Advice with shooting through glass

I'm actually planning to head to an observatory to take some wide angle city shots. The main issue I envision is the reflection/glare since the observatory is surrounded by a thin glass wall (for safety reasons). I'm flexible with the time I plan to head up (sunrise, sunset or night time shot). What are some of the ways I can avoid/minimize the reflection/glare issue from shooting through glass?

On trick I've found to work well is to get your lens as close to the glass as possible. Also, look for the glare and reflections and avoid 'em (yeah I know, pretty common sense )

As jra suggest get as close as possible to the glass.

Another thing would be a Circular polariser.

jra wrote in post #9609608
On trick I've found to work well is to get your lens as close to the glass as possible. Also, look for the glare and reflections and avoid 'em (yeah I know, pretty common sense )

That's what I was thinking as well. Will putting a hood over my lens then pushing the hood right up to the glass be the 'best' option?

big_apple_ken wrote in post #9609669
That's what I was thinking as well. Will putting a hood over my lens then pushing the hood right up to the glass be the 'best' option?

It would be a good choice.

Use a rubber hood/shade and push that up to the glass...at least that's what I use to shoot through glass at aquariums. Of course there are other distortion things happening when shooting through glass and water at aquariums, but I try to stay as parallel to the plane of the glass as possible.

I remember an article in a photomag back in the late eighties where a guy was hacking toilet plungers with an exacto knife so they fit on his lens. If memory serves, he was using it on trains and airplanes. It would have to work, a black rubber hood would cut the glare from any light source on the camera side of the glass, and provide a stable platform.
I wonder if you could get the fit so close to the lens diameter that waterproof L glass would stay stuck to the window while you fiddled with a cell phone or ordered lunch?

Here's something...

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We use black velvet material draped over the lens and held up to the glass. It cuts out any light that can reflect inside the room and allows you to move around without fear of a reflection on the glass.

Jon.

I know that this is also pretty much common sense, but wear dark clothing. This will also reduce the amount of reflection you'll face.

Microfibre cloth and some glass cleaner too !!!