diff --git a/detectron2/data/detection_utils.py b/detectron2/data/detection_utils.py
index ea1e41e2a0..7f125340b0 100644
--- a/detectron2/data/detection_utils.py
+++ b/detectron2/data/detection_utils.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import pycocotools.mask as mask_util
 import torch
 from fvcore.common.file_io import PathManager
-from PIL import Image, ImageOps
+from PIL import Image
 
 from detectron2.structures import (
     BitMasks,
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ class SizeMismatchError(ValueError):
 _M_RGB2YUV = [[0.299, 0.587, 0.114], [-0.14713, -0.28886, 0.436], [0.615, -0.51499, -0.10001]]
 _M_YUV2RGB = [[1.0, 0.0, 1.13983], [1.0, -0.39465, -0.58060], [1.0, 2.03211, 0.0]]
 
+# https://www.exiv2.org/tags.html
+_EXIF_ORIENT = 274  # exif 'Orientation' tag
+
 
 def convert_PIL_to_numpy(image, format):
     """
@@ -97,6 +100,50 @@ def convert_image_to_rgb(image, format):
     return image
 
 
+def _apply_exif_orientation(image):
+    """
+    Applies the exif orientation correctly.
+
+    This code exists per the bug:
+      https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/issues/3973
+    with the function `ImageOps.exif_transpose`. The Pillow source raises errors with
+    various methods, especially `tobytes`
+
+    Function based on:
+      https://github.com/wkentaro/labelme/blob/v4.5.4/labelme/utils/image.py#L59
+      https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/blob/7.1.2/src/PIL/ImageOps.py#L527
+
+    Args:
+        image (PIL.Image): a PIL image
+
+    Returns:
+        (PIL.Image): the PIL image with exif orientation applied, if applicable
+    """
+    if not hasattr(image, "getexif"):
+        return image
+
+    exif = image.getexif()
+
+    if exif is None:
+        return image
+
+    orientation = exif.get(_EXIF_ORIENT)
+
+    method = {
+        2: Image.FLIP_LEFT_RIGHT,
+        3: Image.ROTATE_180,
+        4: Image.FLIP_TOP_BOTTOM,
+        5: Image.TRANSPOSE,
+        6: Image.ROTATE_270,
+        7: Image.TRANSVERSE,
+        8: Image.ROTATE_90,
+    }.get(orientation)
+
+    if method is not None:
+        return image.transpose(method)
+    return image
+
+
 def read_image(file_name, format=None):
     """
     Read an image into the given format.
@@ -113,11 +160,8 @@ def read_image(file_name, format=None):
     with PathManager.open(file_name, "rb") as f:
         image = Image.open(f)
 
-        # capture and ignore this bug: https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/issues/3973
-        try:
-            image = ImageOps.exif_transpose(image)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        # work around this bug: https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/issues/3973
+        image = _apply_exif_orientation(image)
 
         return convert_PIL_to_numpy(image, format)