I have been taking some head shots for use as passport photos today, and noticed that all are unusable for passports due to the softbox I've been using reflecting in the subjects eyes.
My setup is as follows:
Softbox & 430EX raised above subjects height on a light stand, angled slightly downwards and aimed at the subject. My shooting position is directly below the 430EX.
Silver Reflector held below the subject to reflect some of the light from the softbox.
At the moment I only have the 1 flash so I am having to light the background using this combo.
Not sure why a reflection in the eyes would make something unusable. Is this some passport rule?
That being said, you need to get your light source out of the angle of incidence. Best suggestion is to bounce the 430ex off the ceiling or even off the wall behind the camera. You should be fine.
Good luck,
Maybe you have more recent guidelines than me, but the first two ‘good’ images on these documents, particularly the one of the child, have distinct rectangular catchlights.
I don't see any problem with the lighting in the example, but to eliminate the catchlight entirely you could set up so you are standing close to a wall behind you and bounce a speedlight in the hot shoe backwards up into the corner behind you. That will create downward modeling with no harsh shadows similar to open shade.
If you find the angle of face-to-light is causing the brow to shade the eyes the solution is to have the subject look up more towards the corner where you are bouncing the light and then stand on a stool to raise the camera so it looks down at the same angle / / keeping the sensor / face planes parallel. That will also eliminate / minimize the chin shadow.
Another simple way to deal with the problem is use flat lighting keeping subject well away from the wall to avoid any shadow which will result in a catchlight dead center in the pupil that is very easy to eliminate with retouching using a black paint brush with nobody the wiser.
Also worth noting and correcting, your example is about 2/3 to 1 stop overexposed as revealed in this Levels evaluation:
When a shot is opened in Levels in CS5 and the opt/alt key is pressed clicking on the highlight or shadow sliders reveals any channels which are clipping and losing detail. Skin clips first in red, then green (which combined with red shows as yellow on the display on the cheeks.) The red channel in optimally exposed skin should be 1/3 below where clipping is seen in a white object held next to the face and green should be at least 2/3 below.
Bracket your exposure and use the clipping warning in the playback. To zero in on the optimal exposure have her hold something small and white like a piece of paper next to the face and adjust until it is just below clipping in the playback and you'll get optimally exposed skin.
After Don Giannatti's CreativeLive sessions, I expect that the eyeballs (glistening hemispheres) will -always- reflect something. So control what is in front of them - perhaps large black foamcore boards.
If you are indoors, you could try bouncing off the ceiling. Point softbox up and put something between the flash subject to kill catchlight (like large foamcore or cardboard) and. Just a thought...
