The Photography Tip of the Week #043

Posted by Philip in Podcast

043 Photography Tip of the Week (audio)

It’s all in the eyes

“The eyes are the window to the soul.” I don’t know how true that is in real life or as real as a metaphysical determination of an interesting quote can go. But in photography, the eyes are the most important feature you must photograph. Except if you are doing landscape photography… or architecture photography, … or abstract photography, … or space photography, … or food photography, … or product shots, … Well, it is the most important feature in people photography. While in a shoot with people, you have to concentrate on the eyes. With multiple people in a shot, the person with the clearest/sharpest eyes in the photo is most likely going to become the person people notice first. The eyes also set the tone of the photo.

Finding photos that are good/reasonable but don’t show the focus is difficult and I must admit rather embarrassing. I don’t like showing off photos that aren’t up to my standards. Here’s one that is what I would consider marginal. Over all I like the look. The motion blur in the background is nice and if you can’t tell this is taken at a skate rink. I was panning with my subject so I got some wispiness in her hair, but all around the image is slightly out of focus. Not enough for most people to notice, but enough to get a ho-hum.

Here’s why, take a look at her eye at full resolution. There’s a softness to it that isn’t unpleasant, but it isn’t exciting. That overall softness may be nice for someone showing some age, but for her features it’s unnecessary.

This shot was taken later and obviously she wasn’t skating. I also used a very bright flash, in this case bouncing off the ceiling with a bit directed at her so I could get the catch lights in her eyes. Even though you may not notice it, this image has quite a bit of noise in it, but it doesn’t detract because her eyes are sharp and bright. They are the obvious focus and set the tone. Fortunately they don’t say who is this guy with the camera. They say, I see you and I know you are looking at me. Eh, maybe not. But it certainly sounds good.

So now lets take a look at the eyes at full resolution. Sharp, bright and a nifty catch light from the flash. The rest of the photo could have errors, blemishes or a tight depth of field. As long as the eyes are sharp, the image will stand out.