Wearing Glasses on Camera: What to Expect

If you wear glasses every day, you shouldn’t feel pressured to remove them for your video. They’re part of who you are — and they absolutely belong on camera. That said, glasses and studio lights have a complicated relationship. And if you naturally move your head, speak with your hands, or shift around while you talk (which most people do), some glare or shadows are completely normal and not always possible to eliminate.

This guide is here to prepare you for what’s realistic, what we can control, and what’s simply part of filming with glasses.

Let’s be honest: glare can happen

Even with perfect lighting and careful positioning, glasses can reflect light whenever you:

• turn your head

• look down slightly

• raise your chin

• shift your body

• gesture enthusiastically

Because video is dynamic, we can minimise glare when you’re still but as soon as you move, the angle between your lenses, the lights, and the camera changes. So rather than trying to eliminate glare entirely (which isn’t realistic), our aim is to reduce it and keep it from becoming distracting.

Darker frames = more visible shadows

If you have dark, thick, or bold frames, they can cast:

• shadows under your eyes

• shadows on your cheeks

• slight darkening along the bridge of the nose

This is completely normal on camera. The darker the material, the more noticeable the shadow. We’ll work with the lighting to soften these as much as possible, but it’s helpful to know upfront that some shadowing is unavoidable — especially during movement.

Here’s what you can do

✔ Keep your glasses clean

Smudges exaggerate reflections. A quick clean before filming helps more than you think.

✔ If you own more than one pair, choose lighter or thinner frames

Lighter-coloured, thinner, or matte frames cast fewer shadows and reflect less light.

✔ Consider lowering the tilt slightly

A tiny adjustment from your optician (or gently pushing the arms a fraction higher on your ears) can angle the lenses downward just enough to avoid the strongest reflections.

✔ Let us know if glare is something you’re specifically concerned about

We can allocate a few extra minutes on the day for lighting adjustments.

Here’s what we do on the day

⭐ Light you from angles that minimise reflections

We’ll raise or offset lights so they’re less likely to bounce straight into your lenses.

⭐ Adjust your seating position

Even a 2–3° shift can make a noticeable difference when you’re facing the camera.

⭐ Create a setup that works with movement, not against it

Since you’ll naturally move while speaking, we choose lighting that gives the best overall balance — even if that means accepting a little natural reflection at times.

⭐ Soften shadows from darker frames

We’ll use fill light or reflectors to brighten shadow areas and keep everything looking natural.

A realistic expectation

By the end of your shoot:

• You will look like you

• Your eyes will be clear and well lit

• Glare will be reduced as much as possible but you may still see moments of reflection or shadow when you move — and that is completely normal on video

We prioritise natural expression, authenticity, and comfort over asking you to sit unnaturally still.

Most clients don’t even notice the reflections in the final edit because they’re paying more attention to your message, not the glasses.

If you’re feeling unsure…

Just let us know. We film clients with glasses all the time — from bold frames to transition lenses — and we’ll always talk you through what to expect on the day so there are no surprises.

You don’t need to change how you normally look. We simply want you to feel prepared, comfortable, and confident before the camera rolls.

Now that you’re thinking about your glasses, you might also be wondering what to wear overall.

Clothing can make a surprisingly big difference to how confident you feel on camera — and how the lighting behaves. If you haven’t seen it yet, we’ve put together a simple guide on what to wear when being filmed, including colours, patterns and comfort tips. It’s a great one to read alongside this, especially if you want to feel fully prepared on the day.