How do I get those dark eyes to sparkle?

[sallie]

My son has really dark eyes and I just can't seem to make them sparkle. Any suggestions? Also how do I get rid of the shadow by his nose?
Nikon D60 ISO 100, 1/60 sec, f/4.2, 55mm

[zona5101]

to get rid of the shadw you need to move the light (or move him) Also with lighting like this, single point from the side, your are not getting enough light into his eyes. Properly lit you should be able to have some sparkle in dark eyes as well... Keep at it!

[anfanglove]

Originally Posted by sallie

My son has really dark eyes and I just can't seem to make them sparkle. Any suggestions? Also how do I get rid of the shadow by his nose?
Nikon D60 ISO 100, 1/60 sec, f/4.2, 55mm

to get rid of the shadow by the nose, i would add another light, camera right. or if i still wanted a single light source only i would make the light coming from the left softer by means of softbox or shoot through umbrella. so the shadow would be softer. i dont know if that could help or not.

[~AJ~]

Both my children have their daddy's black Maori eyes, so I feel your pain hehe....

I find if I've got my back to our big loungeroom window so that they're facing it, but on a slight angle so it's not flooding their face, I get some really lovely catch lights in their eyes.

Are you using the flash? If you are, maybe try to allow more light into the room, bump up your ISO & open your apeture right up to allow as much light as possible into the camera. I find you still get shadows, but they're a bit softer if they're from natural light if that makes sense?

[sallie]

Originally Posted by anfanglove

to get rid of the shadow by the nose, i would add another light, camera right. or if i still wanted a single light source only i would make the light coming from the left softer by means of softbox or shoot through umbrella. so the shadow would be softer. i dont know if that could help or not.

I do have a self made softbox but I didn't use it. My "model" tends to be very impatient meaning he'd much rather be playing as he should. I'll try it again with more light. I just sold my Nikon D60 and upgraded to the D90 but I am still waiting for the shipment. I'm looking forward to be able to use my speedlight off the shoe!! Thanks for the advice. I love this site!

[Benji]

The main light was too low in this image. The catchlight should be at the 11 or 1 o'clock position in the eyes. In this image they are at the 7 o'clock position. When the main light is too low the nose shadow (which should be there) will be at an angle, not straight across.

As far as brightening up his eyes, you have three problems facing you.

1. It is easier to see light colored eyes than it is to see dark colored eyes. Your son has dark eyes. It makes sense. Light colored things look brighter in a photo and dark things look dark, that is just the way it is, but that does not mean that is the way it has to stay!

2. Using speedlights for your main light will cause the pupils to open up (revealing the black centers of the eyes.) The reason for this is speedlights have no modeling light like a studio strobe has and your pupils naturally open up in a dark room. With a strong modeling light the pupils constrict and more of the colored part of the eye is visible and the colored part is lighter in color than is the black centers of the eyes. (A quick fix would be to add a 200 watt light bulb inthe umbrella or above the camera directed straight at the subject to close those eyes down. Assuming you are using an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of 1/100 and an aperture of f /5.6 or thereabouts the 200 watt light bulb (or more) WILL NOT affect the light that is being used to expose the subject and it WILL NOT affect the white balance.) I use a 500 watt "garage light" to close my subject's eyes down without any problem.

3. Having the main light at the correct height and the correct angle to the face will cause the main light to enter the whites of the eyes, which will lighten them up from the back and the eyes will appear brighter.

4. A fill light above and behind the subject will brighten up those deep dark shadows and if you leave the modeling light on it will add to the overall illumination and help close down those pupils.

You could artificially lighten them up a little bit in Photoshop but if you go too far it will look really strange.

Benji

[Jerry.Hammond]

A bigger catch light at a slightly higher angle.

[serenityFan]

Originally Posted by Benji

2. Using speedlights for your main light will cause the pupils to open up (revealing the black centers of the eyes.) The reason for this is speedlights have no modeling light like a studio strobe has and your pupils naturally open up in a dark room. With a strong modeling light the pupils constrict and more of the colored part of the eye is visible and the colored part is lighter in color than is the black centers of the eyes. (A quick fix would be to add a 200 watt light bulb inthe umbrella or above the camera directed straight at the subject to close those eyes down. Assuming you are using an ISO of 100 and a shutter speed of 1/100 and an aperture of f /5.6 or thereabouts the 200 watt light bulb (or more) WILL NOT affect the light that is being used to expose the subject and it WILL NOT affect the white balance.) I use a 500 watt "garage light" to close my subject's eyes down without any problem.

Hi, I'm new here and I was just browsing around when I read your post above. I have been playing around with portraits and catch lights lately, and not having the colored part of the eye visible like in all those professional shots has been bugging me. And you're right, trying to do them in post processing just looks weird.

So I just have to say this is like a 'eureka' moment, maybe I just need to add that modelling light (which of course I haven't done so far). I'll have to try that later.

And to the OP, sorry, didn't mean to hijack this thread, but it's just such a good idea that I had to reply here.

As for your subjects being impatient, I would normally test my light setup on myself first, once I get it close to what I want, then I would get my real subject in front of the camera.

cheers and good luck!