Red eye... and not just from all the editing!

Davince

Davince

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I was having a play around at my son's School Nativity. It was held in a church, as usual with churches, particularly poorly lit, but to add to my fun the ceiling is painted almost black, and it's matte. And there was virtually nothign to bounce off. I couldn't really get any closer than 40ft so was on the 70-200 2.8 for most of the time.

The interesting thing though, was that almost every single picture I took, has almost every single person in it with SERIOUS red eye. It didn't matter where I pointed the flash, what I tried to bounce off, on cam, off cam, diffused, undiffused... every single picture has chronic red eye!

Obviously the lack of light means that the kids pupils were pretty damn wide, but I've never experienced this before. Any clues as to why, and more importantly what on earth I could have tried to get rid?

I'd be interested in your thoughts on trying to light the job too. With the range, it really called for the flash to be pointed straight at them to get the power needed, but obviously that results in images about as welcome as a stuck shutter on a wedding shoot.
 
Were other parents also taking pics, in front of you, using flash?
 
No matter what you tried to bounce the flash off, the flash was ponting forward (albeit at an angle).

The distance of the subject exaggerates the proximity of the flash to the lens axis.
The general dark room means the pupils are massive, you know that all of those will create red-eye. I don't know why you're confused you didn't have much choice other than no flash or off camera flash.
 
What is confusing me is that all the eyes are red regardless of what direction they were facing - no matter how acute or reflex an angle to the lens, all are red, I've never experienced it before! With the flash as far from cam as possible, bounced (as best as possible) off opposite wall perpendicular to lens... Every kid, red eye.
 
Davince said:
What is confusing me is that all the eyes are red regardless of what direction they were facing - no matter how acute or reflex an angle to the lens, all are red, I've never experienced it before! With the flash as far from cam as possible, bounced (as best as possible) off opposite wall perpendicular to lens... Every kid, red eye.
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I thought you said the flash was camera mounted?
How far away did you move it? Because the red eye is a simple thing to avoid generallyit's all about the angles.
 
Phil V said:
I thought you said the flash was camera mounted?
How far away did you move it? Because the red eye is a simple thing to avoid generallyit's all about the angles.
Click to expand...

Look at first post, "what I tried to bounce off, on cam, off cam," - I tried everything, as exactly as you say it's only a simple case of angles. Even on cam when bounced at a sufficient angle it should have prevented or reduced it!

Hence the question... because I'm stumped.
 
Davince said:
Look at first post, "what I tried to bounce off, on cam, off cam," - I tried everything, as exactly as you say it's only a simple case of angles. Even on cam when bounced at a sufficient angle it should have prevented or reduced it!

Hence the question... because I'm stumped.
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I might be being completely thick here, but I asked how far off the camera you moved the flash. You've not stated that in your original post or your response to my question.
 
Davince said:
Indeed, an oversight on my part. From 4ft (arms length) to 40ft (propped against pillar) with no reduction in red eye!
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That's indeed weird the room must have been very dark to open up the pupils that wide.
 
that's the funny thing, it didn't seem that dark in there, but looking at the shots, some of the pupils are about as wide open as they can get. I've definitely shot in darker without any problems with red eye at all so i'm still missing something!

Maybe the school dropped something in the kids milk :P
 
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