Title: Focused Attention.

What does the term “Catch Lighting” mean?

Catch light or catchlight is a term used to describe either the highlight in a subject’s eye from a light source, or the light source itself. They are sometimes referred to as “eye lights” or “Obies” in reference to the photographer Merle Oberon, who frequently used the technique. Think of them as the “spark” in a subject’s eye and the technique is useful in both still and motion pictures. Adding a catch light draws attention to the subject’s eyes, which may otherwise get lost among other elements in the scene.

So why am I bringing up catch lighting? Well… I feel catch lights in the eyes are extremely important in all forms of portraiture. Whether the catch lights are from a natural light source, such as a window, or an artificial light source from a flash/strobe they should be present. The closer the light source is to the subject, the larger the catch lights and when I use artificial light I try to mimic natural light as much as possible so I tend to shoot with square soft boxes on my light sources as it helps mimic what would occur if the subject were near a window.

So the next time you find yourself indoors or outdoors with a friend, look at his/her eyes… what shape are the catch lights? I observe the catch lights in the eyes of every person I meet, as it makes for good practice in “seeing” photographically - as well as keeping me in eye contact with the person I’m speaking with.