mario_saliba Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Dear all,</p> <p>I have a small problem to solve. What is the best way to go around shooting people with glasses with mounted flash. The glass in the glasses reflects light.<br> What are the best solutions?</p> <p>Thank for your patience and advice.</p> <p>Regards</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks short Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Either bounce the light into the ceiling if there is a low white ceiling or get your flash off the camera and onto a bracket so it's above the lense as far as possible.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Try having the subject turn their head even a couple of degrees, or lift up the arms on their glasses just a tiny bit (to tilt the glasses down a hair). Off-camera strobes (on a bracket) can help some, but large, slightly curved glasses can still be really good at catching reflections when the strobe is only a foot or so away from the camera. Brooks' bouncing suggesting is the most important one - just avoid the direct, hard light in the first place, when possible.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Get he flash away from the camera.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Broad lighting will direct the reflections away from the camera.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrymat Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Not only does the glass reflect light but the prescription changes the way the eyes look; nearsighted people's eyes are made to look smaller through the lenses and farsighted people have their eyes magnified. If there is time before a shoot, one solution is to ask the person to go to their provider of glasses to see if they can borrow empty frames of the same style they wear. The empty frames have no reflection nor modification of eye size, yet allow the person to look as they normally do in their portrait. At one time I knew a photographer who regularly was given discontinued eyeglass frames by a local glasses provider in exchange for free yearly family photos. He offered portrait customers a selection of frames they could wear rather than their own glasses. He used to joke that if the customer wanted to wear only their own frames, he had a hammer that would solve the glass problem.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_k2 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p>Hello, I just saw something on this at Strobist.com, you might want to check it out. If you are limited to a mounted flash, maybe a little futzing with a polarizing filter?</p> <p> Dan</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <p><em>If you are limited to a mounted flash, maybe a little futzing with a polarizing filter?</em></p> <p>This is a wasted effort. Light bounced straight back is not polarized. Controlling reflections is all about placement of the lights. For an interesting tutorial, read "Light- Science and Magic" by Hunter, Biver and Fuqua.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_saliba Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 <p>First of all thanks for your feedback</p> <p>I also tried with the polariser but it is in vein. What bracket manufacturer do you recommend. I found some on ebay and bought one. The link is this below:</p> <p>http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flash-Bracket-for-Canon-Nikon-Olympus-Sony-Pentax-Fuji_W0QQitemZ150316148716QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_TripodsSupports?hash=item150316148716&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooks short Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 <p>Mario, that bracket doesn't move the flash any farther away from the lens. In fact it might even place it closer to the lens.</p> <p>You need to get the flash up higher by 10 inches or more like this... <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/117422-REG/Stroboframe_310_700_Pro_RL_Bracket.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/117422-REG/Stroboframe_310_700_Pro_RL_Bracket.html</a></p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g._armour_van_horn Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 <p>Okay, this one is actually a joke because the lighting I had for this shot didn't actually give me any reflection off the model's glasses at all. Several years earlier, when I knew a hell of a lot less and had a lot less equipment (i.e. options) the only way I got a useable shot was when she did the "school marm looking over her glasses" bit. She actually used that image professionally, everybody loved it. So when were just about done with this shoot, she got playful and started hamming it up the same way.</p> <p>The model is <a href="http://www.larkinart.com">Larkin Jean Van Horn</a> , an incredibly talented textile artist. I know this because a) I'm married to her, b) I shoot all her work.</p> <p>Van</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 <p>She is talented if the background is representative of her work!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrymat Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 <p>Of course, sometimes you might want the reflections to show in glasses</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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