The world of macro photography offers countless fascinating subjects, but few are as captivating as eyes and irises. However, as with any intriguing subject, capturing them in detail can be quite challenging.

In this guide, I’ll share essential tips, techniques, and insights to help you photograph eyes—just like the example above—all on your own. It’s important to note that achieving the highest image quality often requires a flash, making your first challenge finding a suitable subject or model.

This tutorial will walk you through photographing your own iris, though the same methods can be applied to any subject’s eyes.

Essential Equipment:

• Camera with a Macro Lens – Longer focal lengths yield better results.
• Flash or Bright Light Source – Essential for sharp, well-lit images.
• Circular Polarizing Filter – Helps reduce reflections and enhance details.
• Tripod – Provides stability for precise focus.
• Patience – A key element for achieving the perfect shot.
• Support or Headrest – Especially useful if you’re photographing your own eye.

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Setting Up

Let’s begin! The first step is to set up your scene properly. As mentioned earlier, you’ll need a stable surface to rest your head on, ideally with additional support to keep it steady. This will help maintain focus and prevent motion blur.

For my setup, I used a flash bracket (a long, flat bar) combined with a few repurposed GoPro accessories. This setup can be mounted onto a sturdy tripod, providing stability for precise shots while maintaining continuous focus.

Alternatively, you can create your own setup by positioning your head in the corner of two walls for support. If you prefer a DIY approach, you can use screw clamps, scrap wood, and a few screws to build a custom stabilizing structure.

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Framing the Shot

Capturing your own eye can be challenging since you’ll constantly shift between checking the composition on the flip screen and looking directly into the lens. To make the process easier, I recommend using a smaller magnification ratio rather than trying to fill the entire frame with your iris. While this approach sacrifices some image resolution, it significantly simplifies the shooting process and improves overall accuracy.

Managing Light and Reflections

For my initial setup, I used a macro ring flash, which provided even and well-distributed lighting. However, it also created a distinct reflection in my eye that was difficult to eliminate.

To minimize this issue, I experimented with a reversed 28mm lens at its shortest working distance, which helped push the reflections toward the outer edges of my iris. Unfortunately, while this adjustment reduced the reflection, the results were still not ideal.

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To solve this issue, I replaced the ring light with an off-camera flash and swapped the reversed 28mm lens for a reversed 50mm lens mounted on a 2x teleconverter. This adjustment allowed me to maintain an optimal working distance of approximately two inches. With this setup, enough light could enter my eye without being obstructed by the lens, resulting in better illumination and reduced reflections.

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However, using an off-camera flash introduced new challenges, as reflections from the speedlight and other objects in the studio became visible in my eye. To counter this, I attached a circular polarizing filter to the front of my lens. This effectively reduced glare and minimized unwanted reflections, resulting in a cleaner and more polished image.

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Cross-Polarization with a Second CPL Filter

To enhance the effectiveness of the CPL filter on my lens, I also attached a second CPL filter to my speedlight. This setup enabled cross-polarization, significantly reducing glare and reflections.

Cross-polarization works by positioning polarizing filters on both the light source and the lens in opposite orientations. This technique effectively minimizes specular highlights, resulting in a cleaner and more detailed image. The comparison images below demonstrate the impact of this method.

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However, even without using cross-polarization, you can still control the quality of light and reduce reflections in your eye by simply adjusting the position of your light source.

Through experimentation, I found that the best results were achieved by positioning the light at approximately 110 degrees from the eye and 70 degrees from the camera. This placement ensures sufficient illumination while keeping unwanted reflections to a minimum, resulting in a clearer and more natural-looking image.

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Of course, specular highlights and unavoidable reflections from your own eyelashes can always be refined during post-processing. However, while eliminating all distractions may create the clearest possible view of the eye, it also comes with a risk—over-editing can make the eye appear flat and lifeless.

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For this reason, when creating the composite image below, I chose to add back some subtle flares. This helped restore a sense of depth and natural vibrancy, preventing the eye from looking too flat or artificial.

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Capturing Eye Photos Outdoors

Another approach is to photograph the human eye using natural ambient light outdoors.

However, this method requires a significant amount of light and is best suited for bright, sunny days. Even then, achieving sharp results will often require a fast shutter speed, a tripod, and potentially a higher ISO to compensate for lower light levels.

Since ambient light is uncontrolled, glare and reflections—especially from the camera lens—are unavoidable. To minimize this, you can experiment with shooting from an angle. This technique not only reduces unwanted reflections but also allows you to capture a unique perspective, incorporating the surrounding environment as a reflection within the eye itself, as shown in the image below.

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Video Tutorial on Eye Photography

For a step-by-step visual guide, check out this video tutorial on photographing your own eye. It walks you through the setup, lighting techniques, and best practices to achieve stunning macro eye shots.