How to Avoid Glasses Glare in Photos and Video Calls
To avoid glasses glare in photos, change the angle between the light, your lenses and the camera. Tilt your frames down slightly by lifting the arms off your ears a little, move the light higher and off to one side, and turn your head a few degrees away from the brightest light. Glare is just a reflection, so if the light bounces off your lenses at an angle that misses the camera, it disappears. No editing needed.
Glasses and good photos get along fine once the light is in the right spot.
If your glasses keep catching glare and you can't tell whether it's your light setup or your angle that's costing you, Glowmaxx scores posture and angle and light and fit as separate levers in one daily selfie. Start my glow-up
Why glasses reflect light
Your lenses act like tiny, curved mirrors. Light hits them and some bounces off.
Whether that bounce shows up in your photo depends on one thing: the angle. It follows the same rule as a ball bouncing off a wall. If the light is in front of you at the same height as the camera, the reflection bounces straight back into the lens. That's the white blob over your eyes.
The most common culprits:
- A ring light centered right behind the phone.
- A laptop or monitor directly in front of you on a video call.
- A flash firing from right next to the lens.
- A window directly behind the photographer.
- Overhead lights reflecting when you tilt your head up.
Is there a way to stop glasses from having glare completely?
Not 100% in every situation, but close. Move the light, tilt the frames or turn your head, and the reflection lands somewhere the camera can't see.
Tilt the frames down slightly
This is the fastest fix and the one photographers use in school and passport-style portraits.
- Put your glasses on normally.
- Gently lift the arms (the parts over your ears) about a finger's width up off your ears.
- The lenses now tilt slightly downward at the bottom.
- Check the front camera. The reflection should drop out of view.
It'll feel a bit odd for a second. It won't look odd in the photo, because the front of the frame barely moves.
Or tilt your head instead
If moving your frames feels weird:
- Lower your chin slightly so the lenses angle down.
- Turn your head a few degrees left or right. Reflections slide sideways off the lens.
Small moves are enough. You're only changing the angle by a little.
Move the light up and to the side
If you control the light, this is the permanent fix.
Rule of thumb: keep your main light higher than your eyes and off to one side, at roughly a 45-degree angle. Then its reflection bounces down and away instead of straight into the camera.
For selfies at home
- Put a lamp to one side, slightly above head height.
- Face a window at an angle, not straight on.
- If you use the lamp-and-laptop night setup, raise the lamp and push the laptop lower or to the side.
For photos outside
- Keep the sun behind or beside you.
- Watch for bright sky reflecting in the lenses; tilting your chin slightly down usually fixes it.
Ring lights and screens: the glare fix
This is where most people struggle, because ring lights sit right where the camera is. That's exactly the worst spot for glasses. It's also why ring light reflections show up as perfect circles in your lenses.
How to avoid glasses glare with a ring light
- Raise the ring light well above eye level and angle it down at you.
- Or move it off to the side, so it's not directly behind the phone.
- Lower the brightness. A dimmer ring light makes a fainter reflection.
- Tilt your frames down slightly as above.
- Add a second soft light (a window or lamp) so the ring light isn't doing all the work.
For the pros and cons of ring lights generally, see ring light vs natural light for selfies.
Screen reflection in glasses
A bright white screen in front of you can show up as a rectangle in your lenses:
- Lower your screen brightness.
- Use dark mode apps during video calls.
- Raise the laptop on books so the screen is higher, and tilt it back slightly.
| Setup | Glare risk | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ring light behind phone | High | Raise it or move it to the side |
| Lamp at 45 degrees, above head | Low | Already good |
| Window straight ahead | Medium | Turn your body slightly |
| Bright laptop screen | Medium | Lower brightness, dark mode |
| Phone flash | High | Turn off flash, use room light |
The trouble is that glare moves every time you shift a light or your head, and it's easy to lose track of which setup worked. Glowmaxx scores one selfie a day on five levers with a one-line note each, and your glow timeline stays on your device, so you can look back and see which setup gave you the best light and angle. Start my glow-up
Anti-glare coatings: do they help?
Anti-reflective (AR) coatings on lenses are designed to reduce reflections. Many people with coated lenses notice less glare in photos and on video calls. They don't make glare vanish entirely, especially with a bright light right in front of you, and results vary by coating and lens.
If you're getting new glasses anyway, ask your optician about it. But you don't need new lenses to fix glare today: angle and light position do most of the work.
A note on blue-light coatings: some of these give a faint blue or purple reflection on camera. If you see a colored sheen in your lenses, that's likely why. The same angle fixes help.
Fixing it on video calls
Video calls are the hardest case because the screen is in front of you and the camera is right above it. Here's how to avoid glasses glare on Zoom, Teams, FaceTime and anything else.
The video-call setup
- Main light to the side and above: a lamp or window at 45 degrees.
- Laptop raised so the camera is at eye level; tilt the screen back a little.
- Screen brightness down a few notches.
- Frames tilted a touch down, or chin slightly lowered.
- Test before the call using your camera app.
If you look orange once you fix the glare
Moving your light often changes your color too. If warm lamps now make you look orange, see why you look orange on camera.
Posing with glasses
- Push your glasses up fully on your nose so the frame sits level.
- Clean your lenses first; smudges scatter light and make glare worse.
- Keep your eyes looking through the lens center, not over the top.
Check your glare-free selfie today
Now you know how to avoid glasses glare in photos: tilt the frames, move the light up and to the side, and tame ring lights and screens. Take a selfie with your new setup and Glowmaxx will score it on five levers, including posture and angle and light and fit, and hand you three moves for today aimed at the lowest one. It runs in your browser and never scores your features.
FAQ
How do I stop glasses glare in photos without editing?
Tilt your frames down slightly by lifting the arms off your ears a little, and move your main light higher and to one side. Turning your head a few degrees away from the light also helps.
How do I avoid glasses glare on Zoom?
Put a lamp or window to the side of your screen instead of straight ahead, lower your screen brightness, and raise your laptop to eye level. A slight chin-down tilt usually removes what's left.
How do I avoid glasses glare with a ring light?
Raise the ring light above your eye level and angle it down, or move it to the side of the phone instead of directly behind it. Lowering its brightness and tilting your frames also help.
Do anti-glare glasses help in photos?
Anti-reflective coatings reduce reflections and many people find they help on camera. They don't remove glare completely under a bright light straight in front of you, so light position still matters.
How do I avoid glasses glare in selfies?
Face a window or lamp at an angle rather than straight on, hold the phone slightly above eye level, and tilt your chin down a touch. Turn off the flash, which is almost always straight in line with your lenses.