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EPISODE 2: HOW TO USE COMMON ITEMS TO CREATE REFLECTIONS IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

This week we’re going to INVENT reflections! That’s right! We’re going to invent them! You’re going to create surreal, artsy photo illusions with JUST ONE CLICK. No fancy Photoshop. No double exposure. You’re going to love this new experimental photography trick!

ISO 125 | f5 | 1/500th sec
This reflection was created with a black piece of paper inside the picture frame. I’m going to order a few different types of acrylic… but for now I like that I can just add the color of paper I like into the fold of the frame (is it called the fold?). I find black is the best for really picking things up. It almost looks mirror-like.
Are you wondering why I wouldn’t just use a mirror? Mirrors are cool too and we’ll play with them in future episodes. The reason I like the photo frame is it creates a more muted look compared to a mirror, making it appear more like an optical illusion

ISO 125 | f4 | 1/200th sec I loved that a random bird flew by while I was taking this series. Here are two examples from the same scene.

Here are examples from my wedding photography work. The first example is the photo frame with a black piece of paper, which picked up the reflections from the tree above. In the second photo I placed the frame in such a way that it looked like the ground was wet.

ISO 160 | f4 | 1/800th sec Here are examples from my wedding photography work. The first example is the photo frame with a black piece of paper, which picked up the reflections from the tree above. In the second photo I placed the frame in such a way that it looked like the ground was wet.
ISO 100 | f7 | 1/400th sec In this photo I used the transparent acrylic frame bare bones, allowing the reflection from the trees behind me to create a surreal, window-like reflection… If you look carefully, you can see my finger. I kind of liked the effect. And if you didn’t know it was my finger you might think it was a leaf or something in the foreground.
ISO 400 | f3.2 | 1/500th sec I made the acrylic frame transparent for the above effect, which made it look like I was photographing the bride through a window.
ISO 200 | f4 | 1/1000th sec See that guy there? That’s my handsome husband Derek, posing in front of my cell phone reflection. I loved the way the clouds blend so it almost looks seamless.
ISO 200 | f2.8 | 1/160th sec These reflections were from using my cell phone. I find that because it’s more narrow I need to widen my aperture to 2.8 so the cell phone blurs more. I also needed to zoom in a bit.
Reflection photography with cell phone tutorial
I love that the reflection will fill in anything that’s dark in the scene – this works really well when things are back-lit or if you have a silhouette

I live and work with gratitude as a visitor on the unceded territory of the WSÁNEĆ (Saanich), lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees), Wyomilth (Esquimalt) peoples of the Coast Salish Nation

All love welcome here!

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