Color blindness

I have deuteranopic color blindness (bad recognition of the green-yellow-red section of the spectrum) and was wondering how many others out there are also color blind. I have had some really interesting conversations with people trying to convince them that "Yes, even color blind people can take pictures." and even though I can't necessarily distinguish the different shades I do know grass is green, believe it or not. I wasn't sure how to ask this let alone which forum to post it, but its something I interested in. Thanks

Of course the very nature of your question shows why the term "color blindness" is inappropriate. Most people with deficiencies like yours are "color deficient". This means you can see colors but you do not see them with the same hue and intensity as the rest of us. So, subtle shades and pastel color gradations elude you. There are very few people who are actually blind to color perception.

Yes Ed this is very true although I don't find the term inappropriate, you really do feel "blind" when, for instance, you are driving in a new town at night trying to determine if a blinking traffic light is yellow or red. (This only happened once!!) I use the commonly known term for those who don't know the difference between monochromacy, Dichromacy, and Anomalous Trichromacy.

Why shouldn't color blind people (or whatever the correct term is ) be able to take good images? As you say, experience tells you what color things have. Our brains always complement the things we see with the things we know (which is why drawing objects with correct perspective is not trivial - simply because our brain tells us how it should be, and we listen to this more than to our eyes). And I don't think anybody would say that people that have a good 3D-thinking are poor painters.

Furthermore, there's always black & white - and no, I'm trying to be an ass here. Maybe (I don't really know) people like you are less distracted by punchy colors and instead recognize interesting patterns and lighting conditions that are well suited for B&W photography better. You may have made some experiences there...?

Basil

There is a really good point here for people to claim to be representing reality with their photographs. I never seem to get my point across, but reality is 'out there' and what gets reported to your brain is not ever reality. Photography isn't about recording reality. It's about evoking reality. Then, again, I'm over thinking this.

Pete D.

Eric,

I think that this condition is far more widespread than is commonly imagined. I had a friend for about ten years before I found out that he sees the world in shades of gray. Except for a chance event, I would never have known. I have trouble with certain shades of red and green, the cheap red/green LEDs are exactly the right shades. If you go to my site you will find that I carefully state the I adjust my photographs to represent what I saw.

You are right about the term "color blind". I certainly don't feel "blind". I think that Basil has it right' the brain is a powerful organ and makes the corrections that we need.

I'm color blind for red on a black background.

One thing that I find interesting about this - if someone tells me what is in front of my eyes that I can't see, then I can see it. Once the brain gets the info via the ears, it's good to go.

I've asked others with this condition and it's the same for them. Go figure.

Eric,

Good evening. I also have red, green deficiencies. I found out about the problem about 30 years ago when I went down to Florida for employment as a Police Officer. During the physical they gave me a eye test involving colors, the one that has numbers made of colored spots inside large circles of various colors. I said what numbers and they said have a good day.

That was then & now is now. I have difficulties with the vision problems when it comes to adjusting pictures on my computer, but I deal with it. At least I have vision
& I can see what I am taking the pictures of.

Good luck.

Hi, Eric! I'm not color blind, but I have significant other vision problems. I can well relate to your frustration. And to the comment made by Lance. It is very true that it is much easier to see things when you know what's there; it's nice to have an understanding companion to point things out.
I jumped in to say that, YES, people with all sorts of vision take great photos and we ought to keep right on doing it! So you GO! boy! And post 'em too! It is always a joy to see how people see. And I join all here in this thread in saying I'm real glad I can see anything at all!

Thanks to everyone that replied. It's amazing how a simple search for other people with a similar circumstance can turn into a thread about that way each of us "see" the world differently. To me that's what makes photography great, no two people view a scene or even printed image the same way. There is no bad image as long as it's technically correct, it just might not be your taste.

While in high school and college I worked for a well-known taxidermist. But he needed my eyes rather than my hands. His work was mostly for natural history-type museums, but he was seriously color blind and couldn't get colors right for painting the feet and beaks of birds, as well as fish. No, I didn't get to do the painting. My job was color matching and carefully labelling paints for his own use.

Roll forward almost 40 years, and until recently I was helping a color blind friend when Photoshop color correction was needed on his photos. But one day he asked me "What are those numbers flashing around when you move the eye dropper?" Much like the color labeling system used by the taxidermist long ago, he quickly developed his own means of "seeing" color in photos using the eyedropper tool. We had to find another excuse for good times sitting together in front of the computer, because now he certainly doesn't need my help with color correction.

Eric, I took a look at your portfolio and the words that come are "what problem?" Much of good photography is about tones and light, not color. Any photographer who shoots color can greatly benefit from working in B&W. That is because of the tones as well as other important things such as composition, subject etc. I guess the point is, you do see, maybe not in the full color range as some but your work is not lacking.

These days Color is way overblown at times, pumped way too high to make up for other deficiencies.

I'm red-green color blind, though not terribly so. I found out about it 3 years ago while undergoing testing for Army Special Forces. They administered the typical "dots inside dots" test and I failed it, which prohibited me from doing anything in the Armed Forces outside of cooking or, in some cases, driving a truck. Obviously I didn't enlist because neither of those specialties appealed to me.

I haven't found being color blind to be a detriment to my photography at all. I see red and I see green, including various shades thereof. However, I can't see green dots forming a number inside red dots (or vice versa?). Fortunately, I don't often find myself photographing such a subject.

There have been some very interesting responses to this thread. Thanks for starting it!