Lighting (studio) and catch lights

[iwannac2]

OK.... with the help from members of this forum, I have my remedial studio lighting setup - flashes, reflectors, umbrellas, backgrounds, and other associated accessories. Thanks to all who helped me wrap my head around various things.

So for the past month or so, I've been experimenting up the wazoo, and am just thrilled with the (preliminary) results I am getting so far..... and now that I start to zoom in on the digital images (on the computer), I notice a new "issue" - or just something I wonder if others have come across - and that is the catchlights in the eyes.

When using light sources (whether a window, strobe, reflector) - and there is more than one source (cause you're bouncing light into shadows, etc.) have you ever had the issue of multiple or oddly placed catchlights? I guess it's best explained with a scenario....

Model - head and shoulder shot - looking directly into camera for effect. One light is placed camera right and slightly in front of and above the model (but closer to the side of the model - more lighting from the side than the front for a specific effect). A second light source (tried strobe, reflector - same results) is placed on camera left (right of the model) and more in lower front to bounce light back onto the darker side of the face to eliminate the shadows.... and click. So now, when I zoom into their eyes I get one of two different results......

Either there are two catchlights in each eye (one from each source on opposite sides of each eye), or (after moving lighting around a bit), I get one catch light on the right side of the right eye (model's left eye)from the camera right light, and the other catch light on the left side of the model's right eye from the reflected light source - so basically the catchlights look "wall-eyed" - or each catchlight is on the opposite side of the eye from each other.

Has anyone else encountered this, and how did you work around it? Is it a lighting placement thing, or is it just an unavoidable effect that needs to be corrected in PhotoShop?

Thanks for any insight (yet again).

Daryl

[jerryph]

Yes, all the time.

The answer is... you can do one of 3 things...

1. Learn to live with it.

2. Learn to create the kind of catchlights that you like by controling location and intensity of the lights,

3. Learn how to make your own catchlights in post.

Which do I use? All 3 (but never in the same photo), depending on my mood and desire. I love catchlights. Ever look at the paintings of the masters? They nearly *all* had them and most have 2 not one catchlight per eye!

PS - I hope your wazoo isn't too sore... LOL

[iwannac2]

Thanks Jerry.... I kept thinking that I was doing something terribly wrong... And when trying to look at the pro photogs, I just couldn't come across it ... Yes sometimes I see 2, but they were at least on the same side of the eye... That I can live with. So I am now more comfortable in having to touch it up if necessary in PS without feeling like I failed.

And no, my wazoo is fine... I do give it a break from time to time.

[jerryph]

LOL...

I used to be a bit of a purist and when I used a softbox I removed the square/rectangular catchlights and replaced them with round ones. Lately, I am starting to like whatever shape the catchlights are as long as they are in a part of the eye that I find pleasing.

I still kinda prefer one set of catchlights, though, as it is subliminally representative of the sun, which is where catchlights were originally seen, and when naturally recurring, since there is only one sun, we see one set of catchlights.

I place the lights in such a manner that only one set of catchlights occurs.