Eyeglasses Without Glare
Empty Eyeglass Frames for Portraits
A professional solution for portraits that keeps your authentic “glasses look” while eliminating glare, reflections, and distortion—so your eyes stay sharp, expressive, and beautifully visible.
Because Your Eyes Deserve to Be Seen
Glasses are part of who you are. They’re not just a vision aid—they’re your style, your identity, your everyday look.
But in front of the camera, eyeglass lenses can cause problems: glare, reflections, weird distortion, and shadows right across your eyes.
That’s why, for many of my portrait sessions, I offer a simple, professional solution: empty eyeglass frames—frames without lenses—for a clean, natural, glasses-on look that lets your eyes truly shine.
What Are “Empty Eyeglasses”?
“Empty eyeglasses” are regular eyeglass frames with the lenses removed.
You still get:
• Your familiar glasses look
• The shape and style that feel like “you”
• The visual framing of your face that you’re used to seeing in the mirror
But you avoid:
• Glare from studio lights or windows
• Harsh white reflections that cover your eyes
• Distortion that makes your eyes look smaller, larger, or uneven
To the viewer, they simply look like glasses. To the camera, they’re a dream.
Why It Matters in Portrait Photography
1. Your Eyes Become the True Focus
Eyes are everything in a portrait: expression, connection, emotion.
Lenses can:
• Catch bright reflections
• Darken your eyes
• Add strange shapes over your pupils
Empty frames remove that barrier, so your expression reads clearly and honestly.
2. No Glare, No Reflections, No Distractions
Studio lights, softboxes, windows, and even outdoor sunlight love to bounce off lenses.
By removing the glass, we avoid:
• Big white blobs across your eyes
• Reflections of lights, windows, or the room
• Color tints from coatings
Your portraits look clean, polished, and distraction-free straight out of the camera.
3. A More Flattering, True-to-You Look
Prescription lenses sometimes:
• Shrink or enlarge your eyes
• Warp the shape of your face near the edges of the frame
• Create unevenness between one eye and the other
With empty frames, your face is rendered naturally:
your features, your symmetry, your expression—without optical distortion.
your features, your symmetry, your expression—without optical distortion.
4. Less Retouching, More Authenticity
Yes, a lot can be “fixed” in Photoshop… but fixing heavy glare and reflections over eyes is time-consuming, and sometimes impossible without losing detail.
Using empty frames:
• Saves unnecessary heavy editing
• Protects the natural texture and detail in your eyes
• Keeps your portraits looking real, not over-processed
The result is a truer, more timeless image—perfect for prints, albums, and wall art.
How I Provide Empty Eyeglasses in Your Session
Every client and every face is different, so we’ll choose the approach that fits you best:
Option 1: Use My Studio Frames
I keep a selection of empty frames in classic styles:
• Simple, modern shapes
• Neutral colors that suit many skin tones
• Understated designs that won’t date quickly
These are ideal if:
• You don’t normally wear glasses but like the “glasses look”
• You want a stylish accessory without worrying about reflections
Option 2: We Remove the Lenses From Your Frames (Temporarily)
For some clients, their own glasses are non-negotiable—they feel “not like themselves” without them.
In those cases, and only if it’s safe and practical for the frame design, we can:
• Carefully remove the lenses for a portion of the session
• Photograph you with your real frames, lens-free
• Reinstall the lenses afterwards
We’ll talk this through ahead of time so you’re comfortable with the process and know exactly what to expect.
Option 3: A Mix of Both
Many people enjoy having:
• A few portraits with full, real glasses
• A few with empty frames
• And a few with no glasses at all
This gives you variety: some images fully true to your everyday look, and some optimized purely for visual clarity and expression.
Is This “Cheating”? Not at All.
Using empty frames is a professional, intentional choice, not a trick.
It’s no different than:
• Using flattering light
• Choosing a lens that complements your features
• Positioning you in a way that shows your best side
The goal is always the same:
to represent you authentically, in the most flattering and distraction-free way possible.
to represent you authentically, in the most flattering and distraction-free way possible.
You still look like you—just without the technical limitations of glass between you and the camera.
Common Questions
“Will it look fake or obvious?”
No. Most people looking at a portrait don’t think, “Are there lenses in those frames?” They just see you wearing glasses. As long as the frames fit naturally, it looks completely believable.
“What if I really need my glasses to see?”
We can:
• Do posing and directing while you wear your full glasses
• Then have you close your eyes or hold still briefly while I swap to empty frames for the actual capture
• Or keep your real glasses on for most of the session and only use empty frames for a few key close-ups
Your comfort and safety always come first.
“Can we do portraits both with and without empty frames?”
Absolutely. In fact, I recommend it.
You’ll get:
• Some images with your everyday real glasses
• Some optimized, glare-free portraits using empty frames
• And maybe a few without glasses at all, just for variety
You can decide later which ones feel most like you.
Let’s Talk About Your Glasses Before Your Session
If glasses are a big part of your identity, let’s honor that—intentionally.
When you book a portrait session with me, we’ll discuss:
• Whether you’d like to use empty frames
• If you want me to provide them
• Or if we should plan to work with your own frames
That way, when you step in front of the camera, we’re not fighting reflections—we’re celebrating you.
If you have questions about how this works or want to know whether your particular glasses are a good candidate for lens removal, just reach out and ask. I’m happy to walk you through it.