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B&H Photography Podcast

Photography with Red-Green Color Blindness

B&H Photography Podcast

Jill Waterman

Arts, Visual Arts

4.82.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2019

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It has been a short but busy week at B&H Photo and we hosted several wonderful conversations at this year's OPTIC Photography Conference, so today's episode is itself, wonderful but short.  We will be presenting many of the recordings made at OPTIC over the coming weeks, but our chat with veteran B&H Photography Podcast guest Chris Nicholson surprised even the normally unflappable Allan Weitz. We have become familiar with Nicholson's professional tennis photography and his wonderful color night photography with the National Parks at Night team, so we were understandably surprised when he told us that he is red-green color blind. 

With that information as our starting point, we discussed how his condition manifests itself, and the obstacles he has overcome to create his beautiful color images. We also segued into general thoughts on color blindness and the inexact nature of color, and on the tools Nicholson relies on to get his colors as close to "accurate" as possible, specifically new LED lights from Luxli that have enabled him to improve his "light painting." Join us for this informative and inspiring conversation and, while you are at it, join the B&H Photography Facebook group—it is growing to become an active forum to share your images and thoughts on photography and to stay in touch with Jason, John, and Allan of the B&H Photography Podcast.

Guest: Chris Nicholson     

Photograph © Chris Nicholson

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the B&H Photography Podcast.

0:04.2

For over 40 years, B&H has been the professional source for photography, video, audio, and more.

0:09.8

For your favorite gear, news, and reviews, visit us at bnh.com or download the B&H app to

0:15.6

your iPhone or Android device.

0:17.8

Now here's your host, Alan White.

0:19.8

All right.

0:22.8

Welcome to the B&H Photography Podcast here at Optic 2019.

0:27.4

I brought to you this year aside from B&H Photo by Sony Nikon Cannon, Fuji, Godox, Lexar, Sigma, Panasonic, Olympus, Robus, Adobe, and Tamron.

0:39.7

And thanks to all of these kind folks for making this show so wonderful.

0:44.7

We are here back again with Chris Nicholson.

0:47.1

This is what your 87th appearance on the show, I think?

0:49.8

No, 85.

0:51.0

I lost track after 80.

0:52.7

It's always good to have you.

0:54.6

We had an interesting conversation earlier that you have a unique challenge as a color photographer, and that is that you are colorblind.

1:01.4

I am. I am red-green colorblind.

1:03.6

Wow.

1:04.8

Now, for people who are not familiar with it, what does that mean?

1:07.2

So how does your mind interpret what we see as red and green?

1:12.3

What exactly is happening?

1:13.7

Just differently than everybody else.

1:15.1

So I see red and green, but I've been oversimplified, I guess, at a different saturation level.

...

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