# How do i get myself (subject) to not have "dead eyes"



## ph0toe (Apr 7, 2021)

i guess this is more personal than skills, but no matter how i photograph myself with self timer or have someone else do it i always have dead eyes. its very unflattering and no amount of camera skills can fix that. i smile, i turn to side i do everything and nothing is fixing it. any idea?


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## wfooshee (Apr 7, 2021)

For myself, I have no idea what you mean by dead eyes...


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## smoke665 (Apr 7, 2021)

ph0toe said:


> i guess this is more personal than skills, but no matter how i photograph myself with self timer or have someone else do it i always have dead eyes. its very unflattering and no amount of camera skills can fix that. i smile, i turn to side i do everything and nothing is fixing it. any idea?



One word "light".  Either supplemental flash or a reflector.


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## Soocom1 (Apr 7, 2021)

Would have to see an example.


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## adamhiram (Apr 7, 2021)

smoke665 said:


> One word "light". Either supplemental flash or a reflector.


It's all about the catchlight in the eyes, that's what often gives them that sparkle.  Whatever the light source, its reflection in the subject's eyes will give them more life, and is probably what you are looking for.

Using some of my own examples:

This is a studio portrait where the catchlight is from a strobe in an octobox used as the key light.
In this example, the subject is facing a large bay window, which you can see reflected in the eyes.
I hope this helps!


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## Jeff15 (Apr 7, 2021)

Have you a shot we can look at..??


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## SquarePeg (Apr 7, 2021)

You need to smize- smile with your eyes.  think about something you like and make your eyes twinkle.  It’s a skill.


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## JBPhotog (Apr 7, 2021)

You can also add a catchlight in post, if that helps the dead eyes look.


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## PJM (Apr 7, 2021)

SquarePeg said:


> You need to smize- smile with your eyes.  think about something you like and make your eyes twinkle.  It’s a skill.


Can you demo that for us?


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## weepete (Apr 7, 2021)

A couple of tricks that do work, you'll want to smile so as your eyes wrinkle a little, that helps. Another tip is to think of one of your best memories and let yourself smile. Sounds daft, but it really works, you can even practise it off camera. Interestingly it also changes your voice in a subtle way that other people can tell, even with no visual cues. Get that and catchlights you should be good.


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## wfooshee (Apr 7, 2021)

I used to have the hardest time with one of my stepdaughters. She'd taken dance, and had that posed, pasted-on smile down pat. "Smile for the picture!" and nothing, just teeth. No glow, no eyes, not even cheeks, hardly. it was a grimace, not a smile!

I'm just adding this to point out that a genuine smile includes the entire face, and _especially_ the eyes. It has to be real to do that.

It may be that all you are missing is catchlights in the eyes. An example would certainly help!


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## nokk (Apr 7, 2021)

you need catchlights in the eyes.  if you make them look too glassy then you'll just look high or demonic, so don't overdo it.  if you don't have them, or want to strengthen existing catchlights, you can add/increase them in with the dodge tool, or in photoshop use a white brush on a new layer and play with the layer blending modes & opacity.  overlay is usually good to start with.


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## SquarePeg (Apr 7, 2021)

PJM said:


> SquarePeg said:
> 
> 
> > You need to smize- smile with your eyes.  think about something you like and make your eyes twinkle.  It’s a skill.
> ...


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## jcdeboever (Apr 8, 2021)

buy colored contacts


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## smoke665 (Apr 8, 2021)

@SquarePeg In the south that would be a "Bless your heart" look.


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## JBPhotog (Apr 8, 2021)

These are from a heavily cropped pin-up shoot. The butterfly lighting works for the face but missed the catchlights in the eyes, so I added them in post.


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## smoke665 (Apr 8, 2021)

@JBPhotog 's examples illustrate another important part of life like eyes. A catch light is more than a specular highlight off the surface of the cornea. Light is actually  passing through the pupil and reflecting back off the retina.  If your light is aimed straight on the eye that reflection would come straight back through the pupil and show up as "red eye", but if that light comes in at an angle it is reflected back at an equal opposite angle (angle of incidence) providing back lighting of the iris. Note how in his second image he not only added a catch light at the top of the eye, but also brightened the iris in the bottom half.


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## Braineack (Apr 13, 2021)

Peter Hurley talks about it all the time


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## smoke665 (Apr 13, 2021)

Interesting discussion, in addition to the "Dead Eyes" mentioned by the OP and the "Smize" demonstrated by @SquarePeg , I'm sure everyone has heard of "Bedroom Eyes", and "Sparkling Eyes", but how about "Devious", "Wild-Eyed", "Penetrating", "Enchanting", "Cold", "Icy", "Tired", "Glistening", "Watery", "Peering", "Captivating", "Tantalizing", "Devouring", "Doe Eyed"..........the list goes on and on. Anyone want to try examples of these??? LOL


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## Jason LB (Apr 13, 2021)

I have the same issue- dead eyes, fake looking smile,  insincere appearance, unnatural.  Unless....my photo is taken by a close friend. then, those dead eyes and the rest disappear.  If a stranger takes my photo, forget it.  It's about the "energy" you feel when your photo is being taken.  If you're sincerely happy about the person who's behind the camera, if  they know you well, I'd bet your image looks 100% better. This is true for me at least.


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