1. A method for locating and identifying an iris in an image taken by a camera associated with an iris recognition system comprising an image sensor and a plurality of illuminators, comprising the steps of: illuminating a subject; capturing at least one image of the subject wherein the image comprises a plurality of pixels; determining a brightness value for each of the plurality of pixels; identifying specularities in the iris from the brightness values for each of the plurality of pixels, the specularities defining a brightest pixel set; determining a location corresponding to each pixel in the brightest pixel set; and identifying the iris in the at least one image from the location of each pixel in the brightest pixel set and a pattern formed by the brightest pixel set.