Glasses and headshots have a complicated relationship. The lenses catch every light source in the room, frames cast shadows under your eyes, and suddenly a simple portrait becomes a lighting puzzle.
But you wear glasses every day. Your headshot should look like you. Here's how to make it work.
The Glare Problem
Glare happens when light reflects off your lenses directly into the camera. The fix is angle: either yours or the light's.
Quick fixes:
- Tilt your glasses down slightly. Just a degree or two at the temples. This angles the lenses so they reflect light downward instead of into the camera. Most people won't notice the tilt in the final photo.
- Raise the light source. If the light is at eye level, it bounces straight off your lenses. Moving it higher or to the side changes the reflection angle.
- Turn your head slightly. A quarter-turn eliminates most glare because the lenses are no longer perpendicular to the camera.
- Use diffused lighting. Soft, even light creates less intense reflections than direct flash or a single hard source.
Last resort: Some photographers keep empty frames on hand: same style, no lenses. This eliminates glare entirely but feels like cheating. If you wear glasses with noticeable prescriptions (thick lenses that change how your eyes look), empty frames won't match reality.
Frames and Face Shape
Your glasses are already part of your look. For headshots, just make sure they're clean and straight:
- Clean the lenses. Smudges that are invisible in person show up clearly in photos.
- Adjust the fit. Crooked frames are distracting and easy to miss until you see the photo.
- Skip the transition lenses. If your lenses darken in light, they'll tint in studio conditions. Wear your indoor pair.
- Anti-reflective coating helps. If you're ordering new glasses anyway, AR coating reduces headshot glare significantly.
Should You Take Your Glasses Off?
Only if you regularly go without them. If everyone who knows you has only seen you in glasses, taking them off for a headshot creates a disconnect. The person in the photo won't match the person in the meeting.
The exception: if you wear contacts sometimes and your headshot context (company website, LinkedIn) includes situations where you'd be without glasses, it's fine either way.
AI Headshots and Glasses
Traditional headshot sessions give you a photographer who can adjust lighting in real time to manage glare. With AI headshot generators, the approach is different.
When using Narkis.ai:
- Upload photos where your glasses look good. The AI learns from your input — if your source photos have glare, the output might too.
- Include at least one glare-free photo. Give the model a clean reference to work from.
- Try both. Generate versions with and without glasses to see which reads better at thumbnail size.
AI handles glasses well when given good input. The advantage is you can generate multiple versions without rebooking a session.
Quick Tips
- Clean lenses before every shot
- Slight downward tilt at the temples to kill glare
- Avoid direct flash — diffused or angled light only
- Keep your regular frames (don't switch to "photo glasses")
- If using AI, upload at least one glare-free reference photo
Final Take
Glasses are part of your face. The goal isn't to hide them — it's to manage the light so they don't hide you. A small angle adjustment and proper lighting solve 90% of glare problems.
If you want to skip the lighting puzzle entirely, AI headshots let you test multiple versions from your desk. Upload clean source photos and let the model handle the rest.
