Plexiglass Photography

When I began scrapbooking nearly six years ago, I used my point-and-shoot camera to capture snapshots of my newborn daughter’s life. I took these snapshots and “enhanced” them with decorative scissors and a sneeze of stickers and called it a day. Fast forward six years and I have a new baby in the house to scrap. Just as my scrapping style has evolved, my photography skills have as well. I no longer own a point-and-shoot camera, cut with decorative scissors, or use a sticker sneeze as a cutting-edge technique.

Like many scrapbookers I have come to discover that it is easier to scrap a quality photograph than a less-than-perfect shot. Do not get me wrong, I still take and scrap snapshots. After all, snapshots are best when you want to capture a true slice of life. However, I have discovered that I am also able to use my camera to capture portrait quality photographs.

One of my favorite portrait techniques is the use of plexiglass. With a simple sheet of plexi you are able to capture two images in one: the main subject and its mirrored reflection. Follow these easy steps to set up your portrait:

Purchasing Plexiglass
For this technique you will need to purchase one sheet of plexiglass from your local home improvement store. Most stores carry plexi in large sheets that can be cut by a store employee to your desired size, as well as pre-cut standard sizes.

Plexi can be somewhat expensive; therefore it is best to determine exactly what you will be photographing before purchasing. I use a 2 foot by 4 foot piece to photograph one subject.

Setting up the Portrait

• Make sure that your plexi is clean and free of fingerprints and smudges.
• To get maximum reflection from your plexi, place it on top of a piece of black fabric. Lighter colors can be used; however the amount of reflection will be reduced.
• Once the plexi is in place, pull the fabric beneath it tight to remove all wrinkles under the plexi.
• Position your backdrop.

Posing the Subject

• Determine what you would like reflected in the plexiglass.
• Items posed closest to the surface of the plexi will have the “crispest” reflection.
• Items posed further away from the surface of the plexi will have a more “muted” reflection.

Capturing the Shot
To capture the reflection, you will need to have a large depth of field. This will allow the entire photograph to stay in focus. When using an SLR camera I suggest an aperture of at least 9.0. For point-and-shoot cameras, set your camera to the landscape setting.

• Shoot down on your subject to capture the reflection.
• Crop in close on your image. The beauty of this technique is in the details. If your image is not cropped close enough the reflection will appear as a blur.

Now that you know the basics of plexiglass photography, the sky’s the limit. You will be amazed by the interesting reflections you are able to capture.

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