Capturing Catchlights in Photography

Catchlights in photography are simply the specular highlight (reflection) of the light source in the subject’s eyes. This highlight helps give life and that extra spark to a portrait.

Catchlights can be achieved using any light source, even ambient light; though, you will have more control when using a flash or strobe. In these cases, the size and shape of the catchlights will depend on your light source and light modifiers.

The main image of this article was shot using one softbox about 4 feet from the model. The result is a fairly large square catchlight. I could’ve influenced the size of the catchlight by changing the distance of the softbox, and I could’ve switched to an umbrella or octabox to give it a rounder or more octagonal shape

For this reason, catchlights come in handy to those who are trying to reverse engineer the photo’s lighting setup. By just looking at the highlights in the subject’s eyes, you can approximate the shape, size, placement, and distance of the light source relative to the subject.

Looking at this second example, a large octabox was placed 3-4 feet to the subject’s right. Even though the light source is not entirely reflected in the subject’s eyes, you can make out the resulting octagonal-shaped catchlights.

Your job as a photographer is to keep an eye on the catchlights (pun intended, unfortunately). Each new light source you introduce to the front of your subject could appear in the subject’s eyes. It’s important to be aware of this and to make sure that the highlights aren’t unflattering or distracting.

In this last example, the face of the model is being lit by a bare bulb flash. The catchlights are fully in view in the eyes and end up being very small and sharp.

Now It’s Your Turn
Quite honestly, most viewers will not consciously notice the catchlights in your photos. Photographers and artists are perhaps the only ones who are knowingly aware of their presence or absence. That doesn’t mean that catchlights aren’t important. On the contrary, these highlights yield discreet life and depth that are very important to your portraits.

Get some practice positioning catchlights in your portrait compositions. Some common placements are at the 10 and 2 o’clock position, but there are no steadfast rules on this. Do what best serves the picture.

You don’t have to own expensive lighting equipment in order to capture these highlights; you can use a regular household lamp, a candle, sunlight, etc. You can also experiment with adding your own artificial catchlights afterwards in Photoshop.