Default settings are not neutral. They often reflect the coded gaze—the preferences of those who have the power to choose what subjects to focus on. But history has also shown us that alternative systems can be made. In the digital era, the LDK camera series developed by Philips explicitly handled skin tone variation with two chips—one for processing darker tones and another for processing lighter tones. The Oprah Winfrey Show used the LDK series for filming because there was an awareness of the need to better expose darker skin, given the show’s host and guests.
