We talk a ton about different lighting setups and how they affect tonal transitions, strength of shadows, etc., but rarely do we investigate how the way we work with our lights affects our subjects’ pupil size, and yet, that plays a large role in a person’s perception of a portrait.

Coming to you from the Koldunov Brothers, this interesting video examines how using different intensities of the modeling light on your studio strobe will produce vastly different results in terms of subject pupil size. With strobes, though the light output is bright, it’s too short to cause the pupils to constrict, so the size of your subject’s pupils will be dependent on the amount of continuous light (both from your modeling light and anything else in the room). Psychologists have studied the effects of pupil size on anything from revealing deception to sexual attraction, with dilated pupils often signaling attraction and creating a similar response in the person perceiving said pupils. As such, portraits with constricted pupils are often considered to be less favorable, but on the flip side, portraits with overly dilated pupils look unnatural. Which do you prefer? Watch the video and let us know!

[via No Film School]