Reflections: Are You Making the Most of This Creative Tool?

Photography Tips

We all know that if we make use of reflections we can add some wonderful creativity to our images.

How many of us, however, consciously look for reflection opportunities as part of our standard photographic routine?

And do we look beyond the standard mirror image approach?

Here is a series of images that will hopefully encourage you to think of adopting a new approach to reflections and how you capture them.

Wildlife can be great…

…but what about in black & white?

Black & white gives you the chance to do great silhouettes of all manner of subjects. These can be real mirror images for extra effect…

…or just use the reflections to add interest to your urban images while staying in black & white.

Urban images offer a wide range of reflections depending where you are located but there is one type that can be found in almost any city which is reflections of buildings in buildings.

If you’re planning a shoot of this type it is well worth planning to do it on a Sunday when the traffic (cars and people!) is light.

These can look almost abstract and give a wonderful sense of complexity. Buildings with striking designs can look even more impressive when reflected in other buildings.

…and then you get to the standard question: “How can we make images of known icons that are different?”

The answer is to use reflections.

One skyscraper reflected on another

You can also do building details.

Rain can add a whole new dimension to your reflections.

Look for unexpected sources of reflection…

… and subtle additions to images.

They can add a different feel to landscapes…

…and add hugely to the dramatic effect.

There are many more ways of using reflections but I hope that these few ideas will light some creative fires and will give you another fun way of really enjoying this fascinating hobby.

About the Author
Roger Lee is a Johannesburg based photographer who runs a popular one day course based on “we don’t want to drown in detail, we just want to know how to use our cameras and enjoy ourselves!” There is also an easy-to-follow eBook version of his course.