p.1 #1 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
If you are shooting a group shot with sever people or a single person wearing glasses.
Which is better to use? Large soft box or Large Umbrella ( not a shoot thru umbrella) Thank you
p.1 #2 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
A soft box offers more control of spill and many include adding a grid for even more control, none of which an umbrella can do. Not to say umbrellas are not of value, dollar for dollar they win hands down if soft light is your goal, you just don't have the same control as a soft box. FWIW, the same size umbrella and soft box will give you the same soft diffused light providing they are the same distance to the subject.
p.1 #4 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
If it’s a single person, you can usually adjust the glasses to remove the reflection. If it’s a group you can remove the reflections in post processing. There are several YouTube videos on how to do either option. Simply type “remove glasses reflections”.
p.1 #5 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
People wearing glasses are best shot with the light source significantly off camera, so the reflection of the light off their glasses doesn't come back at the camera lens. If moving the light isn't possible, having them look slightly up or down, or just have them tilt their glasses a bit up or down can get the reflected light angle so it doesn't reach the camera lens. You will likely need a few "test shots" to work this out, but it can be done without making them look strange. Turning their head slightly left or right and a test shot or two is usually my method.
Us older folks all seem to have a bit of "Turkey Neck" that looks bad in photos too. I try to get them to move their chin forward toward the camera, not up or down, just forward. This stretches their neck skin and most or all of their turkey neck will not show in the shots. Sometimes this, as well as the glasses suggestion helps solve both problems. A suggestion that they look at the camera through the lower part of the lenses is all that is needed for both problems. Again, a test shot or two will tell you if it's enough.
p.1 #6 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
Thank you Charlie and others who responded.
You pretty much answered my question. A large group with a few people wearing glasses. And the Turkey Neck I have them
do the same. Appreciate it
p.1 #7 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
How big of a group? Is it outside or inside, and if it's inside do you have tall ceilings?
You're probably going to have to remove reflections in eyeglasses in post. With big group shots, you're often having to composite multiple frames together anyways, so I would focus on just getting the best light on them for the constraints you have, then ask everyone wearing glasses to take them off and take a dozen or so frames for retouching purposes.
p.1 #9 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
I’ve used a Paul c buff 86” palm silver umbrella with front diffuser to shoot groups of 8-10 ppl before placed between 3 steps of stairs. Just put the light so it’s parallel to the middle or main subject and raise the light at 45 degree 2 feet above that persons head. It should help with glare on glasses and try to have subjects slightly lower their head and look towards lens if they are higher than your camera
p.1 #11 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
Just getting them to look a bit left or right if using on camera flash, or slightly up so as to keep the reflection of their glasses from coming back toward the camera lens. A "test shot" will show you what you need to know and a little instruction for the subject(s) is all that should be needed.. You want their glasses to be at a slight angle to the flash and camera lens so they don't reflect the flash toward the camera. Getting rid of turkey neck by instructing them to move their head slightly forward and up a few degrees will usually be enough to fix both neck and reflection problems in the shots. This is where a modeling light becomes very helpful. In a pinch, a flashlight can be used, if it's in the flash position. It doesn't need to be a bright light, but if "live view" in the camera doesn't show it on their glasses, there shouldn't be a reflection in the shot you take.
These are just some simple tricks for getting it right in the camera shot, something all photographers should strive for. Yes, many things can be fixed in post, but don't if you can avoid needing to fix it by becoming a better photographer and learning easy tricks like this that let you get it right in camera.
p.1 #12 · OMIT This POST. Large Softbox or Large Umbrella For Portraits: With people wearing eye glasses
The U.S. Air Force photographer that took my uniform head shot had me angle my glasses to remove any reflections - definitely works. The glasses had large, thick lenses that curved outward more than usual for extra-long eyelashes.
