One of the biggest concerns we have when shooting indoors or in otherwise poorly lit venues is the impact our flash photography will have on people around us that we are taking pictures of. It seems like a silly thing, especially as photographers when we are around flash so frequently, but it is more a concern we have out of empathy for the folks around us – and maybe a little bit of personal discomfort with the sense that some attention is being brought our way when we shoot our flash and we have this bright light go on over our heads.

As you should know, we both come from families that have had their fair share of challenges when it comes to their vision. We both wear glasses/contacts – with the most problems being on Chris’ side of things as he is virtually blind without them to support his eyesight.

With Google’s autopopulate keyword search engine function, we can see that many variations in this question that are asked, namely with regards to concerns over the effects of a camera flash on different populations (whether humans or animals):

• Can a Camera Flash Hurt a Baby’s Eyes?
• Can a Camera Flash Hurt a Kitten’s Eyes?
• Can a Camera Flash Hurt an Infant’s Eyes?
• Are Camera Flashes Harmful to a Baby’s Eyes?
• Can a Camera Flash Blind a Baby’s Eyes?
• Can Flash Photography Cause Retina Damage?
• Are Camera Flashes Harmful to a Baby’s Eyes?
• Does Flash Photography Harm Animals?
• Is It Possible to Blind a Baby With a Camera Flash?
• Do Numerous Camera Flashes Have a Negative Impact on a Baby’s Eyes?
• Dangerous Effects of Flash Photography to Eyes?

It is apparent the concern over flash photography is pervasive, but can a camera’s flash actually be harmful?

The simple answer is: no, not normally.

If you are a professional wedding photographer like us, and you are at all concerned out of empathy about the effect and impact that a camera flash could potentially have on your client’s eyes, then this article is for you.

If you are simply curious about the potential impact of a camera flash on your own eyes, or the eyes of any one of those populations mentioned above, then you will find value in this article–as written by two professional wedding photographers–as well.

How does camera flash work?

A useful starting point for better understanding why flash actually isn’t harmful to anyone under normal circumstances is getting to know what a flash is and how it works.

In the modern day, most flashes have evolved to use LED lights, and those that do utilize bulbs tend to be pretty low wattage. Our preferred flashes – the Profoto A1 and the Profoto B1X, both work off of LED’s.

When connected to the camera via the hotshoe mount on your camera body (or remotely triggered for off camera flash setups), the flash shoots when you release the camera shutter. When you really think about it, it is a fascinating thing to be honest.

How much light is inputted from the flash, and how long it is outputted, it dependent on how you set your flash. In auto (TTL) flash mode, the camera’s technology will make a judgment on this for you. With budget flash options, this can often be fairly inconsistent at best or just bad at worst. With higher end flashes, such as the ones we use, the TTL mode is reliable and we actually use it most of the time.

On the other end of things, you can influence the flash output manually through controls on the flash itself, as well as changing settings on your camera. For example, increasing the ISO on your camera will increase the power output of the flash. You can also just increase or decrease the flash intensity itself. For more advanced users, using high speed sync to increase your camera’s shutter speed over the sync speed (normally around 200) can enable you to light your subject while retaining the ambient light in the room you are shooting if desired.

Why flash is safe

The most important things to know about can be boiled down to 3 main points about flash photography:

1). Exposure is minimal.

It’s easy to compare camera flash with other sources of light we have around us. Generally speaking, we’re not too concerned by the lamps in our living room or the sun when we are outside. With flash photography, it can be concerning because the flash itself is so jarring – and for most people, this will only be seen maybe a few times a year at big events that necessitate a photographer being present such as at a wedding, graduation ceremony, corporate event, etc.

Using the sun as a point of reference, it’s interesting to see that it takes about 1.5 minutes of staring at the sun to start having permanent damage done to the eyes. This occurrence is truly a testament of just how resilient the human body really is — especially certain organs, such as the liver and eyes — when subjected to certain external stimuli. With flash photography, when triggered – the actual flash only lasts for fractions of a second (the specific length dependent on how it is set up by the photographer). Twenty pictures taken with flash at 1/1000 second only add up to being about 1/50th of a second of total exposure – most of which would not be consecutively, anyways.

In this context, flash photography is something that seems like it’s making more of an impact than it is. Our experience of flash photography can make it feel like it lasts longer than it actually does – because it’s so bright and so infrequently experienced.

2). Flash light isn’t that intense.

Because of how camera flash works, it is another case of the flash seeming more intense than it is. Practically speaking, once the light from a flash is released, it is dispersed throughout the environment. Some flashes, like those by Profoto, allow dispersal of this light in wide or more narrow beams of light – but because it is not contained in any way, the light seeps and “coats” the subject that is the focus of the image.

For professional photographers, this dispersal of the light can also be further enhanced intentionally – to help better shape the light and make it appear softer. Tools for this include the Gary Fong Lightsphere and MagMod Magsphere.

3). The light is not very focused.

As we just mentioned – the simple reality that a speedlites flash isn’t focused on any one thing decreases the ability for this light to be potential to the viewer.

The way light travels is important to this process, and as photographers, we’ve observed on many occasions (well…pretty much every time we pick up a camera) how light can be used to shape an image. Our eyes also developed in such a way to be able to handle limited exposure to light like this.

How flash might hurt your eyes

While in normal circumstances, flash photography should not provide any negative effects – it is possible to experience some negative side effects. These side effects, such as a headache, might come on – but would not be long term impacts. Much like listening to loud live music, there are physical effects we get to experiencing something outside of the norm, and this can’t be ignored in our bodies when it comes to photography.

While the light put out by the camera flash is not too intense, doesn’t last long, and isn’t focused in any way that could make it permanently harmful – the experience of the flash is still outside of the ordinary for most people.

When you’re sitting down for dinner at a wedding and the photographer pops up with their flash shooting off rapidly, it is immediately noticeable and has the potential to be visually impactful. Even as photographers, we squint when flash is aimed at us, too!

Fortunately, the effects are short term.

In the event you do happen to experience something out of the normal, it could be suggestive of something larger being a problem.

For example, individuals with epilepsy may find flash photography to be a trigger for their seizures. If you happen to fall into this category of people with neurological disorders, it is possible the flash photography could have negative effects on your well-being – and you should consider consulting with a doctor to identify ways to effectively manage being around camera flash or alternatives.

Conclusion

For most people, flash photography should not have any lasting effects on vision or eye health. It is possible that some short term sensations might be felt, like having a headache, but it should go away shortly after exposure. For those with certain medical conditions, it is possible that camera flash could trigger pain or otherwise bad consequences – but the individual’s with this sort of experience are the exception, not the rule.

Unless you have reason to believe you have a condition that would make you more sensitive than average to flash, you should have no need to concern!

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