Hello, scrapbookers! Ready for an easy way to make your portrait photography even better? It’s pretty simple, but has a big pay-off: make sure you’re catching the catch lights!
What is a Catch Light?
According to digital-photography-school.com, a catch light is simply the highlight of a light source reflected off the surface of the eye. This highlight adds depth and dimension to the eye, and gives the eyes life in a portrait or snapshot. You can generate catch lights by using different lighting tools or by adding them later in Photoshop, but the easiest way is to simply position your subject in diffuse lighting, such as in the shade when you’re outdoors or next to a window when you’re inside.
image by Elisha Snow
Photo Tip 1: Take your Time
When shooting your subjects take time to try out different locations and angles. Take a few shots and then quickly review them before moving on to see if you are getting everything in your shot that you want. Remember this quote:
“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”
– Ansel Adams
Focus on quality, not quantity!
image by Big Picture Classes student Monica.scraplifters
Photo Tip 2:Find a Window
According to Tracey Clark, a photography teacher at Big Picture Classes, “Diffused window light is a great place to seek an ideal light source. If your subject allows, move them around, turning to one side and then the other. As the light hits their eyes from different angles, you’ll be able to study catch lights and how even the subtlest turn toward or away from the light (or chin up vs. chin down) can make all the difference in your portraits.”
image by Tracey Clark
Learn More
Want to learn more about improving your photography? Big Picture Classes is giving away two spots in the online workshop Picture Spring, taught by Tracey Clark. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us one or two of your favorite photography tips. Whether you’re inside or outside the US, your entry is welcome until Monday, March 19, 2012, at 9:00 am (MDT). Winners will be posted here.
About Picture Spring: 30 days of soulful seasonal celebration
Picture Spring is a 30-day self-paced e-class that will encourage and inspire you to use photography to celebrate the season of new beginnings while honoring and nourishing your creative spirit. With a new email and fresh perspective in your inbox each morning, you’ll use the daily photo prompt to help open your mind and guide your lens to see and capture your life and the world around you. Whether you are an expert photographer, or just starting out, this project will help you see things in a completely new light.
—Wendy Smedley, Big Picture Classes
Congratulations to our winner, LinhC:
“Get close to the subject, fill the shot with the subject!”
LinhC, watch for an email with instructions on how to redeem your prize.
Two of my favorite photo tips: 1) read, read, and re-read your camera manual! 2) use a depth of field calculator to get the proper depth for a large group shot. Thanks for the opportunity to win. I am going to look at your site right now!!!!
I’m not a great photographer but my best advice is to double check your settings before you start shooting – I hate finding out I had something set wrong after the fact! – and to try to minimize background distractions – watch for telephone poles coming out of people’s heads!
Shoot in RAW. Fix white balance in post-processing.
I’m not a great photog either but I like to get my subject into the photo set up by asking them for background/posing ideas. My kids love getting creative with this.
I take a lot of photos of my toddler boy. I remind myself ( because I fidget all the time still) to lower to his level, and another shot even lower, Si that he’s looking down at me. A simple change of perspective makes the daily ordinary photos so much more interesting.
Thanks for the chance!
I think using natural light and no flash is the best tip I have learned. Thanks for the chance at winning the class.
I am not an educated photographer. I just do a point and shoot. Iguess good lighting is a good tip? Maybe if I win the class I will learn a bit more.
Wow, such a neat thing! I have never even thought about this but it makes such a big difference and in each photo you can see that the ‘catch light’ is different. Also love the tips about where to shoot indoors and outdoors. And I don’t know that I will be shooting babies anytime soon but there were so many good tips in that post as well, as well as the cute baby tips. I would love to learn about photographing the landscape from a distance. There are so many places as I drive west (in VA), that I want to stop my car and take a picture…sometimes I have done this but others I felt where such missed opportunities. Anyway, thank you for sharing!
Katie B.
The Rule of Thirds has never let me down.
Practice!
I love to photograph anything and everything and my two tips are:
1) Check your settings! It’s easy to move a dial by accident so check before shooting.
2) Make sure you are not taking a shot of someone shorter then you without squatting down to their level.
I’ve enjoyed reading the other tips. Thanks for the chance to win.
My tip is to take at least twice as many pictures as you think you need! I often think a photo looks good when viewing it on my camera’s screen, but once I see it bigger on my computer something might be out of focus or the lighting might be off.
my tips are, 1)natural light! so much better than flash! 2) when ever posible take your subject outside! they seem to be much happier and willing to pose or you can catch some fun moments!
Always learning, and value the many tips I’ve learning along the way, especially “no flash” & “aperture explanations”.
1.) If you’re going to shoot…SHOOT! I’ve learned that it takes fitfuls of shots to produce a “keeper.” 2.) Don’t be afraid to post-processing if the shoot didn’t turn out as you hoped…lighting etc.
I have a cheat sheet that I keep in my camera case to review before I go on trips which is when I seem to need to change settings the most often. I take loads of photos with different settings and then when I look at them at least one is “good”.
Recently in a survey I saw that many, many scrappers use Picasa for their photo editing. Could we have some editing articles/suggestions using that program instead of just Photoshop? Thank you from a real amateur.
Since I’m NOT a great photographer…by any means, I think I need this class! I love to take pictures of my family as well as scenery shoots and know this class would be very helpful to me! Tips?? Stay at the subject’s level or choose something different..like laying down & shooting up! That has gotten me some really good pics! Thanks for the chance to win this awesome class.
I would so love to try an online photography course! My favourite tips are: 1- zoom in on your subjects faces. Catch the expressions. 2- Take lots of shots. One will certainly capture an expression you’ll want to save forever!
I am not a very good photographer (though I am trying to learn!), but I am blessed to have some really talented friends and family. My favorite tip – when shooting babies and kids, get down on their level.
Sure would love to learn more..simplest tip I have learnt so far is to have natural light for good results!
i too, like to get right down on the ground to take a different angle of a flower.
another: take a breath, and hold, before you take the pic.
Would love so much to do a photography class, it’s on my to do list.
My tips are 1. put the little kids outside and frame just the grass or trees in the bg–watch out that the car or the edge of the patio isn’t in the shot. 2. don’t always take them smiling–but if you want one, tell them not to smile whatever they do, even if they see a dragon dancing behind you…and then say, wait, is there a dragon?
Make your subject laugh. If you want a more natural smile in your photos and to put your subjects at ease even if the shot your going for isn’t a great big grin, getting a good giggle will produce better results.
My best tip would be to use natural light as much as possible. I also like to go for the unposed shots, not always the cheesy grins.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a spot in the class.
Never stop learning and get it right in camera. Don’t rely on the post-processing to correct mistakes you should have corrected on the spot. Oh, and watch the background! Make sure you eliminate distractions.
As per others, read the manual that came with your camera and play with the settings. I like to set the camera for multiple shots when shooting action events. And consider purchasing a tripod – there are relatively inexpensive ones and a must for macro photos. Thanks for the opportunity to learn even more.
My photography mantra is “megapixels are free” so shoot a lot…practice makes perfect. Also, shoot from different vantage points (higher than subject, shoot up at them, etc)
I just got my first DSLR, so I would love to win!
My photography tip is simple.. Use natural light! It makes all the difference!!
1. Use natural light whenever possible
2. Buy a good lens – even if its a low-cost lens. I recently bought a Canon f1.8 lens ($100) for my Canon Rebel and it takes such amazing pics!! Love the pics I can take with a low aperture!
Get close to the subject, fill the shot with the subject!
Always charge your battery the night before an event / trip / party and make sure there is room for new photos. If photographing kids don’t try to pose them… unless you are really talented at getting them to cooperate (I am not). Instead take candid shots that they’re not even aware of, they always end up looking better.
My best photography tips are to turn off the flash and find natural indirect lighting. I have a favorite window in my house that provides great light most of the day. I will seek out that spot before any other!