The good news is that there are a few easy tricks that can significantly and sometimes even completely reduce effects of red-eye. Here's a few of simple tricks that I've discovered that make my pictures worth mounting on wall.

What is red-eye?

The simplest explanation I've come across is that red-eye is reflection of light, in our case flash, through open retina of eye. We've all seen it's effects in glowing red eyes of animals, kids and adults that have been captured on film using flash photography.

So, if we know it happens... what do we do to limit it's effect or, if possible, make it go away?

The pro's use long brackets and remote controlled flash units to angle light away from camera lens. If you have money, this is by far best and most reliable way to reduce problem. Trouble is, most of us (myself included) don't have resources or space to carry around this type of equipment. I like that my latest digital camera fits in my shirt or jacket pocket. That way I always have it with me if a special shot presents itself.

How can you easily limit or prevent red-eye effects with a pocket or instant camera?

Easy tip #1: Many of today's mid to upper price instamatic cameras come with a built in red-eye reduction mode. If you know you are going to be photographing animals or people with flash, even in daylight, then turn on this flash mode. Of course this is where you must have actually read camera manual so that you know how to turn it on. After all, you can't use it if you don't 1, know it exists and 2, know how to use it.

It amazed me different modes and functions built into my latest camera. But, that's a whole other subject. Bottom line, at least read your manual once to see what capabilities you are carrying with you with just camera itself.

How red-eye reduction mode works:

Again, I'll keep it as simple as possible. After all, we don't need to know all scientific details, we just need to know how to use it correctly.

The red-eye reduction mode (and that's all it does is make it less) either shines a bright light on subject or it sets off a small pre-flash ahead of main one. What this does is to make person or animal close down iris in eye so that less light will be reflected back into camera lens through smaller hole.

Not perfect, but much better than glowing red eyes!

But, what if our camera doesn't have this option or if we don't have time or knowledge to turn it on?

I do a lot of text keying at a computer keyboard. After many hours of keying, day after day, my hands and fingers tell me (as in pain) that they're pushing too hard, too many times. After going from store to store looking for a keyboard with easy to press keys, I realized that I needed something to measure force needed to press keys on a particular keyboard. Trying to judge force by typing a little with each keyboard wasn't separating Tylenol endorsed keyboards from more finger friendly keyboards. So I rigged up a plastic tube taped to a vertical wire a few inches long. Pennies could be put in tube. The lower end of wire is rested on a key. The number of pennies needed to push a key down is a measure of key's required press force.

Then there was see through, wall hung beehive that I put on my bedroom wall. My father used to keep bees to harvest honey. One cold day in March, I discovered an abandoned hive that had fallen over exposing bees to elements. There was only several hundred bees left out of what was once thousands. I put a sheet of glass, about 2-foot by 2-foot, onto a wooden frame that I attached to my bedroom wall. Then I carefully transported faltering bee colony to their new home. A tunnel made of metal window screening provided a path for bees to come and go under a slightly raised window. The colony's queen had not survived being exposed to weather, so I knew no new bees would be reared. This colony would only last as long as lifespans of its current members. But it was interesting to watch bees doing what bees do throughout next several months. And bragging rights for having a bee colony on ones bedroom wall was something to envy.

Both keyboard force-o-meter and wall-mounted beehive were inspired by circumstances. I just saw possibility of what could be done and wanted to do it. I try to be open to possibilites for other gadgets and gizmos that would be of value. It is well worth effort: It is fun to make improvised gizmos, and you get a valued item. The item may suit your needs better than a purchased item because you make it way you want it. And it feels good to prove that your ingenuity and imagination can produce things of value.

Below is a description of a couple of items you may like to make.

Bootjack: