Catchlights with side lighting?

Sometimes I use side lighting to get dramatic effects, particularly when
shooting men. But then there are no catchlights in the eyes, or at least
not in the iris. Has anyone here ever had luck using a reflector or even a
separate light just to provide catch lights, but without adding significant
front lighting to the subject? Or are those mutually exclusive?

On Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:51:31 -0500, Peabody
wrote:

Sometimes I use side lighting to get dramatic effects, particularly when
shooting men.

Why just men?

On Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:51:31 -0500, Peabody wrote:

Sometimes I use side lighting to get dramatic effects, particularly when
shooting men. But then there are no catchlights in the eyes, or at
least not in the iris. Has anyone here ever had luck using a reflector
or even a separate light just to provide catch lights, but without
adding significant front lighting to the subject? Or are those mutually
exclusive?

Have you tried using a small reflector such as a sheet of A4 paper?



--
Neil
Reverse ‘a’ and ‘r’
Remove ‘l’ to get address.

Peabody wrote:

Sometimes I use side lighting to get dramatic effects, particularly when
shooting men. But then there are no catchlights in the eyes, or at least
not in the iris. Has anyone here ever had luck using a reflector or even a
separate light just to provide catch lights, but without adding significant
front lighting to the subject? Or are those mutually exclusive?

To add the maximum catch light with the minimum addition of front
lighting use the smallest light source (such as an LED flashlight with
reflector removed). Make its power no higher than needed for the
catchlight by turning it down or moving it back.

If you can turn it down low enough and the other light is strong
enough your camera's pop up (or a hot shoe flash) might do the
job. You can also mask a flash reflector by putting a card with a
small hole in front of it.

It would be better camouflaged by moving it off to the side of the
side lighting, but not quite so far as to lose the catchlight.

I've done some of these sometimes, and never found I couldn't with
suitable trial and error make it work.

--
Chris Malcolm