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Camera Flashes

C

CornsnakeKeeper

Addicted Member
What kind of effect will a camera's flash have on my corns? Especially my amel? They couldn't go blind could they? I mean, sometimes camera flashes make us temp. blind, what would it d0 to the snake? I'm not sure if on these fancy digital cameras you guys have, do they not use flashes? Thanks!
 
camera flashes

i use a kodak DX3700 digital camera. not the nicest in the world, but definately not the worst. now, i'm not sure how flashes affect snakes, but i know that my digital has a flash setting specifically for animals. i guess to reduce red eye (useless when taking pics of amels:D ). it appears to me to be exactly the same flash as the "human" red eye reduction setting. so i'm guessing that the flash affects them in similar ways that it affects us. just a guess though.
 
hey I use that same camera!! And yeah, I was worried about the flash so I just have a light over him and use the camera with no flash. Of course they don't come out as well as if I use the flash but...
Wait,you siad that the "red eye" option is for animals?
 
yeah,
now i've just purchased my digi from best buy less than a month ago on a closeout sale, so i don't know if they've made any changes to the model, but i have a flash option for red eye reduction, and an option for red eye reduction specifically for animals. says so right on the viewer when you select your flash option. again, they seem to be exactly the same, so i don't know why there's the extra option. who knows?
 
I've been using high power studio strobe lights with large [1 meter square or larger] reflector-diffusers for my snake photography. It hasn't been a problem because the direction of the flash is not straight into their eyes, since the lights aren't mounted on the camera. If you have a removable flash on a cord to the camera, you can try lighting from an angle.

However, for smaller cameras with built-in automatic flashes that will focus light straight into the eyes, it could be a problem. 2 possible solutions that will help:

[a] Experiment with putting white tissue over the raw flash for a diffuser--but don't do this on a one-of-a-kind situation that you can't capture again. Experiment ahead of time to see the effect this has on your photos, because the diffuser will slightly reduce the light intensity.

Raise the room lights as bright as possible while taking flash pictures. This will cause the pupils to constrict as small as possible before the flash occurs, protecting the retinas of the eyes--and reducing those red eye reflections from the retinas as well.

Flashy tangerine corn snakes,
Doctor Mike
 
This topic comes up every now and again...

I found a passage in the manual for my Nikon SB-26 flashes that reads:

"DO NOT FIRE FLASH NEAR THE EYES: Firing the flash light very close to any person's eyes can injure the retina, thereby weakening eyesight or causing blindness.
DO NOT TOUCH THE FLASH HEAD WHEN FIRING THE SB-26: The flash head generates significant heat during normal operation, which may cause burns. Also, when using the flash, keep delicate materials away from the flash head."

I don't think that passage leaves much doubt that the light coming from the flash is a significant event if you are doing macro photography close to the subject. But that being said, I have been taking such photographs for years, using TWO such flashes mounted on the sides of the camera and a third one suspended directly above the subject. Under such circumstances after reading the above warnings, one would expect that after taking the photographs, I would have only the charred remains of the snake sitting there. This certainly has NOT happened, so take it with a grain of salt.

Moderation is the watchword. If you take strings of photographs of the same animal, look at it from the animal's perspective. Those constant flashes in the eyes are probably getting real old, so do the animal a favor and take a break for a while. Normally nocturnal animals probably HATE flashes, so wait for the proper time to take your photographs and keep them down to a minimum. If at anytime you wonder what the animal thinks about all this, take the flash and hold it the same distance from your own eye to get an idea of what you are putting that animal through.
 
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