No red eye / WHITE eye

  • Thread starter Thread starter SimonWilliams
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SimonWilliams

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Hi all,

I spent the day at Blackpool Tower ballroom yesterday photographing a cheer leading completion ...

Light levels were low, so I opened up the aperture and had a shutter of 1/250 -- photographed in RAW and used the pop-up flash.

Problem is, all the pictures had white blown out pupils.. WHY!?!

Also, is there anything that can be done to fix this other than paint them all back in?

Thanks guys ...
Simon :help: :thankyou:
 
Example?

It's probably as you say, they're blown otherwise they'd be red.
 
Thanks Gary,

See attached ...

[Images removed]
 
It's just red eye. The flash/spotlights are reflecting off the retina. Not much you can do about it in that situation.
 
Ok, thanks guys,

Couple of points I'd like to add ...

a) What can be done to avoid this -- I used my pop-up flash, but I also have a flash unit to attach to my hot shoe. Would this help by giving a less direct flash.

b) Any tips about the red-eye removal process? I have CS3 but I feel the images may be beyond repair. The red-eye tool does nothing to help because they are so bad.

Thanks again,
Simon :thankyou:
 
Are you sure it's the flash - maybe it's a genetic thing in the village :-)
 
I don't know the settings on the 400 but is there not a setting to enable red eye reduction, it may help a little, using a external flash would probably have gave you a bit better control.

The lighting does'nt help much as there seems to be a lot of red, reducing some of the red in hue&saturation might help a little but the eyes would need individual pp'ing. you got your work cut out I'm afraid.

As you don't have Image editing ticked as ok in your profile I doubt anyone is going to try to improve on your photo for you to repost a sample for you just in case you object to it.
 
AndyB said:
Are you sure it's the flash - maybe it's a genetic thing in the village :-)
Click to expand...

LOL. :lol:

Red eye is caused by the flash source being too close to the lens axis, so it's pretty well guaranteed with compact cameras with those diddy little flashes. The pop -up flashes on DSLRs are marginally better, as they're a little higher over the lens axis, but they're still not good.

Red eye is caused by that intense burst of flash entering the eye and lighting up all the tiny blood vessels which line the retina at the back of the eye. It's hardly ever a problemi out of doors or in bright light as in these conditions, the pupil closes down and admits less light.

It's indoors in subdued light where we get those 'Rottweiller' eyes, as the pupils open up to admit more light so the red eye effect is more pronounced when we use flash.

Red eye is more pronounced in the young and in shots of animals.

The answer is to get the flashgun away from the lens axis, so any sort of flash grip or extension lead usually does the trick.

Manufacturers have introduced all sorts of gimmicks into camera to try to reduce red eye, but they're generally pretty pants. The red eye reduction is usually a flash burst just before the main flash, which is supposed to close down the subject's pupils, but in practice that first flash is more likely to cause a blink, which is caught with the actual shot and the second flash, so red eye is best avoided with a bit of forethought rather than relying on red eye reduction.
 
That's a pretty awful orange (tungsten) cast you have in these shots btw Simon. The onboard flash just isn't powerful enough to overcome the tungsten light in that situation, but if you shot these in RAW you should be able to easily adjust the white balance to a more natural look.

edited image removed at request of OP
 
CT said:
That's a pretty awful orange (tungsten) cast you have in these shots btw Simon. The onboard flash just isn't powerful enough to overcome the tungsten light in that situation, but if you shot these in RAW you should be able to easily adjust the white balance to a more natural look.

I know CT, and luckily I did shoot in RAW, but it all seems pretty pointless with that red-eye.

Thanks all for you comments / suggestions...

Simon
Click to expand...
 
Well it's a lesson learned - you actually did the right thing shooting at an angle which is why you have white eye rather than red eye. shooting at an angle to the eyes often avoids the red eye problem, but you were doubly cursed as these were kids and more prone to the problem anyway.
 
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