Does Flash Photography Do Harm ?

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Andy Thatcher

Guest
I have unashamedly pinched this off the Barbel World site but did ask Bob Gill if he minded.

With the general topic of night fishing being around at the moment I thought it might be useful to remind people to be careful when using camera flashes to photograph fish.

It's my understanding that you should introduce the fishes eye to a more gradual change in light intensity by using a torch to cause the light sensing rods in the fish's eye to retreat before firing off the flash and thus reduce the impact of the flash to a lower level. I read this in Fred Crouch's Understanding Barbel book. Also not to fire off a flash closer than four feet.

Have any of you got other views or advice on this subject?

Cheers

Bob

What do you think ? Personally I am really unsure whether flash photography does harm fish. I am going to have a dig around though.

Cheers
Andy
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
As a person who had to get used to being photographed with flash thousands of times, I would say it doesn't harm fish. It has never harmed my eyes.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Ron, a human eye reacts faster than a fish eye, and is different in its construction.

I dont have an answer, but, there are hundreds of carp swimming around that have had flash photos taken of them, and they seem ok.

Interesting thought though. I would guess a Perch, whos eyes are very sensitive, could potentially be damaged, as opposed to say a Tench, which apparently has crap eyesite.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Seriously I don't think flash causes fish much harm. The duration is extremely short.
 
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Andy Thatcher

Guest
I have been trawling through my local University library and on the net and cannot find any evidence for flash photography doing harm. OK by no means definitive but it'll do me !
 
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