February Photo Challenge: Reflections

“We do not learn from experience,” said John Dewey, 20th century American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. “We learn from reflecting on experience.”

And isn’t that what we do as scrapbookers? We reflect on our experiences, and the experiences of our family, as we create our albums. Scrapbooking is all about combining photos, words, and beautiful embellishments to create a lasting chronicle of our lives, so here at the Sweet Shoppe, we’re dedicating some time each month to focus on the first of those three ingredients: our photographs.

It’s the month of February, and we’re talking all about including reflections in our photography.

Why photograph a reflection?

“Reflection photography,” according to PhotoWorkout.com, “involves photographing reflections of any kind.” Any surface that’s glossy or shiny lends itself to a reflection photograph: water, mirrors, glass, and more.

“Reflections have a way of adding depth, interest, and a touch of magic to an image. Whether it’s a mirror-like reflection on a calm lake or a shimmering reflection on a polished surface, they create a surreal effect that instantly grabs attention.” (Source)

“Reflection photography really is about the ability to look at an image in a different way,” says photographer Patrick Koetzle. “Seeing a reflection in the water appeals to me. It pulls me in. It makes me see this beautiful image twice.”

As scrapbookers, we are storytellers, and we can use reflections to add more dimension to the story our images tell.

  • Reflections can be used to capture symmetry which makes a lovely photograph even more beautiful.
  • Reflections can allow us to document a different angle of our surroundings – like the reflection of the rest of the room in a mirrored surface – so we’re including more documentary information in a single photo.
  • Capturing a person in a reflection is a great way to capture a candid reaction or to record a “real” facial expression, especially if they don’t know you’re taking it. Everything from pensive looks to real laughter and smiles can be caught in a reflection.

What do you need for reflection photography?

All you need to shoot a reflection photograph is a camera, a shiny or glossy surface, and some patience. Fancy equipment is not required. In fact, phone cameras take awesome reflection photographs! They’re a great way to get started with this type of photography because you just focus on the subject, the lighting, and the camera angle.

Choosing a reflective surface

Any surface that is shiny or glossy can work for a reflection photograph. For example:

  • Water. This includes both large bodies of water like ponds and lakes as well as smaller ones like puddles.
  • Mirrors. But be sure to include the rest of the scene in your photograph … don’t just zoom in tight on the mirror – otherwise photographing just the mirror doesn’t add any dimension to your shot (unless it’s a way to include yourself in the image, which makes it more of a self-portrait).
  • Glossy surfaces like car hoods & windows, highly polished floors, and solid-surface countertops.
  • Shiny faces of buildings like reflective skyscrapers or all-glass walls.
  • Windows both indoors and out.

Tips & Tricks for Reflection Photography

Position your camera at the angle opposite to the thing you’re trying to photograph. Learn more about the law of reflection and how you can use it to pre-plan an awesome photo here.

Don’t want to mentally calculate angles? Move around, side to side, back and forth, and even up and down until you like the result.

You won’t be able to move some reflective surfaces, like lakes, puddles, or windows, so that means you’ll have to move around in order to find the right angles. (Source)

Shooting with a DSLR or Mirrorless? Set your aperture narrow (a higher number for your f/stop – like f/8 or f/11 or f/16) to keep your shot sharp throughout.

Manual Mode Warning! A longer shutter speed can help you get beautiful shots when there’s ripples on the water, but these long exposures won’t capture reflections. They will turn waves into dreamy, silky pools of water, and you can get gorgeous results with waterfalls, but those surfaces will not be reflective, as they capture seconds worth of waves in motion. (Source)

Reflections are affected by the quality of the light, so try shooting at different times of day.

Shoot water when it’s calm for perfect reflections on a glassy surface without ripples. Wind affects how calm the surface is, and dawn and dusk tend to be when it’s most calm.

As the saying goes, don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “good”. Are there ripples in your water? Embrace it for an abstract image. And remember, you can photograph partial reflections or muddy reflections or even distorted reflections if they support the story you want to tell.

Dig deeper & learn more

Here are several online resources if you really want to sink your teeth into the topic of reflection photography:

https://photographylife.com/reflection-photos
https://www.photoworkout.com/reflection-photography/
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/reflection-photography.html
https://greatbigphotographyworld.com/reflection-photography/
https://focus.picfair.com/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-photographing-reflections

A little more inspiration

Here’s a few more images from the cameras of our Sugar Babes to inspire your reflection photography:

Now, it’s your turn.

This month, we challenge you to shoot one or more images that include a reflection.

When you’ve shot and edited your reflection photographs, share them with us in our new Photo Challenge Gallery – because we can’t wait to see the stories you tell with your photography this month. We may even choose a favorite or two to win a sweet treat!

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