're photographing in a studio and want to create nice catchlights you can use a large window or a very large softbox to create pleasing catchlights in the eye that come close to what you can achieve with natural diffused lighting.
Sad EyesPhotographed by Chris Franklin
Sad Eyes, FlashedPhotographed by Chris Franklin
Rick did a great job using a flash to create a catchlight and help stop (most of) the motion in his
Hummingbird image. If you are interested in hummingbird photography, and in particular how to stop the motion, we had a short discussion about this topic in the comments for this image in the gallery.
HummingbirdPhotographed by Rick Pepin (trvlrick)
Rick also did a masterful job balancing ambient and flash light in his image of
Bodie. The large softer catchlights came from the more diffused window light, and the small point of bright catchlight from the flash added a bit more sparkle to Bodie's eyes. Very nicely done Rick!
BodiePhotographed by Rick Pepin (trvlrick)
Thank you again to everyone that participated in the "Catchlight" assignment. Hopefully this study of a somewhat mundane subject will help you create better portrait and wildlife images in the future.
Keith
