Wearing glasses and want to avoid glare?
With more and more of us shooting video on a regular basis, looking our best is key. If you are a glasses wearer, there are some rules to follow. You want to make sure you’re enhancing your features on screen, professional and avoid glare.
The first thing to do is to make sure that the glasses you are wearing in your video suit your face shape.
Glasses to suit your face
Square Face
The key here is to soften an often very strong jaw line. You can make your face look longer and softer if you pick narrow frames in oval or round shapes.
Avoid the square style frames – they won’t do you any favours! Say no to strong dark frames and check out thinner metal frame styles instead.
Heart-Shaped Face
If you have a broader forehead and your face tapers down to a narrow chin then you have a classic heart shaped face. You want to be finding frames that even out your proportions and take the focus off your widest part. Popular choices can be rimless glasses or cat eye styles in light colours.
Round Face
Round faces usually have full apple cheeks and rounded chins. The aim here is to make your face appear longer and slimmer.
Frames that create definition will help you out, so look at narrow angular frames. Heavier, rectangular wide frames can also help to balance out that fuller face shape.
Rectangular Face
Deep foreheads with a longer nose and a strong jawline are the classic features of a rectangular face. The right frames will soften so look for any that have a strong brow-line definition.
A two-toned colour with the darker colour at the top of the frame are also winners. Just make sure the tones are in softer colours as these work well on screen.
Diamond Shaped Face
A diamond shape is more narrow at the eyeline with a key feature being broad cheek bones that are often high. If you recognise the description, then you need to find frames that draw attention to your eye area and add some balance to your face.
You’ll look great in frames that are semi-rimless and oval. The cat eye shape work well, and frames that have heavy rims will balance out your cheek bones too.
Avoid glare on video!
If you’re shooting yourself wearing glasses or are shooting an interviewee wearing them, you do need to be aware of a few key issues.
Modern glasses can be coated with an anti-glare tint and this is not helpful as no one wants to see that green flare in their footage!
If you can take them off, it is going to make your life SO much easier. But if you or your interviewee want to wear glasses, then here are some helpful tips for an anti-glare shoot.
Be aware of the light
If you are inside and using a light, you are going to have to re-position it to avoid the glare. We need to find the right spot that will eliminate all reflection and yet still lights you or your interviewee’s face.
Try moving your light higher up than normal and at a 45-degree angle to the face. If you have the ability to tilt your light down, then do that. You want to avoid the reflection, but be careful – the last thing we want to do with this is create a shadow on the other side of your face!
Remember, the softer the light, the less the glare will be. If you can experiment with turning down your light settings, then give that a go. If your light comes with some soft filters, you can use those, or you can try taping a bit of greaseproof or baking paper over the light for instant softness!
Angle Your Head
Most of the glare from glasses happens when you or your subject raise your head. Try to keep your head still and slightly tilt your glasses down.
You don’t want to make an interviewee appear stilted, so if they are someone who moves their head around a lot naturally this may not work.
Try and tilt the end of the glasses up behind your ear. Quite often, it does provide the best fix for this problem!
We did tape down glasses with some gaffer tape behind the ears with one interviewee on a shoot, and it worked a treat!!
My final foolproof tip is before you press record, make sure you have cleaned your glasses with a lens cloth!
Happy glare free shooting everyone. Do let us know if you have any other tips that have worked for you!
