When looking at a portrait, we are immediately drawn to the eyes. They are without doubt the most important part of the image in conveying emotion.
As a photographer it is important to ensure eyes are tack sharp. If your camera will allow you to lock focus one handy trick is to centre the eyes, press the focus button (generally a partial depression of the shutter release button), then, with the focus locked on the eyes, recompose the image to bring the eyes to the position you need.
Marianne Cheesecake - burlesque artiste
Head posture
Looking square-on into the camera will produce an intense contact with the viewer (as in the above portrait of burlesque artiste Marianne Cheesecake.
If the model looks at the lens, then turns her head slightly, the viewer gets to see one side of her face, and often this will produce a more pleasing composition. However as she turns, firstly the catchlight ‘sparkle’ will be lost from the eye on the further side of the nose, then ultimately the far eye will be lost altogether. I personally find such ‘one-eyed’ portraits aesthetically disconcerting. Below Lisa Chenneour is looking slightly away from the camera – she could have kept the same head posture and directed her eyes back to the camera – either way the catch-lights in her eyes are both visible.
Strong photographic composition
A great way to compose and know you have a strong image is to have the eyes approximately one third of the way into the frame . (this is a composition “rule”, which imagines your image area split into three, both horizontally and vertically – align the most significant part of the image on one of those lines or, better, where a horizontal and vertical cross, to achieve an image that will have a headstart at being aesthetically pleasing.
Get a sparkle in the eyes. Shooting outside it is a good idea to shoot with the sun behind the model, and use your camera flash to fill in what would otherwise be a shadowed face – it also creates that sparkle in the eye. Without the catchlights eyes may look tired or “lifeless”.
Naturally every ‘rule’ is made to be broken. Letting a deep shadow, or the brow of a hat, obscure the eyes can create an image with an air of mystery. Check out the image below of retro model Jean Rae, taken for the vintage hat designers Rose Patricia Millinery.
Jean Rae - note the mysterious feel due to the shadowed eyes