While taking photographs, many dental photographers focus only on capturing teeth correctly in terms of the technique.
If you want to create great portraits, you can’t forget about the eyes and what is reflected in them. Catchlights in the eyes usually look attractive and make your portraits true eye-catchers.
“The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reveal the truth about the human” – you have already read or heard something like that, haven’t you? Because it’s a rather risky statement on a blog for dentists, I’ll say that apart from a pretty smile it is the eyes that are most important in a portrait.
When taking portrait photographs of their patients, most doctors concentrate on the correct focus setting. Usually we focus on the eyes or the teeth and more and more cameras are equipped with the function of their automatic detection. But not only the focus is important – the light reflected in the eyes of the person matters too.
Leonardo da Vinci applied catchlights to make the people he painted look more vivid. The ability of setting up and selecting light appropriately, will give your portraits extraordinary character. The light will be reflected in the eyes differently depending on if it comes through the window, from the softbox, or from the ring lamp. Remember about this while taking photographs and take time to set up the light or the model right.
The simplest way to achieve a pretty catchlight is to use the reflector.
Below you can see a few shots from our session held while recording with Carlos Ayala. We photographed our model, Michelle, in such a manner that the reflector can be seen in her eyes.
In our daily routine, we don’t notice the light reflected in human eyes because this is something common. A person appearing in a photograph without catchlights might look unnatural. Catchlights can be additionally enhanced in post-production, which doesn’t require advanced skills. The video below presents photographs by famous photographers, thanks to which it’s clear how much difference is made by these small reflections (or their lack).
I hope that this article has encouraged you a bit to experiment with lighting.
If you want to learn more about portrait lighting, I recommend the following lessons:
The key features of Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro include an advanced optical system, maximum magnification of 5:1, high resolution and excellent colouring of the photographs.
Impressive close-ups within reach
Photos: Alberto Ghizzi Panizza, Jie Ge, Gil Wizen
The optical system of Venus Optics Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro ensures image magnification from 2.5 to 5x. It’s composed of 8 elements in 6 groups, and one of them is made of ultra low dispersion glass. The manufacturer emphasises that thanks to such a design we can enjoy an appropriate correction of chromatic aberration, as well as images characterised by high sharpness and high reproducibility of colours.
Apart from that, each element composing the system is covered with anti-reflection coatings, which should minimise light reflection and appearance of hot spots and flares within the frame. In addition, the overall contrast of photographs in challenging conditions will be improved. The depth of field is ensured by the 8-blade diaphragm with the range of f/2.8-f/16. The focal length of 25 mm, in turn, is responsible for the 10.3-degree angle of view.
Venus Optics Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro is sized 82 x 65 mm and weighs 400 g. Of course, it’s a fully manual macro glass, which offers an effective focusing capability ranging from 173 to 223.5 mm. The lens is already available for preorder with Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony FE and Pentax K mounts. It costs 399 dollars.
An interesting option is that you can buy an adapter for the Micro Four Thirds (M43) system, so also the users of small mirrorless cameras can tap the potential of this glass.
Key features:
Focal length: 25 mm
Open F value: F 2.8
Field of View: 10.3 degrees
Lens construction: 6 groups 8 pieces
Minimum aperture: F16
Maximum aperture: F 2.8
Minimum photographing distance: 173 mm to 223.5 mm
Working Distance: 40 mm – 45 mm
Shooting magnification: 2.5 times to 5 times
Number of diaphragm blades: 8
Weight: 400 g
Corresponding mount: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony FE
After delivering two very interesting wide-angle lenses, Irix is releasing a tele-macro model, which may be one of the most perfect designs intended for dental photography.
The Irix 150 mm f /2.8 lens should meet the requirements of even the choosiest users dealing with macro photography. The manufacturer has announced that the lens contains premium optics inside a very robust sealed enclosure. With the focal length of 150 mm and the magnification ratio of 1:1, Irix 150 mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens offers exceptionally convenient work. The higher focal length allows you to move away from the subject, so casting a shadow is no longer a problem, and using external lamps has never been more comfortable.
Zero distortion and easy focusing
The optical system is composed of 12 elements in 9 groups, with three of them made of extra-low-dispersion glass and four others of high refractive index glass. The manufacturer promises that the effect achieved by such a design is unnoticeable distortion of 0.1%. We also get an internal focusing system, thanks to which the glass does not change its size during the focusing. What’s more, the 11-blade diaphragm is supposed to give a pleasant bokeh and to make the diffraction appear much later than in other designs when it is closed down to higher values (up to f/32).
The glass will let you focus already at the distance of 34.5 cm, while the wide rubber ring with the rotation angle of 270 degrees should guarantee high precision and improve your work culture. Another useful option available is the possibility to lock the focus ring.
Robust sealed structure
Apart from that, we get a new version of the Dragonfly finish, which combines the advantages of Firefly and Blackstone lenses. As a result, the whole is relatively light and handy (87 x 135 mm, 840 g) but is still robust – the aluminium frame was enclosed inside an outer structure made of aluminium-magnesium alloys and composite elements. There are also sealings in 5 key places (front element, focus lock ring, focus ring and bayonet mount), thanks to which you’ll be able to work in any conditions. You can screw filters with the diameter of 77 mm on the front element.
In addition, the lens is equipped with a processor, which lets you control the lens aperture from the camera level, and with an AE module, which enables semi-automatic modes (PASM). Owing to this solution you’ll get a confirmation of focus from the camera level and record full EXIF data. The set includes a lens with a deep sun hood, a tripod collar according to the Arca Swiss standard and a rigid case for safe transport and storage.
Price and availability
For the time being, the manufacturer has not disclosed the exact date and the price at which the new lens will be launched. The glass will be available in versions with Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mounts.
So we’re waiting for a really interesting piece here.
Key features:
Focal length: 150mm
Format: 35mm “full frame”
Mount: Nikon F, Canon EF, Pentax K
Max aperture: f/2.8
Min aperture: f/32
Field of view: 16° (diagonal)
Minimum focus distance: 34.5cm
Focus: Manual
Focus throw: 270°
Magnification: 1:1
Aperture blades: 11
Optics: 12 elements in 9 groups
Filter thread: 77mm
Dimensions: 87 x 135mm (without lens hood or tripod collar)
Weight: 840g
More information about the lenses by this manufacturer can be found under irixlens.com
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