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kendrick /@/ kendrickdisch.com   Studio: 404-939-3123

I grew up in a creative/entrepreneurial household in Arkansas but my adventurous nature has taken me all over North America including lengthy layovers in the deserts of New Mexico, the colonial mountain towns of central Mexico, the sunny beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula and the lobster villages on the coast of Maine. I've documented my exploration of Mexico's places and people in a book called "A Glimpse of Mexico". I'm lucky enough to see my photography featured by The Santa Fe Photography Workshops, The Maine Media Workshops, The Music Hall Concerts, Quest Magazine and Student Filmmakers Magazine.

As a video producer/director, I strive to create compelling stories. I've made documentaries, short films, commercials, various music promo materials including live concert dvds and an interview series called Bands and Their Vans. I spent 4 crazy years running the jumbo video boards and instant replay equipment for the University of Arkansas Athletics department and for 5 years I shared my expertise with faculty and students as a video support specialist at the Multimedia Resource Center.

I'm currently based in Atlanta, GA and look forward to chatting with you about your creative and technical needs.

You can find me other places on the net as well!

   


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Blue Eyes? We are related and sensitive!

Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 6:44pm Posted in News | rants

20070127-Photo 7

So I have blue eyes. And according to an article in USA Today, I am related to every other blue eyed person on the planet.

Researchers in Denmark have found that every person with blue eyes descends from just one “founder,” an ancestor whose genes mutated 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Before then, everyone had brown eyes.

Well this doesn’t come as a surprise. We are all related to one another anyway.

Something I hadn’t considered before was that my need for sunglasses in daylight is actually because I have blue eyes. It came up in conversation the other day. People that know me well, have seen me cringe and hide my face if I walk out the door on a bright day without my sunglasses. People that have been in my apartment know that I keep it dark and only turn on the lights if really needed. “It’s so bright!” is a common phrase that comes from my mouth. Sometimes I wear sunglasses when I’m driving at night because the lights from oncoming traffic bothers me a great deal. If I was stranded on a deserted island and could only have one item of choice, it would be a tough decision between sunglasses and shoes (the shoes thing is a whole other deal).

I’ve noticed that I have premature wrinkles around my eyes and I am willing to bet it’s because I squint too much and I squint too much because “it’s so bright!”

I wonder if this ultra-sensitivity to the light helps me to be a better photographer?

I did a 20 minute google search to find out if my hypothesis was true, but it yielded no scientific studies to back me up; nor did I find any studies to contradict me. However, I did find a tons of anecdotal evidence that suggests people with blue eyes are more sensitive to the light. What do you think? What color are your eyes and do you have light sensitivity issues or know people that do?

Here’s a link to the wikipedia article on Eye Color for further reading.

by kendrick

9 comments

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May 11, 2008 - 7:46 pm Angela - Well that's clearly flawed logic. If one person's eye color mutated, then other people's eye colors could've mutated as well. Meaning that there's no way all blue eyed people come from a common ancestor. Besides, other eye colors (like green and violet) are still considered mutations, and are often NOT passed down at all (my brother has green eyes, and no one else that anyone can remember in the family tree has had them before... just blue and brown).

May 12, 2008 - 6:11 pm Angela Gray - Of course, you and I know we are related, but that article is very interesting. Another thing I read one time is that a man and woman who are both blue eyed can only have blue eyed children- there is no other possibility. And apparently that is the only parent combination that is absolutely predictable. I think things like that are interesting. And I always have to have my sunglasses outside too :)

May 17, 2008 - 12:42 am djd - OMG!! that pic kinda freaks me out!!

June 27, 2008 - 3:35 am KB - I found your site after doing a similar search myself. I was trying to find scientific evidence to back up my claim that my eyes - yes they are blue - are more sensitive than those of the Japanese. I've been in Japan for nearly a year now and have always gotten comments about my sunglasses. I MUST have them: the light here seems so strong for me and my eyes start watering if I try to go outside without them. I work as an assistant language teacher at a fairly conservative rural school, though, and have been told on numerous occasions to please not wear my sunglasses when we're outside because "stylish items" are not permitted (strict clothing rules). I've done my best, but just can't go without them!! The squinting, the headaches, the watery eyes, it's just terrible, and all my superiors think I'm just trying to be a "trendy American" and keep my shades... ..so, I started searching for proof. The best I found was the following, which actually was pretty interesting: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Blue-Eyes-for-the-Winter-Light-Brown-for-the-Summer-49528.shtml I wish you the best of luck with your light battle (I, too, have grown up with parents complaining: "turn on those lights or you'll ruin your eyes in the dark!"). I think now I can say, I'll go blind if folks continue to try to force me into the light. :)

June 27, 2008 - 4:01 am KB - by the way, what camera do you use? my D40 is my baby and while i doubt my blue eyes help with my photography skills any, having a natural light sensitivity is interesting to think about...

July 25, 2008 - 1:40 pm Chip - My interest in blue eyes and light sensitivity came a number of years ago, when I went to a doctor and she commented on the color of my eyes (they’re very light blue). She said, “Oh you must be very light sensitive.” Which I am. Generally I prefer dark cloudy days to bright sunny ones, and I also usually prefer winter over summer. I do believe that blue eyes is a mutation that came from a common ancestor. While there was probably some sexual selective reason for the spread of blue eyes, there may have also been a functional one as well. Several years ago I wrote “Ask a Geneticist” and they explained that blue eyes might have an advantage of better sight in low light areas (such as the north) along with other advantages. The answer to my question is posted here (the answer was given long before the article on a common ancestor): http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=160 I suspect that the common ancestor (or the mutation) came from the north, since the distribution of blue eyes (and blonde hair) is largely contained in the northern countries of Europe (see: http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2006/03/blonde-hair-blue-eyes.php and http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Frost_06.html) and rapidly declines as you go south. It exists in other countries in the south, but that could be the result of the mass migrations of people throughout the ages who settled in the south. While I do believe that blue eyed people are more light sensitive, there is really no specific scientific data to support it that I can find.

April 18, 2009 - 8:05 pm Gale Warren - I have always been light sensitive and have worn sunglasses at night. People ask why I wear them on gray days (not rainy) and I say it is because of the glare. Forget sunny days with snow on the ground. I HAVE asked a doctor, though many years ago, and he confirmed that blue eyes are more sensitive to light because they are more transparent. Makes sense to me.

April 19, 2009 - 7:08 pm Lauren - Everything you described is exactly what I go through. For as long as I can remember, I've always worn sunglasses & a ball cap to protect my sensitive eyes (which are indeed blue). Sometimes at work, the light gets to be too much with the lights inside plus the sun & glare bouncing inside. I also have great problems with waking up in the dark & adjusting to turning on a light--it takes forever! I remedied this by using a timer on my nightstand lamp so it comes on before I awaken. I've also found that my eyes are incredibly good with seeing in the dark. I'm thinking of looking into getting some light-color tinted sunglasses to wear indoors when I can't take the brightness.

July 29, 2009 - 1:14 pm Taia Gray - I have blue eyes and just like you I keep the house dark and never leave the house without sunglasses. I have even had bulbs removed from above my desk because it was too bright to function properly. I was also having horrible head and nech aches before the bulbs were removed. I am now looking for research to back this up because my boss wants to have all of the lights above my desk lit.

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