Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I have a pair of yellow Alien Bees B800 flash units. When I bought them, years ago (one for home, one for work), I bought the versions with bright yellow bodies for no real reason. Well, I've been experimenting with a studio setup with these, using umbrellas in reflecting mode and wondering why there was a brown/yellow reflection in my glasses. It appears that the flash reflected over the yellow body lights up the body and the yellow glow is picked up in my glasses. I've established this by switching to a single unit and turning off all other light sources in the room, and the glow is only in the lens on the same side as the flash unit.

Anyone else seen this? Is there an easy solution?

If you photograph a highly reflective object, you will usually be able to see the light sources fairly clearly. You could try using a shoot through umbrella. You can also change the position of your camera or the position of the light so that the reflection isn't visible. Light will bounce off your glasses at the same angle that it hit them. For example, if the camera is pointed directly at your glasses, you could move the Bee farther out to the side - eventually, the direct reflection of the Bee and umbrella won't be visible in the glasses.

You can also remove reflective objects from your composition if they aren't really necessary. If you are referring to eyeglasses, you can remove them altogether or just remove the lenses. You can also raise the portion behind the ear to a higher position on the head causing the glasses to tilt downward a little.

You can also try using a polarizing filter on your lens. It is likely to help some.

If you plan to photograph highly reflective objects routinely, take a look at the book "Light: Science and Magic." It covers the topic in masterful detail.

Thanks. I already have the book - read it a few years ago. I have the set up in a small room in my house, which limits what I can do with stand positions. I had a pair of lights, each at about 30 degrees from the subject. With a little effort (moving things around), I can get one at about 45-50 degrees, and that removes the yellow reflection from one, but the other is still a problem in the space I have.

However, my point is that this problem wouldn't exist if I had bought a flash unit with a black shell (would white have been better?).

You must be zooming in quite close to see this relection, having trouble visualizing it. Can you post a sample image?
RMS

I believe PCB will swap case colors for you for a nominal charge. I'd give a polarizing filter a try first. You could also try a forward facing modifier like a beauty dish, soft box or shoot through umbrella.

If your glasses have a UV coating on them or protectant in them, then it could be the UV coating you are seeing. Depending on the angle it goes from green to greenish/yellow to yellow.

Thinking this out, if you could see the yellow cast from the AB in your lens, then you could see the light source, which would be undesirable, no?

When photographing people with glasses I take extra time to plan the shot. Most of the time I use a polarizer if I can. If not, I have them tip their head down or raise the stems of their ears just a touch so the glasses aren't reflecting the light source back to the camera...BUT, I ONLY do this if I can't jockey the light where I need it to be in the first place.

RMS, here's an example. First, the full image:


And here's a crop, with some enhancement to make the "blob" more obvious:


(Yes, I know this isn't a great portrait - I'm just testing out the setup and using myself as a "model".)

Can't explain this. You've had them for 10 years and just now seeing this? We've sold 250,000 colored ABs and have never had a report of anything like this.

In your close up, the whole umbrella is yellow in one lens, yet the left lens and right lens are both receiving the same light from the same side of the umbrella, but at slightly different angles.

It's pretty much physically impossible for the reflection off the side of the yellow Bee to turn the whole umbrella yellow.

I would try wrapping black paper loosely around the body of the light and do the same shot that way and see what you get. Also, try the same shot with different glasses.

I almost suspect some sort of polarization/prismatic effect coming from the glasses themselves

Ditto on it's weird that it's yellow in one eyeglass reflection but purplish in the other...probably the weird ant-reflection coating.
You might want to try this again w/ a speedlight to confirm...

I'd bet money that its the lens coating doing that, I've seen it before. With that said, yellow cast or not you're reflecting your light source back to the camera in your glasses. If it wasn't yellow from the anti glare coating, it would be a blown out highlight. Either way I'd call it undesirable and easily cured by tipping your head down a little, and off to camera right (your left). Judging from the catch light in your eye, your umbrella seems to be low anyway. If possible, raise it up a little or sit on a chair, maybe even on your knees.