GLASSES ARE A PAIN!

Am I the only one who struggles with glasses? I'm talking subjects with glasses. Thanks to this forum, I pulled my dusty old studio lighting equipment out of storage and decided to use it. My wife ( wears glasses ) is an unwilling subject. Now, if I want to mess with my lights, I need someone, since I don't have a mannequin. This leaves me! My other family members will help this weekend, with or without glasses.

Now I remember, I could not light the subject well and render the glasses without reflections. I try tilting the glasses above the ears, which helps, but is not the answer. Do you guys have some secrets that you could share?

Photographing ones self is not easy, so please bear with me. Low key shot. How do you light it?

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Try placing main light to the camera left hand side (instead of pointing the light at the subject and having them face its direction).

See how you go.

Cheers

I always ask the subject to obtain an empty set of frames at their optomotrist. No lenses, no reflections. If they forgot (were too lazy) take at least one shot of them without their eyeglasses on, then use those good eyes and add them in Photoshop to their favorite image.

Benji

Simply light the subject from the opposite side they are facing. In your picture above, a light placed to the left of the camera would not show in his glasses since he is facing camera-right.

I have never had a situation that I couldn't fix by angling the glasses up from the ears, and/or having the head shifted slightly. With digital it is 100% verifiable, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal for an individual portrait. Its a bigger problem with a large group, but then its much less noticable too.

Same here, never had a situation where tilt or a lighting position change didn't fix the problem. Some people recommend their subjects go to the optometrist to borrow frames without glass for the shoot.. Do people really take this advice? Would someone want to be photographed in a pair of frames that were not their own?

I guess if they did it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a few simple frames on eBay and keep them in the studio just in case - but still - I can't see this happening.

Besides the good advice given above, remember one of the laws of physics...the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Try changing the height/position of the light, position/tilt of the head, the height/location you are shooting from. It doesn't take much but it is a pain, but a necessary pain to do.

Tony...

Thanks guys for all you suggestions. I must say that having someone purchase frames just for photos is not likely to happen. In my shot, I wanted to use more short lighting to narrow that wide ugly face. Glasses certainly do limit where you place your lights, and or the subjects head position. Of course there is Photo Shop, and empty frames. Thanks again.

Best wishes, Don