Catchlights

Remember that one thing in old films, where photographers have this little stick with a bird doll at the end? Then you hear the line, "Watch the birdie!"

I've been reading on facial analysis in photography recently and found out how catchlights are very crucial in portraiture. It makes a subject's eyes larger and will become the focus of a portrait's composition. Now, what does this have to do with birdies?

This is just a speculation, but I believe it's for the subject to follow around with their eyes, with the photographer trying to find a nice placement of the catchlight and, at the same time, have a semi-candid photograph as it creates a comical feel. But of course, depending on the portraiture mood, the usage is optional.

One could say that there is a method photographer, a person who puts the mood he/she wants to have into his medium, one is photo, through himself first, then transpose it to a subject. The photographer then will create a setup that he will be comfortable in, rather than a superimposed subtext or mood.

Now, with catchlights, one can create a gleaming mood, magical, joyful or enchanting. A composition without catchlights would suggest mischief, brooding and anti-social due to the eyes' blackness.

So basically, catchlights are really optional, but highly crucial in its use.

Damn, photography isn't just composing, lighting and clicking shutters with technicalities and what-withs. It's composing with impositions, symbolisms and allegories. With so many "amateur photographers" who own DSLR's today, or for the reason of having them for the sake of passing Concept Photography classes, make the buy worth it by studying a bit more, rather than having it for the hell of it.

Cheers.

More on catchlights, facial analysis, etc., here.