[Leica] Available light in the OR

["BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>]

While I'm not really a medical photographer, and Ted is an expert on the 
subject .... and you can ask Kodak : ).  HCJB has two hospitals and 6 
clinics and I've done a fair amount of medical work including surgery.  I 
have to say that actually, the OR is one of the few places where 
fluorescent lighting isn't absolutely awful with chromes, I think it is 
partly due to the typical operating room colors (ours are light blue or 
green) the colors of their gowns and the warmness of the overhead surgery 
lights.   Using an on-camera flash would kill the mood and bringing in 
studio lights is well, a bit impractical,  Using un-diffused flash in the 
OR adds a third or fourth color of light to the picture and you get 
reflections off of the tile and shadows from every tube, clamp, fixture 
and wire in the room that will distract like crazy.   Contrast is a 
bigger problem than anything and some surgeons would just as soon you 
stay out of the way while others want to share every step of the 
operation with you......  

I'd prefer shooting surgeons at work using B&W but they like to have 
slides for presentations so I do both......  I've not had one complain 
about the color of the slides yet  (some art directors might though)  ... 
they are usually glad when I come by because they know my shots will turn 
out. 

Duane Birkey

HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador