Photo Challenge: Reflections

There is something about a reflection that has always fascinated me. Perhaps it is that in a reflection, you get a distorted or alternate view of something realistic. I love the look of all types of reflections, and so this month I challenged a few Scrapjazzers to take photos using reflections

In this photo, Andrea Steed used the high shine on her floor to catch the reflection of her close-to-the-ground crawler.

In this photo, a fun mirror in a science museum helps to capture many angles of the same subject.

A sheet of white acrylic was used by Apryl Herrell to capture the reflection of a glass strawberry. (For more about this technique, read Plexiglass Photography.)

For the photo above, Apryl collected a vignette of her mother's items and included a reflection of herself in the self-portrait.

In this photo, I captured my son and husband on the dock, sharing a story. The reflection shows some of the background and emphasizes their closeness.

As you can see from the challenge photos, there are many different ways to capture a reflection. So, are you up for the challenge this month? I've listed a few tips for taking photographs using reflections.

1. Start becoming aware of light and reflections. Keep your eyes open to all the possibilities, from the reflection on the side of a toaster to the reflection in the glass of a store window.
2. The best time of day for capturing a reflection on water is mornings, followed by afternoons.
3. Focus on the reflection to get a clearer mirror image. Focus on the subject to get a softer reflective image.
4. Use a higher aperture so that the whole landscape will be in focus.
5. Pay attention to wind and boat ripples in water and how they alter the reflections.
6. Note if the water is causing glare on your subject and adjust your angle accordingly.
7. Check to be sure you do not unintentionally get yourself in the picture, or any flash glare.
8. Use reflections in mirrors and other objects to show more details and angles of your subject.

I look forward to seeing your photos - so please share in the photography forum!