I found this theme to be quite challenging. When I think of a reflection shot, I immediately think of a water shot, mainly a larger body of water. And there are so many more places to look for reflections than ponds or lakes. Windows, mirrors, shiny metal, polished stone, small puddles, or even the faces of people reflecting the emotion of an event. Rural views of reflections are mainly found in water sources. City locations offer endless possibilities, in some cases entire buildings offer up reflections of the architecture around them. Once I opened up my mind to the opportunities, I began to see reflections everywhere.
I looked around on the internet for some help and information about shooting reflections, and found a few tips. When shooting a landscape reflection I learned that it’s important to get maximum focus by using the smallest possible aperture, and the use of a polarizing filter will clarify the reflected image and intensify the colors in the image. With that information in mind, I decided to head to downtown St. Louis and shoot the Gateway Arch. It had been a rainy day, which made for lots of puddles for reflections. However, there was still a layer of cloud cover, no blue sky shots today, unfortunately.
I did, in the end, get a reflection of the Arch taken from one of the reflecting pools on the park grounds. Guess what I left at home? Of course, my polarizing filter.
I love how this photo by Karen1448 has a similar mirrored arch reflection.
If you have found this theme (like me) to be a difficult challenge, I encourage you to go out and try it again. Look for reflections in your daily life, once you begin to look for them, you’ll really see them. Reflections are everywhere and offer unlimited opportunities for creative and unusual photos.
see you in the flickr pool
reflection 3 by karen1448
6 comments:
Both shots are really nice with the soft curves for the arches. I'm noticing a tiny little house in the background of the second shot. Makes you want to explore!
The reflections both add so much more to the original object. Lovely!
Maureen, thanks for passing on the tips for shooting. Great photos. Karen's shot almost looks like a fish opening its mouth to munch on those rocks. The swirls of pollen on the water in your photo adds nice texture.
I love the complete oval made with the arch. Very nice. Like Anita said, I want to wander over the bridge and visit the little house in Karen's photo. After, I skip a few rocks in the stream.
I love how beautifully these photos work together! Amazing
I love them both. great pair. polarizer be damned!
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