REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY – A WHOLE NEW WORLD
If you’ve ever read Lewis Carroll’s book, Through the Looking Glass, then you likely already have an idea of how different things can be on the other side of the mirror. Of course the book was fiction.
When it comes to photography, although you likely won’t find monsters or anything scary on the other side of the glass you can use those reflections to open up a whole new world.
Sometimes it’s as simple as capturing that reflection in your photograph, other times it’s a planned reflection that will add a whole new dynamic to your photos. In this article we will cover a few simple ways to use reflections photography, to make your images different and unique. These simple techniques will really make it seem like you’ve added a whole new world to your photography portfolio!
USING REFLECTIONS IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
The simplest way to use reflection in your photographs is simple to pay attention to it, and then setup for it. In your landscape photographs this can be as simple as ensuring you are far enough away from the lake to catch the reflections on the water, as well as the subject of your photo. This simple idea can make for photographs that are much more interesting, and evoke more emotion.
The same idea can be used in your studio. Simply setting up a mirror, and adding that extra element to your portrait photography can make for a completely different, and truly unique, image that your clients will cherish forever. Mirrors and reflection will a new dimension to your studio portraits.
Here are a few ideas to get you started in a studio environment.
1. Place a baby on a mirror (assuming they can hold themselves up) and then photograph them from above and in front.
2. For that single person portrait, photograph them from the side, but use a mirror to capture their expression, their pose, and any action.
3. Use a mirror behind and slightly tilted to add a new dynamic to your portrait. Catching a subject from both sides with one shot, sometimes makes for a more interesting photograph.
REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY – THE DIGITAL WAY
It isn’t just in your studio, or with landscapes the reflections photography can be had. Photoshop can also be used to add reflection, and in doing so turn a mediocre image into a truly intriguing photo. This type of effect isn’t difficult to achieve, and actually takes just a few simple steps.
1. Create an image with a black background.
2. Import your photograph into the image.
3. Create a duplicate of the photo and then flip it vertically.
4. Place the flipped image and then use the airbrush tool to delete the bottom portion.
5. Liquefy and then distort the duplicate picture.
6. Blend the colors and touch up as required.
However you decide to add reflections to your photos, one thing stands. Although the ideas in Carroll’s book may not hold true for the real world, for photographers at least, reflections photography really can open up a whole new world!
