Removing flash reflection from eyes?

[Mike]

What is the preferred method for removing flash/umbrella reflection from eyes? In Richard's post of Emma Grace you can see the reflection of the flash. I took the liberty of doing what I intuitively thought would make it better, used clone stamp to make the entire pupil the same color (near black). It not only didn't make the picture better it makes the young lady look a bit demonic. My apologies to Emma.

From a previous thread in this Discussion a picture where you can make out the umbrella reflected in the eyes.

I imagine I will get similar results with a reflector, just got the kit one of this weekend's projects. Is there a good technique to prevent or clean up the reflection in the eyes?

Thanks,
Mike

[David Kilpatrick]

This is a bit funny, since we used to spend ages with ferricyanide bleach (Farmer's Reducer) or a scalpel carefully putting catchlights into the eyes of portraits if they were missing. The absence of catchlights was considered a big no-no in studio or location portrait work. Where two or more catchlights appeared, the reverse would be done - spotting medium or dye was used to remove all but the most attractive reflection.

The portrait of Emma Grace loses out if the small (well shaped) catchlight is removed. Umbrella reflections are a different matter. Beauty photographers prefet to use a 'Beauty dish' to an umbrella, because it presents a perfectly round even light (sometimes with a cap spot in the middle, but the best use translucent caps which balance the light). I am missing a beauty dish from my line-up and would use a softbox instead. This makes a square catchlight. As the objective is always to use the box as close as possible to the subject, the catchlight can form a large reflection. To make this look natural, some studio portrait experts will apply masking tape to the softbox in a pattern which resembles the glazing bars of a traditional window.

It's considered acceptable to have a reflection of a natural or existing shape in the eye - like a window, or sky through trees. It is considered unacceptable to have one particular shape - guess what? The studio brolly. It is just an intrusive shape, and only happens in studio portraits. Even worse would be two large brollies reflected.

David