How to get rid of glare?

[acuriousman]

I have a lamp that I use to light my video shoots. It has 4 bulbs on it that are able to move/flex in any direction. The trouble is, I have to bring these bulbs REALLY close to my camera to get decent exposure. This creates a lot of nasty glare from the bulbs on the item I'm shooting. It might look fine one second, but if I tilt or turn the item, tons of glare pops in. Which is HORRIBLE for video.

Example of the glare.



My lamp:



Any idea how I can fix this?

Thank you for reading.

[Greg McCary]

You need a light box or diffuser.

16" Cube JS Photo Studio Premium Light Soft Box Lighting Kit New JTK103 | eBay
32" 80cm 5 in 1 Photo Round Studio Collapsible Reflector Light Diffuser Kit Set | eBay

[acuriousman]

Oh, I see!

Do you have any softbox recommendations on Amazon for $200 or less?

[freygr]

Also use of a Polarizing Filter can help as most high angle reflections are polarized.

[acuriousman]

Also use of a Polarizing Filter can help as most high angle reflections are polarized.

A polarizer... I've never used one of those before.
I have a GH2 with a 14mm 2.5 lens. What polarizers could I put on that to get rid of this glare/reflections?
Would using a polarizer mean my picture would become dimmer/darker?

[freygr]

A polarizer... I've never used one of those before.
I have a GH2 with a 14mm 2.5 lens. What polarizers could I put on that to get rid of this glare/reflections?
Would using a polarizer mean my picture would become dimmer/darker?

A polarizing filter does reduce the light by 50%. But you have to have a more open lens or a longer exposure. You don't get something for nothing.

Polarizing filters have other uses besides getting rid of glare or reflections and the effects can't easily be duplicated in an photo editor. The polarizing filter is used in landscape or architectural photography. Depending on the lighting (the suns position) you can darken the sky and add contrast to the scene.

[Greg McCary]

You might could get the material and DIY. But a cheap one off of Ebay probably would work fine.