The Truth About Red Eye

Brace yourselves because the fact is anyone who has red eye in photographs posesses demonic attributes or heat vision super powers. Ya know, I’m not quite sure, I constantly mix them up.

We shall investigate. My test subjects today are Alex and Maddie who were volunteered by their incredibly smart mom who reads my blogs and found me at Kringla Bakeri og Cafe.

We set up a quickie photoshoot inside Stave Church, also located in the Norway pavillion. I needed a dimly lit area in order to force the truth out of their cute little selves.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS, Auto with flash

Alex’s light blue eyes stayed true to their color while his little sister’s green/hazel eyes’ retinas reflected the light, showing us the blood vessels nourishing her eyes.

Upon closer inspection, the red in Maddie’s eyes becomes undeniable.

This time around I used the red eye reduction feature on my camera.

Both teens are in the clear. Then again, perhaps Maddie just turned off her super powers or…the vikings frightened away her devlish ways. We may never know!

To answer those questions you must be asking me via your monitor right now (By the way, I can’t hear you. Could you speak up?) I’ve written a little Q&A.

Q: Why did Maddie get red eye and not Alex?
A: Simply put, not everyone gets red eye and even those who do don’t get it all the time. Available lighting is a key factor which effects how much one’s pupil contracts. The more light there is, the more the pupil will contract thus less likely the flash will reflect off the retina. Another possibility is that Alex is a robot.

Q: How can I prevent red eye?
A: Use the red eye reduction feature on your camera. This function will either turn on a steady light for a few seconds before taking the photo or set off a pre-flash before taking the photo. You could also try finding a location with more available light. If you own a SLR, get yourself an external flash to sit atop the camera. The short distance between the flash and lens lead to red eye as well.

Q: How can images with red eye be fixed?
A: Digital images can be corrected with any photo editing software that includes red eye elimination, a standard function. Kiosks also have that capability. For eliminating red eye from prints you’ll need to purchase a red eye pen. They sell for $4 or $5. Gently and lightly dab the red until it is gone. Do not dab people in the eye in an attempt to prevent red eye in the future. It’ll just earn you a black and blue eye and there’s no software to correct your new painful problem.

Adobe Photoshop removed the red with a few simple clicks of the mouse.

Alex & Maddie’s mom, drop me a note and I’ll e-mail you the full-frame images less the red eye. Thank you for lending me your kids. You can pick them up any time now.

Written while listening to the CD Get The Picture by Chesney Hawkes.