There is a saying which states that the eyes are the window to a person's soul. It is important to know how to handle people's eyes in portrait photography, as the way the eyes are represented in a photo can make or break the photo.

For example, Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl photo, which appeared on the cover of the June 1984 National Geographic Magazine, was named "the most recognised photograph" in the history of the magazine. This was primarily due to her piercing sea-green eyes, staring straight at the camera, resulting in a very striking and appealing portrait.



With portrait photography, it is important to ensure the eyes are in focus. This is particularly important if shooting with a large aperture, when the depth-of-focus is small.
A portrait with the eyes in focus will have more impact, will be more appealing, and the eyes will help draw the viewer into the image.

Samantha

Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @70mm, 1/640 sec, f/4, ISO200

To ensure your camera focuses on the eyes, configure it to use only one focus point, and compose the shot with this focus point on the eyes, half-press the shutter button to focus, and then re-compose and take the photo.



In portrait photography, the iris (coloured section around the pupil) of the eyes should be visible, but there shouldn't be any white above or below the iris.

If the eyes are deep-set, use some fill-flash or a reflector to fill the shadows under the eyes.

Michelle

Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @66mm, 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO100

In the image above, a highlight/catchlight from the flash is visible in the pupils of Michelle's eyes.

It's not necessary to have the subject's eyes looking towards the camera.
However, if the eyes are not looking at the camera, be aware that the viewer's eyes tend to follow the direction of subject's gaze, which can lead the viewer's eyes out of the frame. In this case, it can be worthwhile to include more of the background, so the subject's gaze falls within the frame.

Kira concentrating on Rummikub

Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @83mm, 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO100

In the image above, Kira's gaze is directed at the Rummikub tile which she is holding, so her gaze is within the frame, rather than leading the viewer's eye out of the frame.



If using flash, you need to be wary of the red-eye effect than can result from light reflecting from the flash back to the camera. This typically occurs if the flash is mounted close to the camera lens.

There are a few options for preventing and minimising red-eyes:

• move the flash off the camera , either with a hot-shoe flash, flash cable, or wireless flash triggers
• bounce the flash off the ceiling or a nearby wall
• spread the light from the flash with diffuser
• turn on red-eye reduction mode on your camera (it'll pre-flash to make the pupils smaller to reduce visible red spot)
• remove red eyes via software during post-processing

When post-processing portraits, some minimal adjustments can help draw the viewer's attention to the eyes. Lightening the whites of the eyes (using Photoshop's dodge tool) can be worthwhile, although you need to be careful not to over-do it, as that will lead to un-natural results.
Applying additional sharpening to the eyes only can also work well. However, this also needs to be done in moderation, as too much sharpening will detract from the resulting image.



One last comment - despite all the talk about the importance of eyes, it's not always necessary to even have the eyes in the frame. Below is an example where the eyes are not visible at all.

Samantha undergoing phototherapy to treat her jaundice

Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @70mm, 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO400