reflection of window in glasses

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offbeatbryce

Well-known member
I filmed an interview and really disappointed because the person's house I filmed in has windows all around her in the living room. I tried many different angles etc. Could not get the reflection of the windows out of her glasses. She did not want to film without the glasses because she's blind as a bat without them. Is there a way to somehow reduce the reflection of the window in post?

I have After Effects and I'm trying to take the eye on the left side and copy it and paste it on the right side to get rid of the glare but I'm unable to copy a section of what I select. There has to be a way to do this.

Sometimes it's fine because when she turns her head a little the reflection goes on the side of her glasses but then other times in right in the middle of her eyeball.
 
Hopefully someone will chime in with the answer to what you're asking; but for next time, frequently a polarizer filter can help to remove reflections while shooting, and may have helped you avoid this problem. Of course, that doesn't help you now, just something to keep in mind for next time.
 
Barry_Green said:
Hopefully someone will chime in with the answer to what you're asking; but for next time, frequently a polarizer filter can help to remove reflections while shooting, and may have helped you avoid this problem. Of course, that doesn't help you now, just something to keep in mind for next time.
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I was aware those existed however I haven't been able to find one that fits my camera.

I emailed the person back to reschedule to film the interview again. I think I might just put a towel over the window or see if the person is comfortable filming without her glasses.

I also learned that what might seem minor while looking into the camera might be major on a monitor. So I think from now on I'm going to eliminate glares and reflections while filming
 
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Not familiar with that camera, but frequently you have to remove the lens hood on small camcorders in order to get a (relatively thick) polarizer to fit.
 
offbeatbryce said:
...or see if the person is comfortable filming without her glasses.
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Nope. Don't even think it. It's not her job to shoot your film, it's yours. If you told me that I had to be on camera without my glasses, I'd have you out the door immediately. Find a way to control the light (half the film industry is about controlling light after all) even if it means a new location, or shooting at night, whatever. But never try to take glasses away from someone who needs them. Or hearing aids. Or wheel chairs. Etc. It may not be photogenic, but that's what the person looks like. It's your job to find a way to deal with it.
 
Bruce Watson said:
Nope. Don't even think it. It's not her job to shoot your film, it's yours. If you told me that I had to be on camera without my glasses, I'd have you out the door immediately. Find a way to control the light (half the film industry is about controlling light after all) even if it means a new location, or shooting at night, whatever. But never try to take glasses away from someone who needs them. Or hearing aids. Or wheel chairs. Etc. It may not be photogenic, but that's what the person looks like. It's your job to find a way to deal with it.
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Agreed. Interviews don't work when the subject is uncomfortable and self-conscious.

If you can't get rid of the reflections with changing the angle (usually the easiest way to deal with it, angle the glasses, or change the subject's eyeline by having the person look slightly higher or lower, etc) and you can't get rid of them with a polarizer, then the next way to go is to block the windows with duvetyne or even simple hefty bags or something like that. Having them change their eyeline is the easiest way but is also the most prone to fail, because they may very well move their head back to where the reflection happens. The polarizer is the next-easiest way and should be effective. Blocking the windows (or lights or whatever's reflecting) is the most foolproof way, but does take some setup time.
 
I find a couple of floppies hanging above and behind the camera is generally enough to cut off reflections on glasses without overly affecting the ambient lighting in the room. Blacks are your friend where any kind of glass/reflective surface is coming into play.
 
Grug said:
I find a couple of floppies hanging above and behind the camera is generally enough to cut off reflections on glasses without overly affecting the ambient lighting in the room. Blacks are your friend where any kind of glass/reflective surface is coming into play.
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This sounds like the only option given the description of the setting.
 
Embarrassed that it never occurred to me earlier in my career, but one remedy is to simply light the subject from the lens side. That is, instead of having the key placed on the opposite side of the interviewER from camera ( standard practice in order to place the fill side of the subject's face more toward camera to create 3 dimensional modeling ), place the key on the opposite side of the camera from the interviewER. "Camera-side" key light, as it is known. Example:

6accf1a876b9de0d63940b46e650578b.jpg

This technique sends the reflection of the key away from the lens. ( think billiards ball banking / angle of incidence ). You simply flip the positions of your key light and fill-

reversekey.jpg

[ the above diagram has no fill source, but you get the idea. Key light on same side of interviewer as camera ]



Another potential remedy is to do "split lighting". Key light and fill way off to the sides of the subject's face. Key and fill acting in a lateral manner:



1e836805c17ceedced8df018d823647e.jpg

Raising they height of the key light can help to minimize reflections in eyeglasses. But I found that it can introduce an unflattering brow shadow and also a nasty shadow of the eyeglass frame. Particularly with thick framed eyeglasses. Like this, for want of a better example:

Makeup_Tips_for_Girls_Wearing_Glasses.jpg



I agree fully with others who already chimed in here- try to avoid asking the subject to remove their eyeglasses. Drives me nuts when the Field Producer / interviewer sees, on the monitor, light reflections in the eyeglasses of the subject and immediately asks the subject if they mind removing them...and doesn't first give you the opportunity to attempt to address it by altering the lighting setup. And the subject agrees to do it but they have big indentations on the inside of the bridge of their nose from being a full-time wearer of specs. Now you're stuck. And likely everyone who knows the interview subject and sees the interview will say "wow. Never seen him / her without glasses."

The other thing that is stupidly done in this industry is the tilt. Producers will ask the subject to tilt their eyeglasses forward in order to reduce reflections. And sometimes the result is the ear-rest comically elevated. To the point that it's more distracting than the reflections the technique sought to address.


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Sunglasses are another thing. Although it can also be a dicey request asking a subject to remove their sunglasses if the subject is some rock star / movie star. Or if it is exceptionally bright outside and the subject will end up squinting. Those wrap-around mirror sunglasses are every camera guy's nightmare. Sometimes you can see the entire crew in them.

IMG_7744.jpg



In those instances- when the subject is wearing mirrored wrap-arounds and you cannot ask them to remove them- I try to shoot as wide as possible and avoid tight shots of the subjects face that might reveal a reflection of the Sound Op picking his azz during the interview. But you don't ask Bono to remove his sunglasses. Or Stevie Wonder.:grin:
 
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JPNola said:
Sunglasses are another thing. Although it can also be a dicey request asking a subject to remove their sunglasses if the subject is some rock star / movie star.
... you don't ask Bono to remove his sunglasses. Or Stevie Wonder.:grin:
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Different issue, but apparently David Lee Roth sat in on the grading of his California Girls video wearing his sun glasses, asking for the saturation to be turned up, and nobody dared to oppose him or ask him to remove the sunglasses ;)
 
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