Reflections

By Jim Zuckerman

One of the ways to gain access to exotic reptiles is in zoos, but
unfortunately so many of the creatures are behind glass. That
presents a photographic problem, namely unwanted reflections.
Usually you need a flash because the ambient light is just too dark
to get a decent picture without pushing the ISO into the
stratosphere. This, in turn, means that the glass will reflect the
flash back into the lens and ruin the pictures.

There are two solutions for this. First, you can take the flash off
the camera (if your camera allows you to do this) and use it from the
side. You can either use a connecting cable that will trigger the
flash to fire the moment the shutter is depressed, or you can use a
wireless transmitter like the Pocket Wizard. This gives you more
freedom of movement and the distance from the flash to the camera
isn't so restrictive.

The second way to handle reflections in the glass is to put the lens
right up to the glass itself. A rubber lens hood is useful in
protecting the front edge of the lens casing as well as protecting
the glass from getting scratched. When the lens is up against the
glass, you can use the flash on-camera or at any angle because
reflections become irrelevant.

This picture of a green tree snake was taken with my camera placed
against the glass separating me from the snake. The flash was used
on-camera, and as you can see, there is no evidence of the glass
because there were no reflections at all. In my Lighting Course that
I teach for Betterphoto, I discuss many issues having to do with
flash. One of the most important lessons is to know when flash works
and when it fails. In a zoo, it can work for you very well as long
as you understand simple things like how to avoid a reflection.

Green Tree Snake © Jim Zuckerman All rights reserved