Reflections photography – love puddles!

Using reflections in your photography can result in striking images which most people at a scene would never even see, let alone manage to capture.

This is Donadea, a small forest park in Kildare and a favourite weekend run for us and the children – lovely lake, ducks to feed, perfect Sunday strolling.

Last time we went It had been raining earlier on in the day – that’s always great for photography as wet roads add to the scene anyway, but as we passed the ruined castle I was playing with shots, trying to get something I was happy with.

The shot on the right is probably the “standard” one most people would go for, but notice the little puddle on the path? I went down on my knees, and placing my index finger in the water as a rest for my iPhone, carefully placed the phone vertically on my finger with the camera lens down near the water (that’s important – the lens must be as close to the water as possible). A few shots later, the one on the left was the result.

I was using my favourite landscape photo app – Pro HDR (see my post here on it) but the key principle is getting down close to the water to maximise the reflection effect.

The shot here is another “puddle” reflection – the guy with his coffee is one of the horse-drawn buggy drivers waiting for tourists at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, and he was fascinated when I showed him the shot, no doubt after thinking I was mad to be messing in the puddles in the road in front of him.

Whenever you see water in front of a promising scene, try for a reflection shot. Still water is best but ripples – in a fountain pool for instance, can also add interest. Birdbaths are another great flat water mirror to utilise – you just have to be aware of the possibilities…

Joe Houghton Photography runs small group photo shoots, individual 1 on 1 tuition and photography assignments. You can see some of Joe’s photography on ArtistRising or at The Canvas Works, or on his Flickr site.

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