Oh, those rotten red eyes!
 Face
it. Even though your kids may act like demons on occasion, you don't
want them to look like demons in their photographs. But they often do.
And in strict accordance with the laws of physics, the younger and
more angelic they are the redder their eyes will look!
Red eyes are caused by light from the flash gun striking the retina
at the back of the eye and being reflected right back at the lens. The
retina is soaked with blood, which is why it looks so red.
The eye is very efficient at bouncing light back to the exact spot
from which it comes. So if the flash is extremely close to the lens,
you'll see a lot of reflected red light. Blue eyes reflect more red
light than dark eyes. The blonder the subject, and the younger, the
more light is likely to be reflected. And the darker the room, the
more light will be reflected.
Changing the film speed won't help. (except that if you use really
fast film and don't use a flash, you won't get red eyes.)
The lab isn't at fault, and the lab can't easily do anything about
it.
Even when subjects are looking someplace else, red eye can happen.
Four things that help:
- Use the "red-eye reduction mode" on a camera. This is
either a pre-flash or a bright light that causes the subject's
pupils to contract, reducing (but not necessarily eliminating) red
eyes.
- Bounce the flash off the ceiling (not too easy)
- Turn on more lights in the room.
- Use a flash gun that's farther away from the lens. That's why
you'll notice wedding photographers using cameras with separate
flashguns, often of a big bracket. Check out our flash
page for more tips.
 Compact cameras
with built-in flash guns limit your options. Kodak makes some models,
such as the T-550, which have the flash hinged so that it flips up
pretty high above the lens. My compliments to their designers, but why
doesn't everybody do this? (Hint - most cameras are designed in the
Orient, where blue eyes are less common.)
Chris' Camera Center South
106 Laurens Street SW
Aiken, South Carolina
803 641-0501
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