You know, we talk about your clothes, your shoes, and even your accessories when it comes to what to wear for your portrait sessions. But there is one very important piece that I have yet to talk to you about. Your glasses! So many people these days wear glasses as a regular part of their clothing, and there are so many options with glasses too! There are a ton of different styles to express your personality and tons of options when you are purchasing too. So I’m just going to give you four simple thoughts when it comes to your glasses for your portrait session!

How often do you wear your glasses?
When someone tells me they can take their glasses off for the pictures – one of the first questions I ask is if they normally wear glasses. If you are someone who is always wearing your glasses, you should absolutely be wearing your glasses in your portraits! You won’t look like yourself without them and I’m a big believer in reflecting who you are in your portraits. But… if you just wear glasses as an accessory or you don’t wear them often. Maybe think about skipping your specs for your portrait session.

Can you pop the lenses out of your glasses for portraits?
This is another question I sometimes ask. I find popping the lenses out of my glasses to be a big pain in the butt. So I don’t usually ask it of my clients. But in rare circumstances, I might ask. The reason we would do this is so that you can have your frames on and look like your normal self, but avoid the headache of avoiding glares in your lenses. It’s a little thing that can definitely make a big difference!

Transition lenses are awful for outdoor portraits
I’ll be real, guys, transition lenses are the bane of my existence. And unfortunately, everyone seems to have them these days. For those who don’t know, transition lenses are the ones that change to tinted lenses when you are out in the sun. You can imagine what a pain this would be in an outdoor portrait session. The glass tends to turn a purplish hue and trying to correct this in photoshop is incredibly time-consuming and can even be impossible to correct in certain instances. So if you can – opt for the lenses that darken in the sun.

Anti-glare lens are incredibly helpful
This is something you’ll be asked about when you order your glasses and it might not seem like a big deal at the time. But I can tell you after shooting a variety of different types of glasses – this simple addition can make a huge impact. Standard lenses are often super reflective and throw glares like CRAZY. But those lenses that have the anti-glare coating are amazing for reducing those annoying glares.

Aside from these four simple tips – a professional photographer should the skills and know-how to manage the rest. You shouldn’t need to worry about what the photographers doing, but if you consider these few things – you’ll be on your way to some great portraits with your glasses!