Using reflections to improve an image

Silver Lake near Hope - using the water's reflection to make a stronger image

Although I have often used reflections of landscapes to produce appealing images, I have never taken the time to realize that it is a wonderful composition technique to intentionally look for.

I frequent areas around water bodies and often find myself using reflections to improve an image.  There are a few things you can do when considering this.

  • Look for bodies of water, regardless of how small, to use for reflections.
  • Even small puddles can be exploited for this effect.
  • Shoot early in the morning or at dusk.
  • Shoot from a low angle.  The lower the angle, the better the reflection.
  • Try not to put the sun in the reflection unless it is low to the horizon.
  • Shoot when there is little wind so there is little wave action.
  • Consider using a polarizer filter to enhance colours. 

 You can use a tripod if you like - to get really low you can reverse mount the tripod's stem so that the camera is mounted upside down and very close to the ground.  The image will be upside down in your viewfinder, but that is easily corrected in post.

Below are three other images I took using reflections.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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