ViDeo also online

http://bit.ly/pp_103_3

iDeo
View The V

Project 3

nd

The Mission
Photograph a
mirror-like scene
with a watery
reflection and turn
it upside down
Time needed
Half an hour
Skill level
Intermediate
Kit needed
Tripod ND filters
cable release

50

a time for reflection

Turn the world upside-down with Tom Welsh as he replicates reality
using watery reflections as mirrors, then flips an image on its head

eflections always
make for an alluring
image. They can add
real depth to a scene,
while literally doubling the
area of interest.
Flipping the image 180
degrees, so that the distorted
reflection of the vista is at the top,
can bewilder your audience and
make them question reality. You

will need to find a picturesque

viewpoint with a water source
such as a river or lake we
photographed a hillside in the
central Brecon Beacons.
You will also need to consider
the correct height for your scene.
Down at water level, the reflection
will be taller but more blurred.
The higher you go, the sharper
your reflection will be, and the

stiller the water the clearer the

image. Using a shutter speed of
a second or two will blend slight
water ripples together, to give
a silky-smooth surface. To attain
this length of exposure you will
need to use a tripod along with
a remote shutter release, and
youll usually need to use neutral
density (ND) filters to darken the
bright daylight sufficiently.
www.digitalcameraworld.com

Scenic reflections

sTep by sTep NATurAl mirrOrS

How to mirror the scene with the use of reflections in water

Quick Tip!

01 The righT spoT

Youll need a static subject or scene on the edge

of (or in) a body of water. Youll need to shoot across
the water, so that the scene is reflected in its surface.
A small bay, lake, or gently flowing river is ideal,
as you can shoot from the opposite shore.

02 a perfeCT sTill day

You need still water, as fast-flowing water wont

produce a sharp reflection. But even then, you will
need a long exposure of a second or two to smooth
out ripples on the waters surface. Use a tripod and
remote release (or self-timer) to avoid camera shake.

nd

03 Take your Time

04 angle iT righT

05 Closely Cropped

06 reversing realiTy

Set your shutter speed to at least 1 sec; the longer the

shutter is open, the smoother the reflection will
appear. A narrow aperture will help to achieve this, but
even so, on a sunny day you may need to use an ND
filter for a sufficiently slow exposure time.

Its best to keep things simple. Filling the frame with

too many different elements will take away from the
reflection, so crop in close to your subject to remove
distractions, or shoot bigger scenes with plenty of
empty space around the edges.
The Canon Magazine

For sharper
reflections you need
to get higher up,
taking a small step
ladder can raise
your angle of view
sufficiently

Pick what angle to shoot at to gain the level of detail

youd like in the reflection; lower down will reflect
more of the scene but will be more distorted, higher
up will be clearer, but with less depth. In general,
its best not to shoot right down at the waters edge.

To turn your image upside-down, open it in Photoshop

and go to Image>Image Rotation>Flip Canvas
Vertical. Finally, use the Crop tool (press C) to position
the horizon bang-on the centre, splitting the reflected
scene above from the land below.

DaRkening
Down
unless you are shooting
at dawn or dusk, you may
struggle to get a slow
enough shutter speed.
A neutral density (ND)
filter extends your shutter
speed by cutting down
the light that enters the
camera. We shot with a
four-stop ND filter but,
even so, shooting on a
bright day at f/22 and
iSO50 still only gave us
a 2 sec exposure time.
in any case, dont push
the shutter speed too
far as the water is far
more reflective than the
rest of the scene, and
too long an exposure will
result in the water being
overexposed.

NexT moNTh
ND GraDS
51

Project 3

waTeR woRks SeArcH fOr reflecTiONS

You can find reflections everywhere here are a few ideas to get you started

01 roCk pools

While beaches have an abundance of

water, its impossible to capture reflections
in a raging sea. However, rock pools are
ideal as they will be perfectly still. Look for
interesting rocky shapes that will make
symmetrical reflections, such as this
example from Craster, Northumberland.

02 an absTraCT Take

Occasionally you can find a pool of

perfectly still water in odd locations,
such as in this flooded forest, causing the
ground to act as a mirror. When reflecting
an array of branches we gain an abstract
effect, with multi-levelled upside-down
interest though the entire scene.

03 refleCTions in porTraiTs

With clear enough water, and shooting at

the right angle, we can add interest to
portraits, with a reflection duplicating your
model. Here we also have the opportunity
for the model to interact with the reflection;
this can be them reacting to themselves or
simply touching the waters surface.

nd

04 fragmenTs of refleCTions

Smaller bodies of water in the foreground

can replicate specific sections of the
scene, thus adding intrigue. And as water
catches bright light so effectively, this
can also brighten up shady, otherwiseuninteresting foregrounds. In this pond,
the reflection is framed like a mirror.

05 hidden refleCTions

There are reflections virtually everywhere,

and obscure ones can make for interesting
images. This glass chess set, simply lit with
a household lamp, not only mirrors the
pieces in the board, but features an
inverted image of the surrounding pieces
in the glass pawns head.

06 level horizons

While most scenic shots look better when

placing the horizon at the top or bottom
third of the frame, reflected scenes usually
work best with a central horizon. But weve
still followed the rule of thirds for other
elements, such as the ship occupying the
left two-thirds of this scene.

VaRiaTion THe rigHT ANgle

Different angles will give a variety of looks, so get the right effect for your reflection
low
keep
Down
leVel
This results
in reflections
becoming taller
than the subject,
and more
distorted due to
shooting across
the water.

52

if you shoot
level with your
subject, the
reflection will
be equal in
size, with a
reasonablequality image.

FRoM
Up high
When shooting
from a higher
vantage point,
you will achieve
a much sharper
reflection thats
smaller than
your subject.
www.digitalcameraworld.com