Better portraits are all in the eyes - 4/13/09

Improving eyes in the camera and the computer

Eyes are the windows to the soul, or so they say. Photographically speaking, that means that in any given portrait one of the first places a viewer will look is the subject’s eyes. And if they look dark, or murky, or tired or anything other than ideal… well, the person in the portrait just won’t look their best. That’s why so many photographers put so much emphasis on making the eyes look perfect. Here are some tried and true tips to make sure the eyes have it—in the camera and in the computer.

• When lighting a portrait, the catchlight (the reflection of the main light in the eyes of the subject) is perhaps the biggest key to imparting a feeling of life and energy to the portrait. It’s that catchlight reflection that makes the photo look alive, so make sure when lighting portraits to watch for it. If it’s too high, or uneven from one eye to another, consider moving it to make sure it shows up well.


• If the main light is too high, not only can it make the catchlight harder to create, it can create a shadow in deep-set eyes—making them look darker and less inviting. Many classic portrait photographers augmented their overall mainlight with a second light, a kicker of sorts, specifically to add some extra gusto to the eyes. This eye light is still a practical solution to make eyes brighter. It can be achieved with an additional light source focused directly on the eyes, or even with a mirror or silver reflector to fill in deep shadows.


• Since viewers put so much importance—sub-consciously of course—on looking primarily at a subject’s eyes, play up that fact. Hide other elements of the face to simplify a composition and draw in viewers more quickly and directly to the eyes. The reverse is also true: don’t hide a subject’s eye if you don’t want them to look untrustworthy, mysterious or anonymous. You can hide almost anything else on the face of a normal portrait, but rarely does it work to hide the eyes.


• When working with on-camera flash, do whatever you can to eliminate redeye. Redeye is a glowing eyeball effect created when a flash directly from the lens axis reflects off the inside of the eye creating a sinister glow. Moving the flash off camera can cure it in most cases, as can redeye flash settings that fire a pre-flash to acclimate the subject’s eyes to the bright light. If all else fails, be sure to fix any residual redeye in post. Even if the rest of the picture is perfect, redeye will ruin it.


• Once your photo file is in the computer, consider whitening dull gray tones in eyes, eliminating redness and puffiness, and general darkening around the eyes. Simple tools such as dodging and desaturation brushes, as well as color stamping, can work wonders on revitalizing otherwise tired eyes. You can even give them an extra kick by using the saturation brush to boost the color in a pretty pupil.


• Portraits are often softened to hide blemishes and other imperfections. Before applying a wholesale softening to an image, consider masking the effect from the eyes—or even adding sharpness to the eyes as well. The added definition in relation to an otherwise softened image really adds the last little bit of attention that the eyes need to really grab and hold a viewer’s attention.

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