One of the most complicated photographs to take is, without a doubt, the photo of the iris. Believe it or not, this hides a lot, because you have to take into account that the iris reflects what you see, which is why you should not only look at what you photograph, but also at what you see in that eye.
How about we help you with Some tips for getting a good iris photo that will leave everyone else with their mouths open? Then pay attention to these tricks because they can help you achieve that result you're hoping for. Let's get to it!
Bet on good photography equipment
You won't achieve anything if you don't have good photography equipment to get the best results. And to do so, you'll have to invest in it, if you don't have it already. As we've said before, iris photos are the most complicated, not only capturing the moment of the eye, but also giving it the depth and effect you want. Therefore, if you have a good camera and accessories, it will be much easier.
Well, for this we recommend the following:
- Goals. Lenses are like your ace in the hole. Since the iris is not very large, you need to get very close to capture the best details. And that is what you can achieve with different lenses. But of course, not just any lenses will do. According to professionals, photos with a medium focal length, between 50 and 150 mm, are the best because you can get a close-up, but at the same time, you won't make the person nervous. Also, keep in mind that the closer you get, the easier it is for the other person to blink more nervously, which will make it harder for you to get a good photo of the eye or for it to not move. Within lenses, always opt for macro lenses, which are ideal for this type of photos.
- Polarizing filter. This accessory can help you avoid reflections and glare appearing in the iris that spoil the appearance of your photo. It will also make your photos look sharper, with better contrast and saturation.
- Macrophotography head. Like the previous one, it is not essential, but the results are much better with it because the image will be more precise.
Lighting and location
Another of the most important aspects of iris photography is the lighting and the location where you take the photo. In fact, a bad choice of these two points can ruin the photo session you do.
So, in the first point, always choose a place where have good lighting because you can't use flash to take this type of photos. Natural light is best. This can be direct and constant, for example, the sun shining in your eyes.
This brings us to a major problem: the fact that you blink more. If that happens, you might want to consider taking profile photos, as this can help reduce blinking while also achieving other equally impressive results.
Regarding the location, try to get the person you are going to photograph to look in a specific direction, not directly at you to avoid the eye reflecting your own reflection. This can sometimes be solved by editing the photo, but in other cases a simple change can result in you not being seen.
And how to do it? Well, for example, by taking the photo from another angle, or asking the person to focus on another object.
Camera parameters
As we have said before, good equipment is essential to take a good photo of the iris. But be careful, because it is useless to have good equipment if you do not know how to take advantage of it and set the exact parameters for this type of photographs.
Specifically, we recommend you:
- Intermediate aperture, between f/5.6 and f/8. Depending on the person, you can play with the range we have mentioned.
- High shutter speed. Specifically, at least 1/125 to ensure that the iris is not captured blurry or moved.
- Live view mode. This will allow you to manually focus the camera and thus be able to zoom in to focus on the pupil and iris. This is where you have to focus on the center of the photo, leaving everything around the eye as an accessory that is not of interest (in fact, it won't matter if it looks blurry).
Use a tripod
Although a tripod is not a necessary or mandatory accessory, we do recommend it for iris photos, especially if you want to focus on the person you are photographing and leave the camera fixed in one spot.
This has its strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, The fact that the camera does not move will give more stability to the photo you take, Plus the person may feel more comfortable knowing that you're not going to approach them.
On the other hand, you would have the problem of the person moving, so even if you position the camera and center the lens to be photographed, which is the iris, if it moves, the photo will not come out well unless you are keeping an eye on the tripod to move it at all times.
Edit the photo
The last tip we have for taking a photo of the iris is editing the photos. It is true that it is not the best, especially if you like natural photos. But sometimes, to get the best out of an image, running it through an image editing program can be the best option.
Specifically, we recommend that you focus on the exposure, contrast and saturation settings. You just have to see the before and after to realize what you can achieve with it.
Now all that's left for you to do is to do your own experiments with a photo of the iris and see what you can achieve. Do you have any other tips you'd like to share? Leave them in the comments below.