Because I've been very bad about updating this site, I'm going to post something here just for fun. So I'm going to take a moment to answer some viewer mail. This question comes to us from Samson Brown Townbender (not a real person) from Midonowear, MI, who writes:
Dear TMI; I have a lot of problems with people in my shots having red eye. I am curious how I can avoid red eye in my snapshot? Thanks. -Sam B. T.
This is an excellent question, Sam. Your check is in the mail. Seriously it's actually pretty easy to avoid red eye, even on your point-and-shoot cameras. Red eye occurs when light from your camera's flash bounces off of the retina of your subject's eyes. This happens because the on-camera flash in all point-and-shoot cameras and many SLR cameras is so close to the lens. It's so close in many cases that it may as well BE the lens. So how can we get rid of this? There are a few solutions.
- Don't have your subjects look directly at the camera lens. This is probably the easiest solution, though it may take some experimentation to get it right. Have them look just slightly away from the camera. This prevents the light from the flash from shining directly into the eyes and bouncing directly back to the lens. For the best results, have them focus just a little to the side of the camera opposite to the flash relative to the lens. For example, most point-and-shoots have their flashes in the top left corner of the camera, so you would want your subject to look just to the right of the camera. For SLRs with flashes right above the lens, have your subject look at a point just below the camera. Any point where you are increasing the angle of the flash to your subjects eyes should do the trick.
- Don't use the on-camera flash. If you can, move to an off-camera flash unit. Even an off-camera flash that is attached to the hot-shoe of your camera will work, since the flash mount is going to make the angle of the flash to your subjects eyes greater. Moving the flash completely off-camera is the best solution.
- If the built-in flash on your camera allows for it (not aware of any that do, but that doesn't mean they don't exist), angle the flash so that you're bouncing light off of a wall or a ceiling. This will not only eliminate red-eye in your subjects, but will also diffuse the light from your flash so that you get a better looking photo overall.
- Attach a diffuser to your on-camera flash. There are a number of companies that make attachments that allow you to either bounce the light from the flash or diffuse it so that it's not so harsh. Some work better than others (check out the options from GaryFong.com).
So Samson, as you can see there are several options available to you to help get rid of red eye in your photos. Some are simpler than others to accomplish, but all will solve your problem. Thanks for your question!
-Brian at TMI
