Red Eye and Your Digital Camera

You’ve seen the dreaded demon-eye effect that occurs when the camera flash bounces off the eye of a person or pet that you are photographing. An otherwise wonderful picture can be ruined by these retinal reflections. Technically, this is called red-eye and is caused when the pupil of your subject’s eye is wide open and the light from the camera’s flash reflects off the subjects retina. In people, the colour ends up red; in pets, the colour is often green.
Many photo editing programs include a red-eye correction filter, but this may not allow your photograph subject to appear “normal. These filters also don't always work on the green effect produced in a pet’s eyes. Photo stores sell pens that are used to clear up red-eye, but again they are not always natural-looking and do not work on the green. The best thing is to prevent the demon-eye effect from the start.
It is rare to find a digital camera that does not come with a red-eye reduction feature. This feature can be turned on or off. It is best left
"on" in all circumstances other than direct sunlight. The red-eye reduction feature works by flashing a short burst of light at your subject before you snap the picture. This burst of light causes the subject’s pupil to close and makes it less likely for the camera’s flash to reflect off the retina. This in turn reduces the chance of red-eye.
It also helps to direct the flash of your camera so it does not directly hit your subject’s eyes. Bouncing the flash off a nearby wall or other object will soften its effect and reduce the chances of this unwanted malady. Between bouncing the flash and using your digital camera’s red-eye reduction feature, your little angel, whether human or animal, will have eyes that don’t glow.
If you are using the bounce effect, it can be achieved in several ways. With a digital SLR camera and mounted flash, the flash can generally swivel to allow you to obtain the bounce effect. Another option with digital SLR's is removing the flash from your camera and handholding it. This would of course require wireless capabilities (you can view these options on-line or await my publication of wireless options in the future)
If you have a point and shoot digital camera, I would suggest a piece of white bristol board. Held in front of the flash at an angle, you will be abe to bounce the flash off of the ceiling and reduce any potential red eye effect. You may want to test a couple of shots to ensure that you are not blocking the lens or blocking the light entirely.
Good luck...getting the red out!