Need help! Albino bridesmaid...Bride is worried about photos.

[starrynigh8]

I have a wedding I am doing in August and the bride just informed me that she has an albino bridesmaid. She showed me a picture and the young woman is extremely white, cotton tail white hair(as we say in the southern U.S.), and pink tinted eyes since the iris has no real color other than the blood from veins that make it look pink. Every photo taken of her she has completely red eyes and is totally washed out. Red eye reduction on cameras don't really work for her either. The bride is worried it might make her photos look bad or that it might be difficult for me during editing. :confused:
I have tried to find tips on lighting or suggestions on how to photograph an albino person, but I have found nothing.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Suggestions? Thoughts? Am I going to spend hours fixing her eyes in photoshop regardless of what I do?

Thanks to anyone who has some suggestions. I appreciate it greatly!

[bric-a-brac]

other than the chorus of "shoot RAW" which will ensue (and I assume you already know), dial your contrast way down in picture styles and watch your histogram.

only fix the eyes on the images that prints are ordered from. If you're giving the wedding images on CD, well... it's probably best to explain to the bride the limitations of technology and the amount of time it would take to individually retouch all the eyes.

OR make everything black and white. :P

[starrynigh8]

Thanks for responding! And yes, I anticipated the "shoot raw" suggestions would be on here! :) Luckily, the bride is an understanding friend and she knows I can't spend every moment fixing each eye all the photos. The bridesmaid who is albino also has a lazy eye. So, I will already be trying to catch her eyes when they are facing foward at the same time. Hopefully it won't be too big of a deal.......plus side is that the bride likes black and white photos alot, so maybe she'll order mostly black and white! lol.

I was just checking to see if there were any lighting techiniques that might help the situation.

Thank you for your suggestions!

[gmacmt]

The bridesmaid who is albino also has a lazy eye.

bw!

This sounds more and more like a black and white wedding.

[canonnoob]

other than the chorus of "shoot RAW" which will ensue (and I assume you already know), dial your contrast way down in picture styles and watch your histogram.

only fix the eyes on the images that prints are ordered from. If you're giving the wedding images on CD, well... it's probably best to explain to the bride the limitations of technology and the amount of time it would take to individually retouch all the eyes.

OR make everything black and white. :P

if he shoots in RAW there will be no point in changing his picture styles... since they dont do anything to the images while shooting in raw

[bnlearle]

Honestly, don't make her "un-albino" in the photos. Just get good photos of her. It's not like she doesn't know that she's albino, you know? She has albino eyes - just photograph them well! Does the bride expect you to give them a different color?

We're photographers - not magicians. We photograph real people - we don't turn people into other things. Just get good photos of her and you're doing your job ;) Don't get pressured by the bride to make her something she isn't :)

Bobby

[Maureen Souza]

Honestly, don't make her "un-albino" in the photos. Just get good photos of her. It's not like she doesn't know that she's albino, you know? She has albino eyes - just photograph them well! Does the bride expect you to give them a different color?

We're photographers - not magicians. We photograph real people - we don't turn people into other things. Just get good photos of her and you're doing your job ;) Don't get pressured by the bride to make her something she isn't :)

Bobby
Nicely said, Bobby. I tell all my brides that I shoot real life and I don't brush out moles, birthmarks or tatoos.

[bric-a-brac]

if he shoots in RAW there will be no point in changing his picture styles... since they dont do anything to the images while shooting in raw

the more you have set in camera, the less you have to do in post.

[canonnoob]

the more you have set in camera, the less you have to do in post.

you dont get it... if he shoots RAW.. NONE of the camera settings apply to the final image... so things like the picture styles and such are useless...

[bps]

I agree with Bobby, we're here to capture moments and you should capture her for who she is.

Bryan

[arnie12]

you dont get it... if he shoots RAW.. NONE of the camera settings apply to the final image... so things like the picture styles and such are useless...
You're both correct (in a way). Usually, the raw converter will start with the picture style and the white belance as written by the camera in the raw file. You can then change things to your liking. If those values are correct (i.e. they have the values you like) then your workflow is much faster because you don't need to change anything. ;)

[bric-a-brac]

You're both correct (in a way). Usually, the raw converter will start with the picture style and the white belance as written by the camera in the raw file. You can then change things to your liking. If those values are correct (i.e. they have the values you like) then your workflow is much faster because you don't need to change anything. ;)

bingo. RAW is a safety net; the more you get right to begin with, the less work you make for yourself when you get home.

[Mrsjperry]

Honestly, don't make her "un-albino" in the photos. Just get good photos of her. It's not like she doesn't know that she's albino, you know? She has albino eyes - just photograph them well! Does the bride expect you to give them a different color?

We're photographers - not magicians. We photograph real people - we don't turn people into other things. Just get good photos of her and you're doing your job ;) Don't get pressured by the bride to make her something she isn't :)

Bobby

I 2nd that! :D

[madhatter04]

Hmm, if I were an albino bridesmaid and heard the bride was worried about my physical appearance ruining her photos, I'd shove the cake in her face myself!!

[bnlearle]

Seriously.

Again, what does she expect you to do? I'm honestly curious?

[starrynigh8]

I've had a bridesmaid inform me before that a bridesmaids of hers was in a wheelchair...and she just told me so that I could plan group shots accordingly. So, I think this particular bride was trying to give me a heads up that there would be an albino bridesmaid and I think she was hoping that there would be something I could do lighting wise or whatever to HELP with the extremely white hair/skin and pink eyes situation. The bridesmaid is her best friend, so if she were truly thinking that photos would be ruined then I am sure she wouldn't have asked her to be in her wedding at all.

I have honestly never shot in RAW before....looks like I will be practicing before her wedding comes around though. Please don't laugh at this, but do I need a special program to open RAW files or can I just open/edit them in Photoshop?

Thanks to everyone that responded! I appreciate it.

[arnie12]

I have honestly never shot in RAW before....looks like I will be practicing before her wedding comes around though. Please don't laugh at this, but do I need a special program to open RAW files or can I just open/edit them in Photoshop?

That depends on your version of Photoshop. If it is new enough, yes. Photoshop will automatically start ACR (Adobe Raw Converter) and give you the endless possibilities of RAW. If not, there are several ways to proceed:

Buy an upgrade of Photoshop
Use the free Adobe DNG converter to convert your RAW images into DNG Format and open those files in Photoshop
Use another RAW converter (Bibble, Capture one).
Use another program (Lightroom, Aperture, Gimp+UFRAW).Take your pick! :D:cool:;)

[mmahoney]

In addition to lacking eye pigment Albinos are generally unique looking anyways .. in other words even if she wore sunglasses she would stand out as being different.

But I don't think that all albinos have the same degree of lack of pigment, and some albino eyes appear normal in photos.

If it's truly a concern than suggest no prescription colored contact lenses .. but be careful as blue will appear violet, etc. So maybe basic dark brown would be best.

I agree that the best course of action is just shoot her as she is .. everyone knows how she looks and attempts to change it will stand out more than the original condition.

But in group photos taken from a distance you will have little to worry about anyways.

[infinite007]

agree with above comments :)

[SoccerRef]

I agree with all of the comments above, especially Bobby. I always point out that I can't take a photo of something that's not there. You want passionate photos, you need to be passionate, if you want sexy photos, you need to be sexy. There are some things we can't fix in Photoshop.

You mentioned that she was a friend, if it were me and I knew this ahead of time, I would ask her if we could all meet for an hour or two and do some shooting to test some settings, and the opportunity to practice the Post Processing.

I would just explain that the challenges are real and having some practice might enable me to do a better job on the wedding day.

Frankly, this is one of the reasons I always do an engagement shoot before a wedding. It gives me an opportunity to get to know the couple, but it also gives me an opportunity to learn any quirks that will help me come wedding day. For example, during an engagement shoot I noticed a birthmark on the bride's neck that was very distracting from certain angles. I just avoided those angles when choosing poses for formal shots.

[redbaron66]

I understand her possible concern but you should have no problem if you are exposing properly. The brides dress is going to be white and you want to make sure you are not blowing out the dress to retain detail, so do the same with her friend. Direct or harsh flash will be your worst enemy, so bounce and use subdued light wherever possible

[Kaigler]

The bridesmaid who is albino also has a lazy eye. So, I will already be trying to catch her eyes when they are facing foward at the same time.


Am I a bad human for laughing hysterically while picturing this scene?

[focus.pocus]

bingo. RAW is a safety net; the more you get right to begin with, the less work you make for yourself when you get home.
Sorry but that has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever read on here. RAW is not a safety net. Looks like it's time for someone to maybe read a book on photography. Geez

[starrynigh8]

Thanks everyone for your responses!

And no, Kaigler,you are not a bad human for laughing hysterically. The whole situation is rather rediculous/comical in it's own special way and I hope that afterwards I'll be laughing about it too.

[merp]

what a pick of a litter. Albino, and a lazy eye? Fun fun =) do your best! Bobby said it the best +3

[wickerprints]

Amblyopia (lazy eye) and/or strabismus (also called "lazy eye" but is not the same) are common comorbidities of albinism; thus it should not be considered "doubly" unfortunate that this person should exhibit both phenomena.

My recommendation is to concentrate on taking good photos, period. When you try to modify good technique in the hopes of accommodating a novel situation, the result is often worse than what would have happened had you simply kept shooting the way you usually do.

The fact of the matter is that the subject is what she is. It does no one any good to mask or suppress that. Personally, I would be more concerned with the "lazy eye" rather than the albinism, because if your exposure and lighting is correct, you will get the correct image; but if the subject's eyes are not aligned, it can be disconcerting when it need not be.

There are some practical considerations you need to take into account. Since albinos exhibit photophobia (their eyes are extremely sensitive to bright light), it is inadvisable to use a strobe or other bright flash photography in her presence unless it is acceptable for all parties involved to use appropriate protective eyewear. It is also not recommended for albinos to be exposed to direct sunlight, as their complete lack of melanin makes them extremely susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer. Take photos in soft, diffuse, available light whenever possible. Take many shots in continuous mode, as this may increase the likelihood of getting a shot where the gaze is converging.

In the case where you need to really save the shot, post-processing can be helpful to correct the lazy eye. But this is a last resort.

[THIEF]

bw!

This sounds more and more like a black and white wedding.
Sorry ,but i why am i laughing right now?
Cruel sense of humor i guess.

[Shooting]

you dont get it... if he shoots RAW.. NONE of the camera settings apply to the final image... so things like the picture styles and such are useless...

Which is why that when the bride and bridesmaids are NOT wearing white, I shoot jpeg so my camera settings will be processed and giving me what I want..very little post if you get it right in the camera first.