Color Blindness

[Wes]

Would being color blind be an insurmountable obstacle to being a photographer? Just curious what people's thoughts are.

[erisian pope]

I don't think so. Maybe some pictures might suffer if they rely on prime red and prime green contrasting, but how often is that the focus of a composition?

My father in law is red-green color blind - according to one company that tested him (color blindness would impair your ability to work there) he was the single most color-blind person they had ever tested. I sometimes pick something around us and get him talking about how he sees it and we compare how things look to him versus to me. It's been fairly enlightening. For example, my old apartment complex had a red metal roof. The building was a drab (somewhat unsaturated) burnt orange and the bottom 2 feet of the building was a very dark olive green. It was hideous. Anyway, my father in law saw the green at the bottom and the red roof as looking nearly identical whereas to me the orange and the red were close (but different enough that they seemed to clash to me).

That's really just an example of how 'impaired' his color sense is. But he sees tints and shades accurately; he can tell what is darker and lighter. He can see when two colors contrast even if he's uncertain if that color is indigo or blue or maroon he can at least see that it is vibrant and stands out next to that other color. I think this ability would possibly even give him a slight advantage as it seems he sees contrast more than I do (he is more in tune with it, as contrast more than actual color is what he sees well).

And if we want to shift away from color photography than I think someone with some color blindness who sees contrast more clearly possibly enjoys a strong advantage in black and white photography.

Now my father in law is not a photographer, and he does sometimes choose some awful clothing combinations, so I can't really test my theory!

[brad]

For post processing, maybe... but photography is about light, not color.

[markperez]

I am color blind and while I am not even close to being as good as most here I have done alright. What helps a lot for me is the expo disc (not a plug) and the black/white/grey card. I use the expo disc to custom white balance before shooting then use the card for post work to help remove (or sometimes even add) color casts. I also color correct by the numbers in PS using CMYK. There are a number of books out there about color correcting by the numbers and one I used is called skin by lee varis. Also I color calibrating my monitor helps a lot. It will bring out more of the colors so I can see better and I can then ask friends to look at your photos on my screen and ask them for there advice on things I missed. So to answer your question no color bindness is not an insurmountable obstacle.

[J Eddington]

I have a friend who is color blind and almost legally blind. He produces great photographs Check it out. http://www.erichatchphotography.com

[CaptainTom]

I am technically color blind. If you are familiar with the test that has a circle of small shaded circles with a number embedded inside, I don't see most of those numbers.

I just took the color test that is going around on this forum, and have so far aced the first two exercises. Go figure.

I can see all the colors very well, but some blues and greens get mixed up.

I think it enhances my photography in that I am not bothered by the subtle shades of color
that can drive others crazy. It also explains why my photos are usually pretty graphically oriented.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by brad

For post processing, maybe... but photography is about light, not color.

Dan Margulis claims to have taught color blind people to do correct color post processing by just using the numbers.

Here's his article on it.

[Steelsun]

I have a friend that is color blind, but he is a great photographer, and also does post processing editing and graphic layouts for a few magazines.

You learn to compensate and you can tell by the shades of greys what color they are supposed to be. Some things do cause him problems, but overall his stuff kicks.

[barry]

shoot black and white.

(I hope a sense of humor is allowed here)

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by barry

shoot black and white.

(I hope a sense of humor is allowed here)

Actually, black and white is harder because of the many different shades grey that are really hard to see.

and, no sense of humor is allowed on this photo forum.

[andyz]

Off topic, but I have to share. I have a friend who is color blind. When he was having his physical for the Army many years ago, he flunked the eye test. So they said they'd give him a vivid color test and they asked him the color of the desk in front of him and the color of the line on the floor.

His dad was in the Army and he'd been around it long enough to know that desks are gray, so he said gray. And when they can in the room, they were told to follow the green line, so he said green. He could see shades, but not colors. But it was good enough to get him in and working for Uncle Sam.

I think shades are often easier for color blind persons to see. In some respects they may have an advantage there.

[Wes]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I feel much better now. Stovall - that article rocks. I can't wait to go home and read it more in depth. Thank you so much for sharing.

[bburton]

Specialize in infrared photography; it's the up-and-coming thing.

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...splay.php?f=41

[swanny338]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Dan Margulis claims to have taught color blind people to do correct color post processing by just using the numbers.

Here's his article on it.

Here at Brooks, I asked me teacher if I could do a little post processing on some images... He said, only if you do it on a black and white screen. So thats what I did hehe. I love knowing the numbers.

[Duffy Pratt]

One of Margulis' classroom exercises is having everyone do color correction on B&W monitors. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I'm about at the point where I could get acceptable results. Of course, B&W by itself is an entire field that would pose no obstacle to the color blind. Color sense is just a small portion of what makes a good photographer.

Duffy