The last thing you will ever see

This weekend I performed my sword kung-fu for my lion dance group and apparently had pictures taken of me while I performed. In this picture you see here, my blade acts like a plane mirror as it reflects the light of its side. Polished metal acts like a mirror because it reflects the light of objects straight back to them. It is not a perfect mirror because the light it reflects back is intensified by the light from the sword's surroundings. As the objects' lights hits the sword they return at the same angle they hit the sword at, and unfortunately that some stray light rays hit the sword so that the angle it leaves is the same is in the same direction as the primary object's eye.
These stray light rays from surrounding light sources are what causes cameras and eyes to see a glare. Since the sword reflects its own light and the light from light bulbs, flashes, and other objects, it creates a glare that tends to blind opponents until it is too late for them to block.