Helpful Posts Helpful Posts:  0
Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Shooting Through Glass

  1. #1
    rpcrowe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Southern California, USA
    Posts
    17,402
    Real Name
    Richard

    Shooting Through Glass

    The problem when shooting through glass or Plexiglas as in photographing at an aquarium or through an airplane or other window is that you can often have problems with reflections. Pressing your lens hood against the glass can help somewhat but, restricts your angle of view and in an airplane, the vibrations can be transmitted from the window to the camera.

    I solved the aquarium type of problem by using a one-dollar black plastic salad bowl with a round hole cut in the bottom. Pressing the bowl against the glass and sticking the lens through the hole will provide a shot without most reflections. The downside of this technique is that the salad bowl is large and unhandy and absolutely useless for travel.

    I have solved the problem with a collapsible black dog bowl with lens hole cut on the bottom of the bowl. Most of my Sony lenses that I will use for this type of shooting have maximum diameters of 67mm, so I cut a hole that size in the center of the bowl bottom using an Xacto knife.

    The bowl works great to eliminate reflections and it is a very handy size and weight for traveling anywhere. It weighs less than two ounces, costs $2.80 USD and folds down for easy carrying. The carbinier clip makes it easy to carry and easy to hold while shooting. I now have one permanently in my camera bag and one in my photo vest. The bowls come in sets of two from Amazon.com...
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

  2. #2
    pschlute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Surrey, UK
    Posts
    1,998
    Real Name
    Peter Schluter

    Re: Shooting Through Glass

    Wont be as cheap as your salad bowl but have you tried a PL filter ?

  3. #3
    Moderator Manfred M's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    22,158
    Real Name
    Manfred Mueller

    Re: Shooting Through Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by pschlute View Post
    Wont be as cheap as your salad bowl but have you tried a PL filter ?
    Polarizers and airplane windows do not get along well. Here is a shot through an airplane window over Montreal, Canada. Lovely coloured banding in the sky.

    Shooting Through Glass


    The salad bowls have limits too. They can introduce nasty colours unless they are neutral coloured (not all that many black salad bowls around).

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    South Devon, UK
    Posts
    14,513

    Re: Shooting Through Glass

    I don't know if this sort of thing is still available but at one time you could purchase rubber lens hoods which screwed into the lens filter ring. I know that Jessops sold them in the UK and I had several in differing sizes.

  5. #5
    DanK's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    8,823
    Real Name
    Dan

    Re: Shooting Through Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff F View Post
    I don't know if this sort of thing is still available but at one time you could purchase rubber lens hoods which screwed into the lens filter ring. I know that Jessops sold them in the UK and I had several in differing sizes.
    They are still available. The cheaper ones are $6-7 US at B&H.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    rpcrowe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Southern California, USA
    Posts
    17,402
    Real Name
    Richard

    Re: Shooting Through Glass

    I have used rubber lens hoods and they do a pretty good job but, I personally prefer the larger hood made from a dog bowl...

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •