Reflections on a Sunglass

Capturing reflections on sun-glasses is a rather easy project that can be done almost anywhere and in almost any condition.

The best thing is that you really do not need any fancy gear and it is a perfect opportunity do photography when either conditions do not allow you to go to an exciting location or the weather is not cooperating.

It is simply getting your hands on some different pairs of sunglasses, for variety, and photographing the reflections that they capture. Simple enough yet you really need to be a bit creative in order to make your images pleasing enough to attract attention.

It is not photographing what is reflected. Both the sunglasses and the reflection should be interesting enough to capture the imagination.

To start off get several pairs of sunglasses and hopefully in different colors and designs so that they can add interesting elements to the shot besides the reflections themselves.

Next choose someone who will be the "model" and pair them up with interesting locations. Here is where it gets a bit tricky. You need to look at the scene but with the consideration that what should be interesting is the portion that will reflect. This can be a very small area but you should have some colorful elements or designs or both to make the scene complete.

You can either have someone wear the glasses or just lay then in place so that capture an interesting reflection. Either way the emphasis is on what is reflected of the glass.

Adding a person who wears them also adds some interest but this is not necessary. Do however compose some shots with a person and some without one. Pay attention to the color of the glass itself and avoid including too much of the person in the shots. Front shots are OK but side angles and perspectives usually work better.

If the glasses are too dark or the glass is colored like the popular purple for example, this may add some unwanted tint to the overall scenery.

Try to get models that are reflective enough but do not completely change the reflection.

When you compose the shot do make a concerted effort to include portions of the sunglasses to the extent that a viewer can recognize them as such.

The interesting part of the shot is when a viewer discerns that there is a reflection present on the glass and try to pay more attention to it in order to identify what this reflections may be of.

The easy part of the composition is that almost any subject will do. You can use subjects from nature, architectural forms, regular everyday objects and even people.

Try to be creative and look for subjects that carry color and perhaps have an identifiable pattern to them.

You should not capture images that are so confusing that the reflection becomes unrecognizable. It is better to make it a bit hard but not impossible to identify.

Although you can add reflections to an image featuring someone wearing a pair of sunglasses by using Photoshop or Gimp, the trick is to capture these images naturally.

This way you not only get to practice your photography but it can also get to be a fun project in itself.

As to what gear to use you really need only a regular 55 to 80mm lens. No flash is required since its reflection will overpower the reflection on the glass and besides you need to shoot in strong light for a reflection to be produced.

But keep in mind that with a regular lens you might need to get close to the subject and your reflection may show. You can either shoot at an angle which does not capture your reflected image or use a longer lens so that you can stand some distance away.