Reflections as Art

Here’s an idea that probably most photographers have never explored: reflections by themselves. Nearly everybody has shot subjects that include reflections in water to get a nice symmetry. How about skipping the actual subject and just photograph it’s reflection in isolation?

The main technique here is to either flip or rotate the reflection to get it upright. You don’t want a ‘perfect’ reflection, either, because then it would just be a repetition of the subject.

I like to shoot reflections in infrared as well, to create an even more unique look. With color infrared, I like to switch around the color channels or make hue shifts, so that the sky is blue. I like using the Capture One editor when working on color infrared, and a link to how I use this editor for infrared is here.

With water reflections, timing is everything. If the water’s surface is still, the reflection is boring. If it’s windy, the reflection is ruined. If the water has minor ripples, you’ll never get the same shot twice.

Contamination floating on the water’s surface can give the illusion of a starry sky.

May the wind not be at your back.