hair over them. In this case, make sure that the subject’s hair isn’t tucked be-
hind her ear, as this will make the ears stand out. Larger ears can also stick out
through the hair, making them appear really large.
Without hair to conceal them, the best way to reduce the appearance of the
ears is to turn the face toward the main light until the ear on the main-light
side of the face is obscured from the camera’s view. Then, move the fill source
farther from the subject to increase the shadow on the visible ear, or move the
main light more to the side of the subject to create a shadow over the ear. Re-
ducing the separation between the subject and the background in this area will
also make the outline of the ear less visible. Overhead hair lights should be
turned off to avoid highlighting the top of the ear.
In a situation where the ears are so large that they can’t be hidden in this
manner, you have two choices: either let the ears be seen or highlight only the
“mask” of the face, letting both sides of the face fall into shadow.
Noses.The nose is seen because of the shadows that are around it. By turn-
ing the face more toward the light or bringing the main light more toward the
camera, you can reduce the shadow on the side of the nose and thereby reduce
the apparant size of the nose. Butterfly lighting, using the main light directly
over the camera and a reflector underneath the subject (see chapter 5 for more
on this), can also reduce the apparent size of the nose. This type of lighting
compacts the nose by completely eliminating the shadows on each side of it.
Shininess, and the strong highlight that runs down the nose on shiny skin,
also draws attention to the size of the nose. Usually, this is only a problem with
guys (or when working outdoors on very warm days). Ladies usually wear a
translucent powder that eliminates this shine. By keeping a few shades of this
powder handy you can save yourself a great deal of time in retouching.
Eyes.Corrective posing can help a client who has eyes that are either too
small or too large. Most people want their eyes to look as large as possible. By
turning the face to the side (toward the main light) and bringing the subject’s
gaze back to the camera, the pupil of the eye goes more toward the corner of
the eye opening and gives the eye more impact, as well as a larger appearance.
With a person whose eyes tend to bulge, however, the face needs to be directed
more toward the camera. You must also make sure that no catchlight appears
on the whites of the eye, as this will draw a great deal of attention to this area
and make it much too bright.
Eyeglasses.Eyeglasses will always be a problem if you don’t advise your clients
to get empty frames from their eye doctors. Nonreflective lenses make life a lit-
tle easier, but anytime there is glass in a pair of frames, you end up lighting and
posing the subject to make the glasses look good, rather than to make the sub-
ject look good.
In our studio, we use a light or reflector under the subject to add a more
glamorous look to the lighting, as well as to bring out more of the eye color andPOSING 83We use a light
or reflector under the
subject to add a more
glamorous look.