History Main / BlindingCameraFlash

* It's the main obvious reason (i.e., ignoring [[ConspiracyTheorist variety of overcomplicated hypotheses]]) for "no cameras" signs in so many quite innocent public places such as museums. Because when it is not prohibited, you ''guaranteed'' to have at least one or two morons blinding everyone around with their precious soapboxes every 10 seconds or so.
** Either that or they'd just rather that you bought your mementos at the gift shop rather than just make your own, a lot of museums rely on fundraising from the shops you know.
** There's also the fact that a split second flash is equal to hours of regular lighting, a significant factor when dealing with antiques.

* In ''ToyStory2'' the toys use flashes to stop [[spoiler:Stinky Pete]] from hurting Woody.

* Tourists can use this as a weapon in ''NetHack''.

* ''{{Discworld}}'':

* This is one of [[DeadRising Frank West]]'s moves in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''.

* In ''{{Fallout 3}}'', your character being blinded by one on his birthdays as a child is used to transition to the next point of your character's childhood/the tutorial.

* At the very beginning of ''FindingNemo'', just right after capturing Nemo, the scuba diver takes a picture of Nemo's father Marlin, the flash stunning the clownfish and preventing him from going after his son.

* Used in ''RearWindow'' as a way to stall a killer.

[[AC:Literature]]

* Happened in ''QuantumLeap'' to Sam when a reporter's flashbulb exploded in his face, temporarily blinding him. Since Sam was currently impersonating a blind person, this saved him from being exposed ''as'' a sighted impersonator.

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[[AC:Theater]]

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[[AC:Western Animation]]

* Used as a political dirty trick in "A Bathroom Of Her Own" by RobertAHeinlein. A political candidate is blinded by an unexpected camera flash, with a second picture being taken a moment later as he tries to recover. The picture from the second camera - showing the candidate looking confused, dazzled and dopey - is then used by his opponents in their attack ads.

** In ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'', the CosmicHorror Bel-Shamharoth is defeated by the flash of Twoflower's iconograph going off.

* ''{{Paranoia}}'' supplement ''Acute Paranoia'', adventure "Me and My Shadow Mark IV". The {{PC}}s' mission equipment includes a lightbot named Mikey, who was intended to be a photographer's assistant. If the word "light" is used around him he'll start flashing lights in the unfortunate character's eyes, blinding him.

* Tourists can use this as a weapon in ''{{NetHack}}''.
* ''ToejamAndEarl in Panic on Funkotron'' features [[HawaiianShirtedTourist Hawaiian Shirted Tourists]] who use their camera flash as a weapon.
* The scanner enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life 2}}'' do this if you're looking at them when they photograph you (this is pretty much the only hazard they pose, apart from occasionally giving your position away to a strider).

* In the "school photo" episode of ''{{Doug}},'' there's a RunningGag about people being blinded by the camera and wandering around dizzily.

* Used for propaganda in "A Bathroom Of Her Own" by RobertAHeinlein. A political candidate is blinded by an unexpected camera flash, with a second picture being taken a moment later as he tries to recover. The picture from the second camera - showing the candidate looking confused, dazzled and dopey - is then used by his opponents.

* This happens to Zach at the beginning of the ''[[WesternAnimation/BookOfVirtues Adventures from the Book of Virtues]]'' episode "Honesty", when he touches his dad's camera and accidentally breaks it.

* As ''ElGoonishShive'' put it, [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-08-24 "Dude, Like, Sarah Just TOTALLY Flashed Female Justin"]]

* At the very beginning of ''FindingNemo'', just right after capturing Nemo, the scuba diver uses his camera to stun Nemo's father Marlin in order to prevent the clownfish from attacking him.

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* The scanner enemies in ''HalfLife2'' do this if you're looking at them when they photograph you (this is pretty much the only hazard they pose, apart from occasionally giving your position away to a strider).

* This is one of [[DeadRising Frank West]]'s moves in ''[[MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''.

* Used on ''TheSimpsons'' as a weapon against crazed robot Itchys and Scratchys at Itchy And Scratchy Land. Flashing them caused their brains to go haywire.

* In ''[[{{Fallout}} Fallout 3]]'', your character being blinded by one on his birthday as a child is used to transition to the next point of your character's childhood/the tutorial.

[[AC:Film]]
* Used in ''RearWindow'' as a way to stall a killer.

* In ''ILoveYourWork'', the main character is a Hollywood actor who gets disoriented whenever walking the red carpet by the flashing bulbs. In the end, there is a callback to this as he makes a stand against a line of cops.
* In ''JohnnyDangerously'', there's a scene where Johnny gets photographed repeatedly and then promptly walks into the wall he couldn't see anymore.

* Exaggerated by ''{{Discworld}}'''s Otto von Chriek ever since his introduction in ''Discworld/TheTruth''. He's a vampire who loves photography. As a result, whenever he takes a flash photo, it results in his ''demise'' until blood is poured on his ashes. He's tried a few solutions, but not using the flash hasn't been one of them.
** Also used in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'', where the CosmicHorror Bel-Shamharoth is defeated by the flash of Twoflower's iconograph going off.

* In ''EternalDarkness'', one of the characters (a WWII journalist) has a camera with a limited amount of flash powder which he can use to stun enemies (which is good, since you don't really start off with any particularly powerful weapons in that chapter).