Bride has a wandering eye

<p>I have a wedding coming up soon where the bride has a wandering eye ie they seem to be looking two different directions. She will look at you with one eye or the other but not both at the same time. How should I be shooting images of her? Any suggestions for minimizing look of the the wandering eye?</p>

<p>Don -</p>

<p>My response may seem kind of like a non-response - but here goes:</p>

<p>I'd suggest talking to the bride and groom about it. Find out how they want it shown / handled. Certainly they are aware of the condition and will probably have ideas on how they want it handled. </p>

<p>My guess is that they would consider it like any other physical feature and not want anything special or different done to cover, hide or change it. And unless they specifically ask for something - I would not just assume that they want it minimized, covered or hidden.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>I feel like such an A-hole... but this question actually made me laugh.<br>

Seriously.. I think after a little while you may get a good idea of how her optics work. If you truly do get confused, just say "OK, look off into the distance towards the window" so that it seems like you're directing rather than mocking.<br>

She no doubt has some sort of insecurity about this issue, and will probably prefer to be shot from a specific angle.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>I agree with David-find out if there is a problem before making it into one.</p>

<p>On a side note, she has a "lazy eye" not "wandering eye" Your title suggests a far bigger problem.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>She no doubt has some sort of insecurity about this issue,</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I know (and work) with a few people who have a "lazy" eye. None of them are insecure in any way, shape or form because of it. In fact the only people who are insecure are people that don't have that condition...</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>Actually lazy eye is not the same as wandering eye. The former is amblyopia--the inability to see detail. The latter is strabismus, where the eyes are not aligned. The eye that doesn't align can develop amblyopia. But the conditions are not the same.</p>

<p>I've only photographed a bride or groom with wandering eye twice. Each time, I've noticed that the best angle is when the face is turned, and the eye that doesn't 'behave' is toward the back. I don't know if this is because it makes that eye work harder to focus or what. I've also, when I had the time, instructed the subject to focus on something farther away than the camera, and to one side and then slowly work toward the camera. Sometimes the best thing is to not have them look directly at the camera--it is less noticeable that the eyes are not perfectly aligned. I think you just have to work with the subject a little until you find the best angles and methods, particularly since there are different kinds of strabismus.</p>

<p>You might also ask the person. Sometimes they know what they need to do to get them looking the best. In both cases above, the subject told me before I even began shooting.</p>

<p>Candids & profile shots?</p>

<p>Well, I don't agree with those who say to inquire further about it. Just ignore this and shoot her the same way you would any other bride. Everybody that cares about her knows what she looks like.</p>

<p>Sometimes when you try to cover things up it only draws attention to the very thing you are trying to hide. Trust me - if this bothered her she would bring it up herself.</p>

<p>RT--with some things, I'd agree with you, like moles or small facial imperfections, but I think people who have wandering eye are concerned about how they look in photos, because while you don't notice it much when you have a live, moving person in front of you, you do notice it when you are looking at a still image, particularly close up, where, for instance, a person could look very cross eyed, depending upon the severity of the condition.</p>

<p>One of the people I photographed had a mild case. The other, more pronouced, and both brought it to my attention before I took the first image, requesting that if I knew how to make the condition look less pronounced, I should do so.</p>

<p>I go w/ Nadine all the way. The nice thing is, that the "fix" for the appearance of a wandering eye is also just plain good posing for portraits. Bodies should be at an angle to the camera, not straight on anyway, so just be sure the "problem" eye is further from the camera than the good eye.<br>

It's because we know - even if subconsciously - that they back eye is not to be in the same position as the front eye because it's not in the same plane. Therefore, any difference in their exact focus point is less disturbing to the brain, and the problem is not noticed.</p>

<p><em><strong>both brought it to my attention before I took the first image,</strong></em></p>

<p>That's my point.. it was <strong>they</strong> who brought it up which is perfectly fine. My best man at my own wedding has a lazy eye. He looks to me just like he does in person. Things only seem more pronounced to strangers. And to that... who cares?</p>

<p>RT--do you mean wandering eye? :^) See my post above. I see what you're saying, but two points--1) men are less concerned about how they appear in photos, so 'who cares?'--I'd say most women will care how they appear in photos to family, friends <strong>and </strong>strangers, and 2) I think if someone with the condition could choose between a photo of themselves that showed the condition quite plainly or one that downplayed the misalignment, they would choose the latter, but this is my opinion only.</p>

<p>Ok. That's 2 females for and 1 male (me) against addressing the eye. I'm not stupid so I shall exit this argument post haste.</p>

<p>But be forewarned ladies. Today it's just an eye... tomorrow you'll be trimming the arses of portly fathers and plucking ear hair from grandparents who have no idea where they're at much less care what they look like. :)</p>

<p>Nadine, I guess by your definition my friend has the wandering eye variety. (But he calls it the other).</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Not trying to beat up on you, RT. Just expressing opinions and 'discussing', which is what this forum is about. I definitely understand what you are saying.</p>

<p>Portly fathers and ear hair are fine where they are. And yes, the two terms are used interchangeably, but on researching, I find they don't mean the same thing.</p>

<p>Hey, all is fine and I certainly didn't feel like anyone was beating up on me. If you say the gals would feel this way then I respectfully yield to your sensibilities. Besides, In these matters I'm just a lowly male. As long as my socks match and my fly is up I'm good.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I do not photograph weddings, but I have photographed three people who have had a lazy eye. The trick I used was to illuminate the opposite side of the face with a flash, casting a slight shadow from the bridge of the nose onto the near half of the lazy eye. This will step down the tone of the sclera, the white of the eye.</p>

<p>If you can tone done the triangle of the white of the eye between the iris of the lazy eye and the nose, the laziness of the eye will be less noticeable. This same form of lighting will usually put the pupil in a slightly darker tone, which also helps.</p>

<p>There is probably a postprocess trick you could use, but I can't advise on those as I don't retouch.</p>

<p>The goal is a mild shadow over a portion of the eye that will cause a viewer to tell that the person has a lazy eye. In a photo, it will be the difference in the shape between the two whites of the eyes near the nose that will prompt a viewer to pick up on eye alignment. The slight shadow would de-emphasize the trigger that would cause someone to notice the difference. This shadow would only need to be mild enough to get the person to notice the other side of the face a little more. The viewer just doesn't get around to scrutinizing eye alignment.</p>

<p>The person photographed might not dwell on the presence of a small shadow from the nose.</p>

<p>FWIW, I find chicks with a touch of lazy eye cute. And, some of these folks may not realize that they have it if it's just a touch.</p>

<p>When I saw the title about the wandering eye, I figured it was another social situation. Good luck on the wedding.</p>

<p>This hasn't happened to me with photography; but, if the person you have met appears to have a lazy eye because they have a glass eye, or a living eye which has been scarred and disabled by wounds or injury, then I would recommend to photograph the face as you would for anyone else, with no special attention to the eye.</p>

<p>They know what they look like. Let the scars fall where they may. This would be out of respect for the subject.</p>

<p>The title caught my attention. I think John Tonai thought what I did at first. That is, "wandering eye" meant she might find fidelity to be a challenge, if you get what I mean.</p>

<p>I agree with RT. If she thought it might be a problem, she would bring it up. You could take a mix of photos. Some face-on and others with her looking away. I'm no wedding photographer, but it seems to me that obsessing about this minor problem is going to result in too many shots looking as if they were manipulated and unnatural.</p>

<p>i've seen that problem before. a lot of Picasso's models had it.</p>

<p>Actually, I think it was a very clever title (I'm giving the OP the benefit of the doubt and assuming it was intentional), and a rather interesting question to boot. And John's answer -- very impressive.</p>

<p>I wholeheartedly disagree w/ the idea that if she is self conscious about her eye, she will bring it up and now you are off the hook for addressing the issue. People can be very self-conscious about their looks but will not advertise their discomfort. The pot bellied father of the bride is not going to tell you to please not take profile shots of him that will accentuate his build, the double chinned MOB will not tell you to avoid shots that accent something that bothers her etc. There will be silent praying that you do not embarrass them and it is up to you as a photography pro and caring human being to be alert to these issues that will show up in family albums for all to see for years to come. You have correctly observed what may be a critical issue for the bride. Be a responsible pro and don't ASS U ME that if she is concerned she will bring it up. That assumption is a cop-out. She has a lot on her mind and may be in the camp of "I pray he makes me look good." OTOH she may not care a whit, but you do, and you will be able to proceed w/ doing your job well if you have addressed your concern and it gets a full airing. Being a Critical Care nurse, I will add one further caveat. When you do bring up what may be a sensitive issue, pay attention to more than the words of her reply. If a person is really sensitive about an issue she will put on a brave face and lie ( I can't put it any more sensitively) about how important it is. Proceed w/ sensitivity and professionalism and she will love your photos.</p>

<p>shoot it like you would any other bride. don't make a big deal out of it. that is the way her eyes are--so shoot normally.</p>

<p>Unless it is brought up by the bride, I have to agree with <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=5738346">RT Jones</a>. </p>

<p>I'll make a medical comment and give a brief piece of advice, but trust others as to how you would technically "cover up" the 2nd eye. Amblyopia=bad vision=lazy eye, but that isn't what this is. The eye is lazy becuase it doesn't see wll, but it doesn't move in odd or unexpected directions as a normal rule. Strabismus=wandering eye=misaligned eyes. This is what you are describing as the eyes don't move together and that is what makes us uncomfortable when we look at these people. We don't know which eye we should look at when the one looking at us shifts from right to left to right... There are some neurologic things that sometimes cause this also. It may well be that the bride doesn't want you to do anything special as far as photographing her and you will know that as soon as she tells you that personally. If in fact she tells you that, she will still be impressed that you were competent enough to notice and ask.</p>