Here is an example of an image taken during the golden hour in open shade (under a canopy of cherry trees).Īnd another example taken on the sidewalk downtown, just at the edge of open shade under an awning. The prettiest catchlights in open shade will be captured in a location where the main light source is coming from one direction and your subject is facing that light while just inside the shade (think of an alley way, just inside a doorway, etc.). I’ve found when shooting in urban locations you can find amazing light by having your subject in the open shade of a tall building … in front of them lots of open sky and light to reflect into their eyes, they are benefiting from those reflections and catchlights they create while they are staying out of harsh direct light. The important word here is *open* shade … you still want your subject to be facing the light source and usually the closer to the edge of that open shade (at the edge of a forested area, under the shade of an awning, just inside a doorway, under a tree, etc) the better. Note: this image was taken just as the sun was going down with the subject looking in the direction of the sunset – obviously not recommended for a number of reasons during mid-day sun … but here it just lit up her eyes and cast a warm, even light over her face. There are a number of ways to go about this, and a number of ways to search for that perfect light and know when you’ve found it. After capturing those beautiful peepers you’ll move on to enhancing the light and sparkle in editing. It’s an essential piece of the puzzle and one you should strive to master. Lighting isn’t just important in making eyes pop, but in every aspect of photography. Finding light is the first step to making eyes pop. I know, you thought I was going to say Paint the Moon eye actions, right? Well, that is part of the equation, but that will come second. The number one thing you need to get eyes that wow is LIGHT. We’ll also cover using Photoshop actions like Sparkle Eyes to help make eyes sparkle and pop even more. Getting all that glorious light into the eyes won’t help much if they aren’t sharp. Nailing your focus while shooting portraits as well as knowing how to properly edit them is of the utmost importance in getting crisp, clean eyes that just reach out and call to the viewer. In the upcoming parts of the series I will focus on, well, focus – as well as Photoshop techniques to really take your portraits to another level, specific lighting situations and tips and more. And because there are so many contributing factors to getting that WOW factor, I’m going to break this into a two part series with the first part focusing on finding the light (not just for great eyes, but for beautiful skin tones, an even exposure, and many other benefits that can make or break a photo as well). Like many things in photography getting beautiful and crisp eyes that “pop” is like a puzzle. One of the questions I am most frequently asked by other photographers, and even non-photographers, is how do I get the eyes in my portrait images to “pop” so much … if I’ve done my job correctly, they are in crisp focus, full of light, life and just draw you in.
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