DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

A simple tip to avoid reflections when shooting with your phone

Oct 23, 2021 by Jefferson Graham 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

We’ve all been there. We’re trying to get great food shots in a bakery, but the brownies and cookies are hidden behind reflective glass. Our shot is ruined!

Or we’ve paid good money to go to an urban rooftop or another location for the best view in town, only we’re stuck behind glass. Foiled again! The glass seems dirty, but it’s not. Still, it’s ruining your shot by catching the daylight reflections, your image, and any other bright objects out there.

So what to do? Thanks for asking. Because we have a common-sense solution.

Get in really tight and basically press the smartphone lens to the glass. The closer you get, the more likely it is that you’ll see the reflections disappear.

This trick is harder to pull off with a camera lens, since they’re not flat like smartphone lenses. Their round glass sticks out from the lens, and there’s the outer shell as well that prevents you from getting in tighter. This is an example of where photographing on a smartphone gives you a clear advantage over the bigger, higher resolution traditional camera.

Take a look at this before and after example from our recent Las Vegas Photowalk episode where the raised pedestrian crosswalks theoretically give you a great vantage point for a skyline shot. (In the shot above, you can see me trying to get this shot on an iPhone.)

This is the same spot. But in the shot on the left, I stood back from the glass. For the right image, I just got right in there and pressed the lens to the glass.

Back at the bakery, (the fabled Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles) this technique isn’t always perfect. Sometimes you will see reflections, no matter how close you are. But as you can tell, in the difference between the top shot and this one, you will definitely see fewer reflections this way.

If you have time, you can always wait out the reflection by buying a cookie, taking a seat and stalling. Just wait for the light to shift. Or, go vertical. Just crop out the reflections.

Getting in tight has its advantages in that you’ll see the cookie in a whole new light by getting so close. Have you ever looked at big globs of fudge in this way? And if you do stall for time to wait for the reflections to go away, consider yourself lucky.

After all, one of those big cookies are worth it, right?

About the Author

Jefferson Graham is a Los Angeles-based writer-photographer, the host of the “Photowalks” travel photography series on YouTube, and Tubi, a former USA TODAY tech columnist and working photographer. You can find more of Jeff’s work on his website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. This article was also published here and shared with permission.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How to eliminate reflections on glass when shooting with flash Quick Tip: How to not lose all your photos if your phone dies Lessons learned after six months of shooting only with a phone Find My Phone: A student created a short film after tracking the thief who’d stolen his phone

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: iphone photography, Jefferson Graham, phone photography, reflections, smartphone photography

Guest Author: from diyphotography.net

About Guest Author

This article was contributed to DIYP by a member of our community. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact us here.

« Adobe Photography Plan users to get Photoshop Express and Premiere Rush for free from next week
Jeff Cable interview talks about real-world EOS R3 use and Canon’s secrecy around new gear releases »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Ace your next portrait shoot with these composition tips
  • This is how to get photography clients on Instagram – even with few followers
  • “I prefer using smaller cameras” – an unorthodox take on size
  • A pigeon scares a meteorologist as it photobombs a live camera
  • Photographer files lawsuit against NFL receiver and teams after shoving incident

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy