Okay, without a doubt, the most crucial thing to a good photograph is LIGHT. A good photographer knows how to work that light, but an inexperienced photographer (note that I do not say “bad” – we all started somewhere!) can fumble a bit with it. Let me show you what I mean.
This is BAD lighting (and let me tell you, it was PAINFUL to take this photo, much as I love my friend, here). This photo was taken at high noon, with no cover overhead. Keep this image in mind the next time your photographer insists on scheduling your shoot earrrrrrly in the morning, or shortly before sunset, rather than around lunch time. 😉
The overhead sun acted as a large, “hard” light source – sort of like a flashlight beam. And what do flashlights often create? Shadows. Since our faces are three dimensional, light from directly overhead casts shadows on our faces, which distract us from what we want to see – the subject!
BUT, while not ideal, sometimes photos just have to happen at high noon. So what does a good photographer do? Improvise! The following photo was taken just thirty seconds later, but I moved her under the overhang of a nearby parking garage. This cut off the harsh overhead light, but keeping her close to the edge of the opening still allowed “soft”, even light to cover her face. No more harsh shadows!
Granted, still not the *best* photo in the world, but I wanted to show both photos with no editing applied (we’ll get there!)
Now I’m going to introduce you to a new phrase: catch lights! Catch lights are the reflection of light in a subject’s eyes (and the first love of any good photographer)! It’s one of the things our brain subconsciously indicates to us as life in a subject. Let’s look at the difference:
This first photo was taken with the subject facing away from the light, but because she was facing a dark carport, no light was able to reflect back into her eyes, and her face is shadowy. Boo (but a cute boo)!
This second photo was taken with the subject turned toward the (soft, even) light. Reflection from a nearby building provided some nice, even light on her face, and “catch lights” in her eyes (although, you know, we still got “could-you-stop-photographing-and-leave-me-alone-now?” smiles!) She was very patient with me. 😉
Okay, so now that we know what good lighting and catch lights ARE, let’s look at some stunning examples of them. A good photographer uses good lighting concepts to draw you into your subject, and flatter their features, while keeping the focus on THEM, not distracting shadows and dark eyes!
Beautiful, even light, as well as stunning color!
{Photo courtesy of Marissa at www.MarissaAnnPhoto.com
Facebook.com/MarissaAnnPhoto}
Check OUT those catch lights! They draw attention to just how sharp the photograph is!
More lovely catch lights, and gorgeous window light. *Sigh*
{Photos courtesy of Tiffany at www.tiffanymichellephoto.com
https://www.facebook.com/tiffanymichellephotography}
I bet now that you’ve learned all about catch lights, you’ll see them everywhere! Take a look at the next movie poster or fashion magazine shot you see! If the subject is looking at the camera, very rarely do you see a shot without them!
Photography is a very subjective thing, so there are times when shadows and non-traditional lighting can be used to tell a story (more on that in the next post!) – these aren’t hard and fast rules, but definitely something you should consider when consulting with a photographer.
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