Reflections are popular in photography. Reflections can add a fun twist on standard landscape photography. Many surfaces can create the reflection, but I am partial to water. Windows can work, but I feel like they make a more tough image to read or abstract, depending on the window. I also love a mirror reflection, but those are more for portraits than landscapes. There’s usually not a giant mirror hanging around when shooting landscapes!
If there’s water, I look for a reflection. The water needs to be calm and flat. A choppy ocean won’t work well for reflections. Early morning, close to sunrise, works best for reflections. Also, a windy day would make it much more difficult to get a calm reflection. You may still get a reflection, but it will be wavy and abstract. But you never know, that might be exactly what you want!
Photography is about experimenting and getting creative.
This month’s favorite image was taken at Yosemite early in the morning. The sun was already up but not high enough to affect the light and reflection. I made this vertical rather than horizontal because I wanted to get the height of Yosemite Falls. Horizontal didn’t get quite the result I was looking for.
I also tried a variety of angles, up high and down low. It’s all about experimenting and finding the best image. If I look through the viewfinder and am not sure about a composition, I’ll often do a test shot on my phone. It’s like the updated version of Polaroid. For this photo, I only used the viewfinder and moved myself around until I found the sweet spot.
Do you like reflections in photographs? Why or why not? Leave your thoughts in the comments.